If you would prefer a printed softbound version of When Vegans (Almost) Rule the World, you can pick one up for just $11.99 at Amazon. Kindle eBook coming soon! Available in either softbound or Kindle/Nook/etc. eBook at Amazon viviansharpe.com

Book Review: The Friendly Vegan Vegan-Friendly Recipes for Everyone by Michelle Cehn and Toni Okamoto review by Marla Rose As someone who loves to cook and also does reviews, I have a kitchen overflowing with cookbook as well as a variety of apps and regular websites I visit often for fabulous recipes. What is the point of another cookbook? If it is coming from Michelle Taylor Cehn (a recent Vegan Rock Star), and Toni Okamoto of the popular blog, Plant Based on a Budget, there is always room for another addition. Their new e-book, The Friendly Vegan Cookbook: Vegan-Friendly Recipes for Everyone, is a lean little publication with just 14 recipes, but that is the perfect amount for someone who is beginning to dabble in plant-based cooking without becoming overwhelmed and it is also great for the current vegan who would like some new, simple but nutritious recipes to shuffle in. I love The Friendly Vegan because it is so accessible, providing reliable, flavorful recipes that are budget and time-friendly for a variety of skill levels but particularly geared for those who like it easy and delicious. With an emphasis on familiar comfort foods, like burgers and mac and cheese, Michelle and Toni show people how to create the dishes so many of us love vegan style. Some recipes are more in the healthy foods realm, like their colorful Prideful Bowl, an interpretation of the Buddha bowls that are popular on the west coast, and their PB&J Chia Parfait, which is a great healthy treat, but others are straight up decadent, like their Poppin’ Jalapeno Poppers, which I need to get in mah bellah STAT, and their 2-Way Cookie Dough, which comes with chocolate chip and peanut butter bonbon recipe variations, and makes no apologies for most definitely wanting to taste like a treat. In a way, they are offering something for everyone in this e-book: if you want more nutritious recipes, they’ve got you covered; if you want more hedonism, you’re covered there, too. If you’d like a sample recipe, please check out their Garlicky-Ginger Tofu Triangles so you learn how to prepare tofu like they have at restaurants but with a fraction of the oil. The Friendly Vegan Cookbook is written in a very friendly, inviting voice. It’s easy to forget that veganism is intimidating to many people but these authors intentionally welcome people in the warmest way without skewing into over-eagerness. Remember Elaine’s exposition to Jerry about the big sudden movements that scare away squirrels? It is apt with our vegan outreach, too, something that Michelle and Toni do not forget. Dividing recipes into breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides, desserts and drinks, it is also full of beautiful, inspiring photos (shot by the talented Michelle) that make you just want to go out and eat some delicious vegan food with friends. (Their breezy promotional video is just a little happiness pill, too.) At just $6.00, The Friendly Vegan Cookbook is a great addition to anyone’s kitchen arsenal and also a great primer on how to be welcoming to non-vegans. Hey, also, if you order it with the coupon code VEGANSTREET, you will get 25% off. I would recommend The Friendly Vegan Cookbook for anyone and it would also make a great gift. Now somebody needs to make me those poppers… © 2013-2016, Vegan Street