Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes

Along with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's "The Vegan Table" "appetite for Reduction was one of the very first vegan cook books I ever received. For me this book was an excellent primer, it taut me a lot of basic tools, and techniques for vegan cooking, introduced me to new ingredients, flavor combinations and ideas. As is always the case with me I sometimes adjust the seasonings to taste but that's with any book. Overall I think this book is an invaluable resource for people, particualrly those just starting out, and even though I own 100+ cook books now this is still one of my `go-to' books for quick, easy, and light meals, especially on the days that I work.I also really love the layout of this book, I love the style, and I appreciate that most of the recipes have simple ingredients. I like the conversational tone of the book, and I really like that Isa suggests dish pairings. Sometimes you just don't know what to do with a tasty sounding side dish, or what to serve it with and Isa does the work for you telling you what it best compliments. I also like her stories about various dishes - and maybe this is a picky thing - but I like the typeface of the print. It's easy to read. I appreciate all of the tips and all the effort she put into making these meals healthful and low-calorie. Some people have complained that they are `too' low-calorie but that's an easy enough fix. Instead of complaining about how she only uses 1 tsp of olive oil, use 1 tbsp. This is after all a book designed to be low-cal and it's designed for weight-loss/weight management, if that's not what you're after then look for a more decadent cook book. Nutritional information is also provided for those who are concerned about such things.My only qualm with this book is the lack of pictures. I'm a very visual person and I really hate it with a cook book has limited pictures or no pictures. I love beautiful food photography and find the pictures help inspire me to make the dishes. This book simply doesn't have enough pictures, and of the ones it does contain I feel they are not as beautiful as they could be. Aside from that this book is fantastic. I have tried many recipes from it and this is what I thought.Everyday Chickpea Salad - LOVED IT - a `go-to' saladBalsamic Vinaigrette - LOVED IT - `go-to' dressingSpicy Blue Potato and Corn Salad - Pretty goodSushi Roll Edamame Salad - LOVED IT - a `go-to' saladGreen Onion Miso Vinaigrette - LOVED IT - a `go-to' dressingBig Fat Taco Salad - pretty goodQuinoa Salad with Black Beans and Toasted Cumin Seeds - pretty goodCool Slaw - pretty goodWild Rice Salad with Oranges and Roasted Beets - LOVED ITTinfoil Beets - Love it - good methodOrange Sesame Vinaigrette - LOVED ITCaesar Salad with Eggplant Bacon - LOVED ITCaesar Chavez Dressing - LOVED ITVietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu - LOVED ITCatalan Cous Cous Salad with Pears - Pretty goodRomesco Dressing - LOVED ITTrattoria Pasta Salad with white beans - Pretty goodSun Dried Tomato Walnut Dressing - LOVED ITStrawberry Spinach Salad - pretty good.Cauliflower Mashed potatoes - this was okay, but then as much as I love cauliflower I'm not all that fond of it mashed.Silky Chickpea Gravy - LOVED ITOMG Oven Baked Onion Rings - LOVED ITScallion Potato Pancakes - Loved itBrussels Sprout-Potato Hash - LOVED ITBhutanese Pineapple Rice - Loved itPolenta Stuffing - Pretty GoodQuinoa Puttanesca - Loved itSoft Broccoli Polenta - this was okay, but at the time I made it I'd never eaten polenta before so maybe this needs a re-try.Ethiopian Millet - Meh, not for me.Butternut Coconut Rice - pretty goodEggplant Kibbeh - I thought this was just okay, but my husband really liked itTamarind Quinoa - pretty goodGarlicky Mushrooms and Kale - loved itJerk Asparagus - loved itPineapple Collards - This was okay.Mushroom tibs - pretty goodOrange Scented Broccoli - LOVED ITEggplant Dengaku - loved itHerb Roasted Cauliflower with Breadcrumbs - pretty goodYe'abesha Gomen - Pretty goodCurried Cabbage and peas - pretty goodBaked Falafel - LOVE IT this is my `go-to' falafel recipeChipotle Lentil Burgers - LOVED ITBlack Bean Zucchini and Olive Tacos - LOVED ITGarlic Lemon Yogurt - pretty goodMango BBQ Beans - pretty goodBlack Beans in Red Velvet Mole - This was okay, but then I'm not the biggest mole fanCurried Green Onion Hummus - loved itRed Thai Tofu - pretty goodLettuce Wraps with hoison-mustard tofu - LOVED ITCurried Scrambled Tofu with Arugula - LOVED ITRed Wine and Kalamata Tempeh - LOVED ITTamarind BBQ Tempeh with Sweet Potatoes - LOVED IT!Buffalo Tempeh - LOVED ITFusilli Roasted Veggie Primavera - LOVED ITPasta con Broccoli - Loved itEasy Breezy Cheezy Sauce - Pretty goodSpinach Linguine with edamame Pesto - LOVED ITedamame Pesto - LOVED ITGinger Bok Choy and Soba - LOVED ITPasta de los Angeles - LOVED ITSpinach Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower ricotta and Spinach - LOVED ITMiso Udon Stir-fry with Greens and Beans - LOVED ITMac and Trees - Pretty goodCajun Beanballs and Spaghetti - not a fan,Black Eyed Pea and Tempeh Beanballs - not for meMom's Marinara - Loved itBistro Broccoli Chowder - pretty goodArabian Lentil and rice Soup - LOVED ITManhattan Glam Chowder - Not for meSummer Loving Curried Corn and Veggie Chowder - LOVED ITRed Lentil and Root Veggie Dal - pretty good2nd Avenue Vegetable Korma - Loved itCurried Chickpeas and Greens - LOVED ITPotato-Spinach Curry - pretty goodChipotle Chili with Sweet Potatoes and Brussels Sprouts - not for meLentil and Eggplant Chili Mole - pretty goodFresh Corn and Scallion Cornbread - LOVED ITQuinoa, Kale and White Bean Stew - Loved itPortobello Pepper Steak Stew - LOVED ITMoroccan Chickpeas and Zucchini - LOVED ITVeggie Potpie Stew - LOVED ITSweet Potato Drop Biscuits - LOVED ITSmokey Tempeh and Greens Stew - LOVED ITEggplant Provencal - Pretty goodI've had great success with this book, and overall I think ti's a great resource especially for new vegans or vegetarians. I have made many things from this book for my omni family and friends and they were a hit. I also recently gifted this book to my mother - not vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination - and she's had a lot of fun making the recipes.

I absolutely love this cookbook. I'm not vegan, and I really enjoy how flavorful all the recipes are -- no cheese or meat is needed at all! I also appreciate that the calories and serving size are included for each recipe. They are all low calorie, and yet very filling. I kind of want to give this book away to loved ones as a gift, but I also want to keep it a secret for myself.I've never really liked cooking too much, but I find myself sitting around reading this cookbook, and carefully planning my grocery list because I'm so excited to try new recipes.I also appreciate that her recipes are practical. Instead of soaking beans overnight, the recipes will call for canned beans. Instead of washing, drying, and cutting spinach, the recipe calls for frozen spinach. You can use fresh ingredients whenever you want, but the meals still taste good if you don't. As a very busy person who doesn't have endless time and energy to spend in the kitchen, I really appreciate a chef encouraging these shortcuts.My favorites so far (without remembering their exact name):- Corn bread- Black beans mole- Salad nicoisse- Miso eggplant

Let me put this simply. This book is the best of several low-fat vegan cookbooks I own and use.The title and cover art can give off a bit of a vibe that's too narrow, however. It sort of looks like a diet book ready-made to be advertised on the pages of Elle or Cosmopolitan magazines. That's not me. But I got over that. I look at Appetite for Reduction as a guide to wonderful, healthy plant-based foods, with recipes prepared by a true chef.The author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, stands head and shoulders above some others in the healthy vegan class. Her recipes tend to outperform, bite for bite, taste for taste, other similar books that followed in her wake, such as Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes (2011) and Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year (2012). I find a whole lot to like in those others too -- but I rate them with four stars, while Appetite for Reduction I rate with five stars. Granted, those others totally do without added oil and they reduce salt to a minimum if not eliminate it; but sometimes I have reduced the oil and salt in Appetite for Reduction, and the recipes still emerge supreme. An experienced, well-cultivated chef's hands and palate evidently were at work in the cooking and writing. I have friends whose nutritional goals are similar to mine, and we have compared these same cookbooks. We all agree. Appetite for Reduction gets first ranking on the cookbook shelf.Only one recipe in Appetite for Reduction clashed with my taste buds. The rest I liked or loved. The happy high notes rang out in Salad Nicoise with Green Goddess Garlic Dressing, Eggplant Provencal, Jerked Asparagus, Chickpea Piccata, Caulipots with Silky Chickpea Gravy, and my new favorite brunch food, Brussel Sprouts Potato Hash. Throw in Herb-Crusted Roasted Cauliflower for good measure. I can rattle off the names of all those dishes from memory because I liked them so much, and have made some repeatedly.Why bother eating this way? That's a fair question, but not for this cookbook to answer. You can't go wrong starting with the mind-blowing doucmentary Forks Over Knives (2011). If you want to read about the science in favor of whole foods plant-based eating and against the rest, The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Love, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good! (2012) packs a brisk and easily readable overview, along with a grab bag of recipes (some great, some less so). The grand pooba of the research behind this is T. Colin Campbell, whose 2005 landmark was a bestseller, The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health. The sequel is just out now Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition (2013) which tells why the science has not yet burst into the mainstream.Last but not least, the recipes in Appetite for Reduction are well written, with helpful side notes and a fun style. This is a can-do cookbook for fabulous healthy food. But you can reduce further or just skip over the already slight quantities of oil and salt if you're trying to squelch the lure of those palate-hijacking additives while going for broke on health and taste.

The only feedback that matters to a cookbook is whether recipes are interesting and photos look appetising. These recipes are dull and repetitive, and the book barely has photos.It’s wild that the author who gave us all-time vegan cookbooks in Veganomicon & Isa Does It also produced Appetite for Reduction and I Can Cook Vegan. Two 5 star books, two 1-2 star books. Go figure.

This is the third cookbook I've bought by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. I own many more, most of them vegan or vegetarian, but I always come back to ICM, and follow the Post Punk Kitchen religiously.Moskowitz is nothing short of a genius. I received this book a week ago, and have already made ten of the 125 recipes, because it's that good. The recipes call for little to no fat, but are absolutely delicious, and very filling. The portions are hardly small, either, and you start to appreciate how a hearty size of vegetables goes a long way in nutrition without too many calories. Recipes like the Green Goddess dressing, a creamy dressing without any dairy and barely any fat, are to die for, and might change the way you eat for life. The Chickpea Piccata was the first thing I made, and I can safely say I've never tried anything like it before.The author also suggests complementary dishes, which makes meal planning a snap. I can't wait to try the rest of the recipes -- this might be my favourite cookbook yet!

I have finally found the holy grail of low fat cookbooks. This is real food that will fill you up and make your belly happy, oh, and it just so happens to be vegan. I've been on the 5.2 diet for a while, mainly for health longevity reasons (although losing weight is also a bonus) and I must admit I struggle with the lack of food on a starvey day whereas the hubs has found it easy. This book has really helped me stay on track on starvey days, the salads really fill me up and are surprisingly satisfying. Nutritional information is included for each recipe. The recipes are perfect for any day of the week, i don't just limit them to fast days. They may be low in fat but they are full of flavour. My favourites so far have been:Everyday Quinoa Chickpea Salad - full of protein and good things and the dressing made from a blend of cashews, balsamic vinegar and other stuff is gorg, I've always hated bottled dressings from the supermarket, this is heaps better.Big fat Taco Salad - my favourite salad in the world ever because it has tortilla chips in it! Even my children dig this salad. The slightly lower in fat version of Guacamole, "Guacamame" made from a blend of avocados and edamame beans is awesome, tastes just like the real thing. I hated the salsa dressing, however. It tasted like vinegary tomatoes so I won't bother with it again.Mango Bbq beans - a big hit with the kiddos and quite easy to make. Just a smidgen of agave and a whole mango provide the sweetness.Jerk Asparagus - made this several times when British asparagus was at it's prime and man, is it spicy! That's a good thing though.I've made other things that I wouldn't make again but nothing has been in edible. Overall it's a winner. I have most of Isa's books and although this isn't my favourite, it's definitely the most used as I can't live on a diet of cupcakes alone, I did try. Ingredients are all easily found in supermarkets and health food shops, she tends to use the same blend of spices for several of the recipes so you won't find yourself buying some random ingredient and never using it again. There are not pictures for every recipe but there is about 6 pages in the middle of the book with photos, but I can live with that.As a lifelong omnivore, I found these dishes incredibly satisfying and I didn't miss the meat.

Un ottimo libro per chi vuole ricette vegane, appetitose ma caloricamente bilanciate. Ogni ricetta ha la tabella nutrizionale, ogni tanto c'é qualche riferimento ad ingredienti non facilmente reperibili da noi, m acon un pò di fantasia sono facilmente sostituibili.

Da ich "Vegan with a Vengeance" von Isa Chandra Moskowitz liebte, habe ich mir kurze Zeit später auch dieses Buch zugelegt - und habe diesen Kauf keinen Tag bereut! Die Rezepte sind low-fat, allerdings nicht mit dem Anspruch, dass man mit ihnen auf wunderhafte Weise Gewicht verliert. Es geht darum, gesund und dabei lecker zu kochen. Vor allem aber geht es darum, mit "echten" Zutaten zu kochen, nicht mit unzähligen Faux Meat oder Fake-Käseersatz-Produkten.Dieses Buch ist gerade dadurch so genial, dass es auf Convenience-Produkte verzichtet (was nicht selbstverständlich ist bei veganen Kochbüchern!) und gleichzeitig sehr kreativ kocht und neue Ideen gibt. Ich habe bereits viele Gerichte aus dem Buch nachgekocht und es gab kein einziges, was mir nicht geschmeckt hat.Das Buch teilt sich ein in folgende Bereiche:Kapitel 1: Full-On Salads - allein dieses Kapitel ist das gesamte Buch mehr als wert, die Dressingrezepte sind einfach genial und die Salate vom "Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette" bis zum Trattoria Pasta Salad with White Beans and Tomato-Walnut Dressing" geben Salaten ein völlig neues Gesicht! Plus: der "Eggplant Bacon" (eine Variante aus Speck hergestellt aus Auberginen) ist superlecker.Kapitel 2: Totally Stuffed Sides: Beilagen, die Spaß machen, z.B. Caulipots, die fettarme Alternative zu Stampfkartoffeln mit Blumenkohl oder im Ofen gebackene panierte ZwiebelringeKapitel 3: Rub-Your-Tummy-Veggies: hier haben mich vor allem die "Mushroom Tibs" (scharf marinierte Champignons, im Ofen gebacken) und der "Orange Scented Broccoli" angetan. Die "Grilled Portobellos" machen sich übrigens wunderbar in Streifen geschnitten zum Salat oder als "Steak" zum AbendessenKapitel 4: Main Event Beans: alles, was mit Linsen, Bohnen oder Kichererbsen machbar ist, z.B. "Chickpea Piccata", Kichererbsen mit einer Weißwein-Kapern Sauce. Die "Mango BBQ Beans" sind einer meiner Favoriten im Buch: Kidneybohnen mit Mangostücken in einer superleckeren rauchig-scharfen-süßen TomatensauceKapitel 5: Sink-Your-Teeth-Into Tofu & Tempeh: abwechslungsreich mariniert oder mit einer Gewürzmischung eingerieben und angebraten oder gegrillt bietet das Buch einige Möglichkeiten, Tofu oder Tempeh zuzubereiten (z.B. "Buffalo Tempeh" mit Cayenne-Hot-Sauce Marinade oder "Apple Miso TofuW mit einer Marinade aus u.a. weißer Misopaste)Kapitel 6: Talk Pasta to me: Nudeln in allen möglichen Varianten, u.a. mit einer "Käse"-Sauce für Mac and Cheese oder "Spinach-Linguine with Edamame Pesto" - einer Pestovariante mit TK-Sojabohnen.Kapitel 7: Soul-Satisfying Soups: Ob "Arabian Lentil & Rice Soup", "Tortilla Soup" oder "am & Black Bean Soup with Orange & Cilantro", diese Suppen sind für mich super Alltagsrezepte, weil sie leicht umzusetzen und schnell zubereitet sind - und sie schmecken auch noch super dazu!Kapitel 8: Comfort Curries, Chili & Stews: "Potato-Spinach Curry", "Chili Verde con Papas" oder "Lentil & Eggplan Chili Mole" - asiatisch und südamerikanisch inspirierte Eintöpfe, die immer sehr individuell sind, nie langweilig und wie die Suppen einfach in der Zubereitung.Es gibt (für alle, die gerne Bildchen gucken) kaum Fotos in dem Buch, einzig eine Fotostrecke in der Mitte des Buches. Ich finde die Bilder sehr gelungen und sie machen Lust, die Gerichte nachzukochen (vor allem, weil sie nicht so durchgestylt sind und die Ergebnisse auch aussehen wie auf den Bildern). Ein kleines Extra gibt es noch am Ende des Buches: einige Rezeptideen für schnelle "Bowls" (Gemüsegerichte mit z.b. Reis oder Linsen und einer Sauce) oder Sandwiches als schneller Lunch oder Abendessen.Ich kann dieses Buch jedem empfehlen, der sich für kreative Gerichte interessiert, die einfach nachzukochen sind und dabei fantastisch schmecken. Kleiner Hinweis: es wird oft von "cooking spray" in den Rezepten gesprochen, allerdings ist dieses hier schwer bis gar nicht erhältlich (ganz abgesehen davon, dass es eine sehr chemische Zutat ist). Wenn man einfach ein wenig Öl in eine dafür vorgesehene Ölsprühflasche füllt, hat man einen guten Ersatz und kann Öl dadurch auch sehr sparsam dosieren. ;-)Die Rezepte sind im Durchschnitt für 4 bis 6 Portionen errechnet, man kann aber zur Not (wenn man nicht das Gleiche mehrere Tage hintereinander essen möchte), die Mengen einfach umrechnen. Zumindest für 2 Personen kann man die Gerichte dann umwandeln. Und ja, das Buch ist bis jetzt nur auf englisch erhältlich, allerdings gibt es genügend Vokabelhilfen online, mit denen man sich das Wichtigste übersetzen kann. Allein wegen einer Sprachbarriere sollte man sich dieses Buch nicht entgehen lassen.Fazit: ein geniales Buch mit Gerichten von 200 bis 400 Kalorien pro Portion, das eine Anschaffung absolut wert ist.