Nice for College-Age Vegans and the Rest of Us

As someone who has been vegan off and on for a while, although I'm always vegetarian, the plethora of college-related vegan cookbooks has always struck me as curious. I know that younger people tend to be interested in veganism, but what truly distinguishes just a regular good vegan cookbook from a vegan college cookbook? Any vegan cookbook could be budget-friendly, use regular grocery store ingredients, or have minimal prep. This book does have all of that, but the author does actually include various hints and tips specific to college-age students who may or may not have access to a kitchen. That's not to say that the recipes in this book aren't good for us non-college-age vegans. Most of the recipes in this book are simple, but they actually sound good. There are several in each section that I want to try.

My only real complaint about this cookbook is the lack of pictures. Since it is geared for beginners or relatively new cooks, it really needs photos. Newer cooks need direction, and part of that is visual. What are they actually striving for in a given recipe? That's hard to know without seeing a picture. Other than that, I felt like this book delivered on its promise, a book to help college students be vegan. It just also happens that the rest of us vegan aspirants (and vegans) can use the simple, budget-friendly recipes as well.

Great cookbook for a vegan on a budget or with little time. I've been exploring building more vegan meals into my omnivorous diet and this was a great tool to help me on my way.

This is an interesting cookbook with a variety of recipes that don't try to replace meat and instead focus on other ingredients. I am not a vegan but am trying to cut down on my meat consumption so I found this useful.

I love that the writer of this cookbook is a certified nutritionist. It really cements the idea that you're getting good and wholesome meals. This book is absolutely massive and filled with tons of yummy looking recipes.

It's a very good book for very beginners and covers the basics. It even has a breakdown of costs. This would be extremely beneficial for a novice cook on a budget.

As a whole, I enjoyed this cookbook. It is full of cheap, quick vegan recipes that are delicious! Most recipes are vegan adaptations of standard american food. There's everything from classic mac & cheese to lentil shepherd's pie. Each recipe includes an estimated cost per serving and prep time, which is handy.
My only issue is it's marketing towards college students. When I read the title I thought it would be easy no cook or microwavable recipes with only a few ingredients. Unfortunately, most have 10 or more ingredients and require significant prep tools to make. Most college student's do not have the kitchen tools or pantry space to make these recipes, especially not the ones in dorms. I would have branded this more as cheap and fast vegan recipe book. That being said, I still think it is a great cookbook for all vegans, not just the ones in college!

I really enjoyed flipping through this cookbook. Because it's geared toward college students, all the ingredients and kitchen utensils are relatively easy to find. The recipes are simple and easy to follow. There are lots of affordable pantry staples and frozen ingredients used rather than only fresh ones, which are usually more expensive. Nicholds even includes tips for creating a meal plan and each recipe includes nutrition information and an estimated cost per serving. There were fewer photos that I would have liked, but this could be because I had an advance reader copy. I'm hoping the final copy will feature more images because I feel that is a big factor in whether cookbooks sell well. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I’m neither a vegan nor a college student, but I’ am a Mom on a tight budget who has been easing into vegetarianism/veganism for a couple of years- and I love everything about this cookbook! it’s perfect for anyone wanting to dip their toes into veganism, or anyone wanting to eat healthful meals on a budget. I have tried (and loved) several of the breakfast recipes so far- especially all the variations of overnight oats- delicious! I love that the recipes are quick, simple, inexpensive, and don’t call for obscure/hard to find ingredients, as so many other vegan recipes do. I can’t wait to cook my way through the rest of this book!

As an intro to vegan cooking for a young person on their own for the first time, this book would be a good resource. As expected, the book begins with a list of tools and pantry items to set up a workable kitchen. While dorm living is touched on, many of the included recipes are better suited to someone living in an apartment. Recipes are noted as being allergy friendly, dorm room friendly, no cook, one pot or those making enough to share or save for later and also include an estimated per serving cost. Of course, the cost will vary depending on your location, but this will give the cook a good idea of cost. Also included are prep/cook times and nutritional info. There is a good range of recipes: breakfast foods, soups/stews, sandwiches and salads, snacks and sides, main dishes, desserts, and staples/sauces/dressings.

Thank you to Callisto Media and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review

Very nice and easy to understand the recipe. It does tell what the meal would cost and nutritional information. There is a number of recipes in this book, so you do get a variety of meals, drinks and desserts to make while at university or college.

The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds, a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, is a great cookbook for students going off to college or new graduates who might be cooking on a budget and are or are becoming vegan.

Nicholds has created recipes that use a few basic ingredients, especially regarding the use of herbs or spices. She also offers suggestions about what kinds of, again, very basic kitchen tools the college vegan will need. Likewise, she offers advice if the student is on a meal plan and what kinds of foods to enjoy.

Among the recipes are the typical smoothies for breakfast, which I typically disdain, but might find myself trying because of the ingredients. Despite the minimal ingredients, I thought many of the recipes sounded very promising, especially the curries, southwestern dishes, and the desserts. Some of the highlights for me were the Banana Bread Rice Pudding (breakfast), Pumpkin Spice Smoothie, Savory Chickpea Omelet Cups, Hot & Sour Tofu Soup, Coconut Curry Soup, Smashed White Bean Sandwich, Toasted Sesame Cabbage Stir-Fry, Deconstructed Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, and Spiced Apple Chia Pudding to name more than just a few. 🙂

All of the recipes has a cost per serving, which might be useful.

After the recipes comes a section on Cooking and Food Prep that I think is a great addition. I’ve recently become aware of how many college-age and older individuals have no idea of how to cook. This section should certainly help with that.

While I don’t usually mind if a cookbook doesn’t have pictures with every dish, this one has very few whatsoever and I know that matters to some people.

All-in-all, I think this is a great book for the college-bound vegan or recent graduate and maybe even for someone who is considering going vegan but wants to do it on a budget.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A ok cook book. It’s pretty heavy on taking the authors opinions and making them fact for the sake of the book.. The recipes seem easy enough for a budding Vegan and/ or college student. Overall it was ok.

As a vegan mom, I found this book to be very helpful in giving me ideas for quick and easy meals in smaller portions. This is perfect for anyone just starting their vegan journey and needing simple plant based options.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

I am not a college student nor am I a Vegan. Why am I reviewing this cookbook? Because I found this cookbook could be beneficial to anyone who is a vegan, maybe cooks for one or two persons or someone who just wants to eat a meal that has no meat.

The cookbook focuses on whole foods, nothing processed. There are 145 easy to prep and prepare recipes. What was really cool about this cookbook is that the author broke the recipe down as to what the cost is and includes this with the recipe. This to me is so helpful.

So back to who this cookbook is aimed at, the College Vegan, the recipes are perfect for the college person, from stocking the pantry to staples. The recipes range from breakfast, soups, and stews, Sandwiches and Salads, Snacks and Sides, Main Courses, Desserts. No fake meat!!!

These recipes can be cooked in a full kitchen or a hot plate.
Some of the recipes I would not make because I am not a Vegan, but there are some that sound really good that I think I could even tempt hubby!

I highly recommend this cookbook!

The author of this book is a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, not a chef. Her goal is to teach “how to make delicious, wholesome vegan meals that don’t take forever.” I am a vegetarian, not vegan, but I still like her goal. While I question the wisdom of sending people out into the world without the knowledge to feed themselves, this book assumes that college students don’t know how to cook. The book ends with general cooking instructions, including basic techniques and measurements. One good thing about the book is that each of the recipes shows the cost per serving in addition to the usual calories and nutrition details.

I don’t think all of the recipes here would be helpful. The book has very few pictures, which might have been useful for people without much cooking experience. Also, I don’t think that there was enough specificity with respect to ingredients. Several call for mushrooms, but what kind? A soup recipe calls for sweet potato or squash. I know what kind of squash would work as a substitute, but a beginner might reach for zucchini. Also why call for either frozen or canned corn kernels, but leave out fresh corn as an option? And the thought of dumping garlic powder into soup makes me cringe. The author weirdly restricts the spices used, claiming it to be budget friendly, like no nutmeg (use pumpkin pie spice) and no dried coriander or basil (use herb blends like curry powder or mixed Italian spices). If you keep using those blends, everything you cook is going to taste the same. I think that if you can buy the other ingredients (like smoked paprika and nutritional yeast) you can buy a jar of basil.

While I am not the target audience for this book, I would try some of the recipes. Others seemed a little odd. The recipes are arranged in the following categories:

Breakfast: smoothies, rice pudding, avocado toast, pancakes, muffins, tofu scramble, burritos etc. There’s a recipe that makes 2 oatmeal raisin cookies. Frankly I think it’s a brilliant idea to make only 2 cookies at a time, but I don’t know how many people would agree with me. An intriguing recipe for savory chickpea omelet cups are supposed to be like mini quiches with an egg-like texture.

Soups and Stews: cream of mushroom soup, tofu miso soup, hot and sour tofu soup, minestrone, etc.

Sandwiches and Salads: tabbouleh salad, Greek potato salad, Mediterranean orzo & chickpea salad, etc. This section had some recipes that sounded the least appealing to me, like chickpea melt (mashed chickpeas with fake mayo and cheese), carrot dogs (boiled carrot on a bun), and teriyaki tofu/tempeh sandwich (slices of tofu, pineapple and red onion on bread).

Snacks & Sides: hummus, guacamole, nachos, root vegetable fries, barbecue cauliflower wings, whole-wheat biscuits, banana-chocolate chip muffins, etc.

Main Courses: burrito bowl, Buddha bowls, Southwest stuffed sweet potato, pad thai, pasta primavera, lasagna casserole, chili-lime black bean burgers, fajitas, quesadillas, lentil spinach curry, jambalaya (this recipe doesn’t sound anywhere close to real jambalaya), etc.

Desserts: chocolate pudding, nice cream (“a creamy banana sorbet with a texture like soft-serve”), chocolate-coconut bars, microwave brownie mug cake, banana bread, etc.

Staples, Sauces and Dressings : includes recipes that are used in other parts of the book.

I can see this book appealing to a college student, without much cooking experience, who wants some variety in their diet. The cost breakdown might be particularly useful. While I had some problems with the book, and have seen vegan cookbooks that I definitely preferred, I’ve rounded 3.5 stars up to 4 because there are a few recipes in the book that seemed really good to me and the intended audience might like the book more than I did.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thanks to the publisher for allowing a copy to read and give my honest opinion.

While I am not in college, this is still a delightful recipe book that can be used by anyone wanting to try or support a vegan lifestyle. This is like a beginner cookbook and I found the recipes and much the information to be straight forward and easy.

What did I like? This is mostly a cookbook, with a few ideas to help people bring about a change in their diets. I am already leaning towards a better diet, and meat grows less and less of a concern every day that I get older. The recipes looked truly amazing, and entirely easy. I was having a hard time finding foods for breakfast beyond some fruit, and oats, so this offered a better variety to try.

Would I buy this book? Absolutely, I would rather have a solid book rather than a kindle copy when it comes to cook books. I think they are easier to have, than a phone copy. If I saw this somewhere I would definitely snap it up!

Thoughts for the author? I would have liked to know how to balance our needs better, to make sure we are getting all that we need. Still the cookbook was fun and I cant wait to try some of the recipes. Great Job!

The College Vegan Cookbook by Heather Nicholds was a delightful surprise as I not expecting to find so many yummy sounding recipes that were inexpensive to prepare. Best of all the recipes are tagged with phrases such as allergy friendly (no nuts, gluten or soy); dorm room friendly (requires only a microwave, electric kettle, or hand blender); good for sharing (makes a batch to share with friends). Another bonus was how the author included the price per serving with each recipe. I also liked her explanation of what vegans eat and a key nutrient list showing foodstuffs found in the vegan diet. I liked her equipment tips and how to stock the pantry ideas.

You will find plenty of color photos illustrating her cookbook. Some of the recipes you'll find include:

Breakfast Burritos
Cream of Tomato Soup
Ramen Noodle Bowl
Personal Pizza
One-Pan Baked Fajitas
Caesar salad
Strawberry Milkshake
Chocolate Pudding
Nice Cream, 3 Ways

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

This is a great book for anyone who is vegan or would like to try veganism. All of the recipes are simple and affordable, and organized well.

I Recommend This Book

Strongly
I am the mother of a college student who was born with severe food allergies. He can and does consume some animal products but vegan recipes are vital to his health and nutrition as he cannot consume dairy or eggs.
This book is a fabulous find. It is very well organized by categories. Budget friendly. Recipes are very simple and yet very varied. Yummy snack foods as well as full meals. Many that are easy microwave, or no cook foods, as well as one pot meals.
The intro includes a simple nutritional guide. I am so impressed and sure to look for anything else by Heather Nicholds.
PERFECT for COLLEGE kids on a budget and with the desire to eat healthy.