Cover Image: The Complete Book of Vegan Compleating

The Complete Book of Vegan Compleating

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review. Now I'm not a vegan or vegetarian but have found myself wanting to eat less and less as I get older. From a moral and a taste and consumption point of view. As a result I have been looking at more and more meat-free recipes and this book has a heap. If you're wanting a total all-rounder vegetarian book, that covers basically all aspects, even right down to what to do with certain straps or vegetable skin peelings, this book is a great option. Especially for those brand new, starting fresh with this lifestyle and feel a little lost, this would be a great gift idea that provides recipes but also the lifestyle as a hole, right down to specific veggie peelings or vegetable off-cuts, to avoid as much waste as humanly possible. The book can be a little drawn-out at times and sometimes has a different attitude that can come across a little strong, especially to total newbies who are just giving things a go, but other than that it's really quite good. Not necessarily the book for me, but I can see this being a book for many people. 3.5/5

Was this review helpful?

I think it's always good to learnore how to be zero waste. Being zero waste is not easy for the everyday person. But I feel trying to incorporate more ways is always good.

Was this review helpful?

I was actually really pleased with this book! It was very well organized, extremely informative and overall just an excellent guide to going vegan or just knowing what to do with your vegetables! It was super accessible to read too!

Was this review helpful?

I'm not vegan, and have no real intent to be, but I do find myself enjoying plant-based meals more and more. I've also been trying to be more mindful about what and how I'm eating, and I think that reducing food waste is a big part of that. The Compete Book of Vegan Compleating is the perfect book, full of fairly simple vegan recipes and hints for decreasing waste and increasing sustainability. The recipes are simple and straightforward, with reasonable ingredients, as well as some nutritional information. The recipes also include metric/non-metric measurements, as well as the equivalent British names for some of the vegetables (i.e. eggplant/aubergine), which is really quite interesting.

Even though this is sort of marketed to vegans given its title, The Complete Book of Vegan Compleating is really a book for anyone looking to eat a little better and a little smarter. I am so grateful to NetGalley and Watkins/Nourish for the opportunity to read and review it.

Was this review helpful?

This is a very different approach to vegan cooking.
"Compleating" means eating all edible parts of fruits, vegetables and herbs,
Instead of meal-based recipes, each chapter is devoted to one ingredient and the results are stunning!
I particularly enjoyed the delicious recipes for Brussel sprouts, carrots and baked goods.

Was this review helpful?

In the introduction to The Complete Book of Vegan Compleating, Ellen Tout aptly describes this book as an “encyclopaedia.” With over 200 pages of instructions on how to use the commonly unused parts of various fruits and vegetables, Tout’s book is very much a reference book and a useful one for the home vegan/vegetarian cook. While some of her suggestions for “compleating” seem a little arduous, others are very easy and practical. For instance, I’m not likely going to plant seeds from every fruit I eat (I just don’t have the space in my small apartment!)—although I might try to grow a couple of house plants from avocado pits. But as someone who regretfully never eats the heels on a loaf of bread, I’m excited to try out the breadcrumb recipes. Some of Tout’s suggestions don’t apply to most U.S. grocery shoppers who often find their produce already shed of these other useable parts (e.g., carrot tops, beet greens). However, those who shop at local farmer’s markets will appreciate being able to incorporate those carrot tops into a pesto (something I personally have wondered about before reading this book). Overall, this book is an extremely useful resource for veggie-lovers who want reduce their waste, and the encyclopedia format is especially friendly for easing into “compleating.”

Was this review helpful?

Good stuff! All the info to use all parts of the fruits and vegetables we use in cooking. Good recipes and tasty ideas.

Was this review helpful?

A great, short book that provides ideas on how to use the entirety of produce and lessen our food waste!

Was this review helpful?

Really fascinating guide to compleating - the practice of eating every element of fruit and vegetables to prevent food waste. As someone who was not previously familiar with compleating, this was a great, simple guide. I only wish there were more illustrations/images to showcase some of the recipes and techniques mentioned in the book.

Was this review helpful?

Book received for free through NetGalley.

I absolutely love the idea of this book. I looked through it several times and kept meaning to sit down with it but kept running out of time. That said I can see this being the perfect reference book for so many reasons. Off the top of my head it would be perfect if you're looking at getting a bigger bang for your buck by using more of each of the items you already buy, or help direct how to diversify your eating habits by introducing you to new items, or just how to make your ingredients last longer. I can see this being the perfect reference book that you return to time after time while the pages get a bit more ratty from being loved and used.

Was this review helpful?

I've not read this book page by page because as the author says it'[s one for dipping in and out of. As someone who is vegan and trying to make the best use of resources this book is electrifying. I do use a lot of parts of vegetables and fruit - the stalks from broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are really useful 'riced' and use to thicken dishes - as is the water that potatoes are cooked in.

I'm going to be buying this book for vegan and non vegan family and friends. We need to claw back food going to landfill - and, of course, to save money.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a clever idea.

The book was easy to follow and I liked the layout. The recipes seemed a little dated but overall I really enjoyed it and will be recommending to people.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy.

Was this review helpful?

Owning this book would be a great resource so that I don't have to google every time I cook how to use my veggie scraps or how best to store produce. I feel terrible how much food ends up in the compost, but this provided a lot of good zero-waste alternative suggestions. A couple of the sections focused on vegetables that I pretty much never buy, but reading this has actually encouraged me to pick some up and try something new.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive and ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is perfect for new vegans and is packed full of ideas. As a new vegan myself I found it incredibly helpful.

Was this review helpful?

I think this is a really good book for new vegans and vegan curious. You will get lots of information about different veggies, how to fully utilize them, which will make life easier when you are still learning. For a seasoned vegan like me this did not give me a lot of new information, but it reminded me of some things, and I started thinking about retrying the few veggies I don't use at the moment. I think the author has researched and tried different things with all these veggies in a way that will benefit many new vegans.

Was this review helpful?

Although pushed as vegan this book can be of use to anyone who uses vegetables and fruits. If you are new to cooking and don't think about the "other bits" of the plants then this is for you. As someone brought up in the 1950s where vegetable waste was not even an issue, at least for those of us in the country, it feels somewhat anachronistic. Broccoli stalks go in the water used to steam the florets and then that is used to make gravy, who on earth peels carrots. I have to admit that banana skins will continue to go in the compost as the idea of "pulled pork" banana skin is just a no no. Still, if it gets younger cooks making better use of produce and wasting less so much the better. Thanks to NetGalley and Watkins for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This is a great book to have in the kitchen; it's set out by each vegetable and very easy to navigate! It's filled with so much information on each vegetable, how to grow your own, and so many superb recipes.

It has the most fascinating tips on using the whole vegetable - there are some very unexpected and imaginative tips that I'm very excited to put into use.

[I received a copy of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]

Was this review helpful?

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read and review this one!

This wonderful book is great for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone who wants to eat a more plant-based diet.
the biggest thing for me was that it gives so much details about how to be less wasteful and make the most of
the plants you eat. I learnt so many new things and I am not new to the plant-based world.

being sustainable never sounded so tasty!

Was this review helpful?

Very interesting cooking encyclopedia of fruit and vegetables - how to use it all up so there is no waste and so we can have a few different recipes to enjoy each. The book is rich, there is a lot of intriguing suggestions, such as how to prepare banana peels and other such things. Sadly, there is no photographs, just a few illustrations, this makes the book less visually appealing and I will admit to being very vain with my cookbooks - I love them to be pretty. That said, this is a wonderful way to use up all of your organic fruit and vegetable, get the most out of them and really reduce waste. I find the idea attractive, but I don't have a lot of time on my hands so this is not for me right now.

Was this review helpful?

I love this book. As a vegan I have read and try many vegan cookbooks and this one is one of the best. The style of this book is taking a fruit or vegetable separately and giving all the information about it. Nutritional value, preparation and different ways to cook said fruit or vegetable. It is interesting and informative

Was this review helpful?