Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years; live in a house with folks that all eat meat and LOVE all things cheese so never made the transition to Vegan - Friday nights after a long week in work are just too perfect when finished with cheese, wine and olives! So when I saw this book that not only looked fun but was written by someone who at one point professed herself as a "die hard cheese nerd" : my curiosity was piqued and I added it to my Christmas list! I loved it from the moment I opened it and read it in book form which I would never typically do with a cookbook (I was also pretty hungry as my relatively new range decided to die on Christmas day leaving my food plans a little askew; so pretty food porn was the next best thing!). Things to love: no crazy tools required -blender; check, cutting board , check; I have those ...so was happy that I did not see pages requiring dehydrators and other gadgets I will probably never buy! Food I have heard of -stuff I can buy in a regular store -yet another plus! Pretty pics full of old faves - Mac N'Cheese, Pie, Mexican dishes, Asian dishes, spiced food, and yes, even cheese! This is hearty food that one can feed the family with and yet end up with clean plates and full bellies! Today I made the broccoli chickpea soup as nutritional yeast is always on hand in my pantry, and it was delicious , warm and easy to make; the Creole Corn chowder is next on my list as well as some of the rather delicious looking desserts to serve friends and family over the holidays...only to announce after they were vegan ! This book is chock full of options! It begins with an interesting and easy to follow introduction covering basic ingredients and tools you will need to get started; followed by a basic how to guide on topics such as roasting garlic, making nut butters and cooking various grains. Then I really loved the guide to making condiments and components that can be added to dishes such as tofu sour cream and tempeh bacon. This is followed by a section built for cheese lovers full of ideas to fill that craving without dairy (have yet to try but will update when I do). The book then covers vegan options for beef lovers, pizza lowers, heck even those who adore chocolate! This book is designed to tempt the pallet of those with some big craving who as the title states "could never go vegan"! Simply love this book and will use regularly. I will update this review as I tempt my meat loving household with these dishes! Follow up: I seriously doubted I could give up cheese, or that vegan cheese would be that good but just tried making their cashew blue cheese and all I can say is why, I am a convert!