I was super excited when we were offered a copy of My Vegan Travels, the latest book by Jackie Kearney for review. I already have Vegan Street Food and have been following Jackie since her stint on Masterchef where she was the first vegetarian chef to reach the finals. We’ve even had the pleasure of eating food made by the wonder herself from her mobile kitchen Barbarella at a VegFest one year. Suffice to say I’m a big fan, both books are beautifully presented with plenty of delicious looking photos and travel stories scattered throughout. To travel the world eating and then come home and write a book about it, that’s living the dream right there!
Some of the ingredient lists are a bit overwhelming so I was glad to see the home comfort foods section which meant I wouldn’t need to go in search of the more exotic ingredients imminently. Therefore if you are new to veganism and cooking I would recommend starting with this book rather than Vegan Street Food but also bear in mind some of the recipes have more than one element to them that require different cooking methods. Remember she was on Masterchef so things might get a bit complex. 😉
{ My big fat veggie cottage pie }
Your meals are all covered – breakfast, mains, desserts, sides plus breads from all over the world as well as recipes for your basics like mayo, cheese and cream. I started off with the more simpler dishes and found things like the cottage pie great for making at the weekend to see me through the week. More of my favorites so far are below.
More of my favorites so far are below.
One of the most simple recipes. What’s not to like about tomato soup?!
Whilst I wasn’t overly keen on the minted almond cheese (though the mint definitely works with the rest of the dish), I loved the shakshuka itself. I know, sometimes I’m just too vegan but I just adore my greens and it was the ideal meal the day before I gave blood. No problem with iron levels here!
This soup was so tasty and naturally sweet, I didn’t make the croutons this time but I’m doing the whole shebang next time round.
Unsurprisingly I have a whole list of recipes that sound and look amazing which I’m hoping to make soon, such as the artichoka torta, pear and frangipane tart, lotus root (one of my most favourite things to eat) with Burmese-style hot sauce, Singaporean laska with heart of palm calamari (yes calamari made from heart of palm!), Punjabi poutine – I see I am in danger of just relaying the entire index so one more! Korean-style cauliflower wings.
You can keep track of what else I make from the book here.