V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking :: Food and Nutrition

V Cuisine: The Art of New Vegan Cooking
by author HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer

Whitecap Books, 224 pages, $29.95 softcover
isbn 978-155285-903-2

Angeline Linardis speaks of art in her book’s subtitle and emphasizes the artistic, sensual aspects of healthy food throughout V Cuisine. The candid revelation that her meals are planned by building on a complementary colour palette of ingredients is most telling.

It appears an equally strong artistic hand designed the book’s layout. Pages are meticulously set out with angular blocks of vibrant colour. Tilted paragraphs of tiny blue type on a brown background (or yellow on orange) might make for luminous eye appeal on a book designer’s backlit computer monitor, but they become challenging eye exercises in practical application on the page. More youthful readers will no doubt appreciate the fresh approach to design, but this not-yet-senior reviewer was sent searching for stronger spectacles and improved lighting in order to read many of the author’s interesting introductory comments.

Rest assured, the recipes themselves, printed dark-on-white, are easy to follow, and very much worth preparing. This new vegan cooking is so fresh and natural that we forget no animal products are used here. Linardis’ recipes have substance without demanding much from cooks. The author learned through personal experience that a vegan diet can please all family members while offering healthy, effortless weight control. Her experience teaching cooking classes has provided valuable feedback from those who were once wary of trying the vegan diet and lifestyle. This is not a book for the converted. Linardis writes, “It isn’t just for vegans and vegetarians, it’s for people seeking fresh flavours, vibrant colours, new textures, and tons of fun,”–and I agree. The author is thorough with instructions and suggestions, and keeps her minimal commentary relevant. Nutritional info and shopping tips are also minimal, and there is no preaching.

Instead there are recipes here to please everyone. Bold Broiled Eggplant is a reminder of how easy and scrumptious this gorgeous vegetable can be. Superior Spring Rolls are a baked, guilt-free alternative to the usual fried variety–fun to make and eat. Her Carboholic Fantasy is an uncommon combination of carbs to satisfy the hungriest comfort food appetite. With engaging sections that include Sexy Salads, Courageous Curries, and Life of the Party Fare, it is easy to find novel meatless meals to enhance every lifestyle. V Cuisine is the author’s first book, but I’m sure we’ll see more from Linardis.

HÃ©lÃ¨ne Meurer is a writer and reviewer in Victoria, BC, whose hunger for new books is never satisfied.

Source: alive #310, August 2008

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