While many think of fish when they think of Mediterranean cooking, this book is full of vegan recipes based on the region. I now have a list of recipes to try.

Thanks to Callisto Media, Rockridge Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’m not vegan, but I am trying to eat healthier, so I decided to check out this cookbook. The recipes all look delicious. Each one has a breakdown of nutritional facts, and each is marked if they are gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free,

This book is an okay book for vegan Mediterranean fans. I think there are better cookbooks out there, however. I think a lot depends on what y actually like and what your personal tastes are. I am not sure that this is a staple in my kitchen.

The recipes in this book “contain mostly whole foods and are plant based, high in nutrients, and low in saturated fats and sugars. They’re also meant to make your transition to a vegan Mediterranean diet as fun, easy, and delicious as possible.” “Most of the recipes in this book take 30 minutes or less, require only one pot or pan (or a blender), or have fewer than 10 ingredients.”

The first 20% of book is introduction. A vegan diet is not necessarily a healthy one (French fries are vegan) or low calorie, but this book strives for healthier recipes. It combines the environmental consciousness of a vegan diet with the health benefits and flavors of a Mediterranean diet. The recipes increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and beans, are labeled to show whether they contain soy, oil, gluten or nuts, and have nutritional information. The introduction describes the benefits of both vegan and Mediterranean diets and their commonalities. There are very few pictures in this book, basically one per chapter, and I would have preferred more.

Some of the recipes included are:

Staples: hummus, baba ghanoush, harissa tofu

Small plates and snacks: garlicky mushrooms, tahini cauliflower with caramelized onions, spanakopita, falafel

Breakfast: smoothies, banana pancakes, tofu kale scramble, savory Greek breakfast

Breads, wraps and sandwiches: pita bread, tabbouleh lettuce wraps, eggplant gyros

Salads and soups: French lentil salad, falafel salad, vegetable-lentil soup, roasted red pepper soup, butternut and broccoli soup, tomato-basil soup

Main courses: Moroccan couscous, pasta with lemon and artichokes, Athena pizza, mujadara, spicy eggplant polenta

Desserts: chocolate hummus, raspberry cheesecake squares, roasted pears with pistachios

In addition to the lack of pictures, I had a few quibbles with the book. Some information seems missing. For example: the falafel recipe says it feeds 4 and there are 750 calories per serving, but it doesn’t say how many falafels are included in a serving. It also says you don’t have to cook the whole recipe, you can just bake as many as you want to eat, but if you haven’t cooked the entire recipe it will be hard to judge how many falafel are in a serving and thus how many calories you are consuming. Most of the recipes don’t have a lot of calories, but if you follow some of the serving suggestions the calories really add up.

Many of the recipes sound delicious and they don’t use too many strange ingredients, although I have never heard of coconut aminos. I definitely want to try the lemony potatoes and the Moroccan couscous (it has orange juice and spices and sounds wonderful and also works with rice).

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and I want to thank them for providing a kindle ARC and not making me struggle through a PDF on a strange app.

This book not only had super tasty recipes that were easy to follow, but they were all vegan! With climate change, it is important not to consume as much meat and this book is full of recipes that make that easy to do!

This is a vegan cookbook that is also based on the Mediterranean diet. The recipes focused on using minimally-processed, whole-food, plant-based ingredients. She sometimes used store-bought breads in the recipes. Most of the recipes served 4 to 6 people, took around 30 minutes to make, and had fewer than 10 ingredients. Almost all of the ingredients in the recipes should be easy to get. She labeled if a recipe was gluten-free, soy-free, oil-free, and/or nut-free.

She included 10 recipes for hummus, dips, and sauces; 10 recipes for small plates, sides, and snacks; 11 breakfast recipes (for smoothies, pancakes, etc.); 10 recipes for breads, wraps, and sandwiches; 18 recipes for salads and soups; 15 recipes for main meals; and 9 recipes for deserts. Each recipe included "per serving" information on calories, total fat, saturated fat, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and iron. There were full-color pictures of some of the dishes.

3 out of 5

**OMG! I cannot believe that these reviews haven't been done! I am so sorry they are so late!!!**

A wide variety of dishes, flavors and ingredients here, so there's something for everyone. I'm not into vegan "cheese" and meat substitutes, so I will skip those recipes, but there are a lot of other delicious options here that I am looking forward to trying (dolmas and pistachio baklava for example!). I do wish the book had more photos of the food.

Great cookbook that vegans and non-vegans alike can enjoy. Healthy recipes using fresh ingredients that are no doubt delicious!

Overall, a quick and useful cookbook. I must confess to not being a vegan, although I am trying to eat more vegetables. I like the taste of Mediterranean foods though, and many are vegan anyway, so decided to give this a try. Made a few of the recipes, and found them quite tasty. Easy to follow, most had ingredients I could easily find (always a plus), and good pictures. Would recommend.

This is a solid vegan cookbook that explores Mediterranean cooking. There are several sections, ranging from breakfasts to dinner entrees. Each section is filled with several delicious sounding recipes.

What I Really Liked:

-The way the book is laid out/organized.
-The upfront mention before each recipe of pertinent things such as whether it's soy free, gluten free, etc.
-The suggestions about how to make dishes gluten free, etc.
-Easy to follow directions.

What I Didn't Like:

-The lack of photos was a disappointment.
-I could have done without all of the author's stories and adjective-laden descriptions before each recipe.

Overall, this is a good cookbook for vegans, vegetarians, and anyone else who wants to reduce their meat consumption.

If you are interested in lowering your cholesterol, having more energy, strengthening your immune system and maintaining a healthy weight, then this diet will help you do so.
When you eat more legumes, vegetables and healthy fats and oils, your body will begin craving these foods.
You will find recipes for hummus (using chickpeas, olive oil, garlic and lemon), tangy cheese made from cashews, garlic, white beans and peppers, and even spanakopita made from spinach, phyllo dough, onions and tofu.
Many of these recipes can be prepared from buying items from your supermarket, and some of them may require a stop at a health food store or Trader Joe’s.
Enjoy eating Mediterranean food and feeling good about what you are eating

Tess Challis’ Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook takes a look at the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet when combined with a vegan diet and shows you how to bring the two together for healthy eating.

The first few chapters inform the reader about the diet and lifestyle of the Mediterranean and may be the most useful of the book, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the area or the diet.

I wasn’t impressed by Challis’ inclusion of one of those pricey blenders (Vitamix et al) as being a kitchen necessity. It isn’t. For recipes like soups for which the blender is used, an immersion blender works much better since you don’t have to transfer the contents of your pan, not to mention the significant cost-savings of, say, around $300!). 😉

The recipes, on the other hand, remind me of those in a recent cookbook I reviewed Fast & Easy Vegan Cookbook (read my review here) and I fully expected to read: “Fast and Easy Vegan Mediterranean” on the cover but no. The reason why I make that comparison is that Mediterranean cooking uses so many herbs and spices, which gives the cuisine depth of flavor. I suppose if you’re wanting to create quick recipes you could leave them out, which this cookbook seems to do. To be fair, the recipes use one or two herbs/spices, just not what I’m used to or would include in my own cooking.

In several recipes, Ful Medames, a rich fava bean stew, for instance, I expected to see cumin. Cumin and legumes almost go hand-in-hand. I’ve never seen a Ful Medames recipe without it, yet here one is. Parsley is the only herb/spice used. I suspect if I hadn’t just read two cookbooks that make complete use of herbs and spices to enhance simple dishes (especially Ottolenghi’s Plenty (vegetarian, not vegan but you could make substitutions or removals), I might have liked the recipes in Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook more.

There are a handful of recipes I’ll try. And I do like the idea of using cashews to add creaminess to recipes–that I will definitely be trying.

I would recommend Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook if you are a new cook and/or new vegan. The recipes would be an excellent jump-start for simple Mediterranean cooking.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tess Challis does a great job with her cookbook "Vegan Mediterranean Cookbook." Not only is the book informative, but the recipes within are delicious and dependable. The photographs are also beautiful and compliment the recipes wonderfully. I had a great time diving into this cookbook, and I look forward to its release.

The recipes look and sound so good! I can not wait to try them! Very kid friendly also. At least my children will love these recipes.

Huge Thank you to NetGalley, Callisto Media, and Rockridge Press for this opportunity!

I appreciate the Mediterranean flavors this cookbook offers those on a vegan or more plant based diet. Many ingredients overlapped and most were common, easy ingredients to find in the store. There were some I have never heard of that I would guess would need to be found at a specialty store. I really am interested in most of the main dishes, especially the roasted pine nut orzo. I do think the specialty ingredients and lack of recipe photos would cause me to not use this cookbook as often. However, if those are not important features to you, I would recommend.