Epic Vegan

Full disclosure: I'm not a vegan. I'm not even a vegetarian, but admittedly I do enjoy working plant based meals into my repertoire. Even though I've never heard of Dustin Harder nor his TV show I was very much drawn to the cover and description of this book, which reminded me so much of the American diners that I enjoyed as a child. In fact as an adult living abroad I still gleefully visit retro American style diners that have sprouted up all over the UK. Epic Vegan is a love letter to that kind of jaw dropping, technicolour food. There are riffs on high street favourites like Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Auntie Anne's pretzels and a legendary cheddar biscuit that I'm almost certain is inspired by Red Lobster. I also loved the nostalgic comfort foods such as mac and cheese with a suggested topping of potato crisps or my personal favourite crab rangoon.
Alongside all the fun stackable foods I really appreciate the more refined recipes included for dinner party wow factor. A small gripe is that I would have liked more than just a lettuce bowl as a healthier option since surely healthy can be fun too? And I do wish that more recipes had their own accompanying photo however the ones that are included are both eye catching and fun. Because let's face it, if you're making a carbonara the final step is always to live your best Lady And The Tramp fantasy.

First off: hell yes to all those desserts! But also, more pictures please? Maybe I'm being greedy, but I'd love to see pictures of all this epic sounding food, not just some of it. There were a few recipes that made me raise an eyebrow ("unicorn" french bread pizza where the rainbow just comes from edible flowers? pass.) but overall there was some really tasty sounding food in here that looks like real food and not just non-stop salads.

Epic Vegan lives up to its title with a vast array of recipes that vary from the unusual to comforting favorites. The book is also gorgeous with full-color images and stylized pages. I enjoyed the conversational tone of the author's voice, which was very appropriate for this type of book. It was also awesome to receive a good guide to the basics that recommended many resources for vegan food. Even as a vegetarian of 28 years, there were still a few resources listed that I'd never heard of.

Some of the recipes may be a bit too out there for my rather plain tastes, but I'm sure that people who thrive on trying new things will absolutely love all of the selections. I'm already a huge fan of the book's vegan macaroni & cheese, which is the first time I've ever truly enjoyed a vegan substitute for this classic favorite.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

I am not a vegan or a vegetarian even, but oh my God these recipes look amazing. This book is full of food that looks amazing, sounds amazing and from the ingredients you can tell will be tasty. I tried the ‘fried chicken’ noodle soup tonight and it’s so tasty. The book is well laid out, easy to navigate with clear chapters and subheadings. It’s bright and attractive with appealing photos. I think this is one of the best cook books I’ve seen in a long time. Highly recommended (and this is from a non vegan). I think this will be great to encourage nay-sayers who pull their faces when you say vegan. Brilliant.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I'm not a vegan but I'm on a semi-vegetarian diet and this book was full of interesting new ideas I will surely try.
The recipes are clear and well explained, the pictured gorgeous, the recipes mouthwatering.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Full disclosure:  I am not a vegan, nor I am even a vegetarian.  I am trying to eat less meat and a more plant-based diet.  

The Quinoa Bacon Bits sound intriguing and the Avocado Sour Cream and Cinnadiction Rolls sound fantastic!  The Garlicky Cheddar Biscuits sound like a great substitute for anyone who loves Red Lobster's biscuits.  The Keepin' It Clean Bowl looks delicious, as do the Wonton Bowls with Garlic-Fried Quinoa.

I absolutely love this cookbook! This book is full of mouthwatering recipes that look so amazing! The author gives some background and tips but ultimately says it's up to you- get creative, play around with the recipes, mix and match them and have fun in the kitchen. The recipes are easy to follow, not over complicated and made with easy to find ingredients. I will definitely be making these recipes not only for my own enjoyment but to help prove to my friends and family that think being vegan is "boring" and full of weird food that lacks good taste. I highly recommend this book and already pre-ordered it. Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to be granted access to this cookbook. I mean, Epic Vegan? You can’t get much better than epic, right? I must say these recipes live up to the title.... Pad Thai cupcakes... Chocolate Chickpea Ravioli, Cinnamon French Toast Shake and you better believe I will be making the Pickle Pineapple Ice Cream and the Waffle Tot Grilled Cheese. If I have one quibble it is that there is not a photo of every recipe although the photos that are included are quite delightful. I would say this cookbook isn’t for the cook that wants to keep it simple but then again, epic is in the title.

Great all around book for vegan takes on some of the most popular foods right now like lobster mac and cheese and buffalo chicken lasagna.
To do this review I’ll admit I am not a vegan but was looking for ways to cut back on meat eating, hoping for some exiting new dishes that would be appealing enough to try and while there are a few of those (wonton pizza, sounds delicious! French onion pasta bake) it is mostly ways to veganize other more established dishes.
I think the book did a great job of making items where appealing dishes that could appeal to a varied crowd. The author seems fun and interjects some of that energy into the writing.

Not quite five stars because the recipe I tried (cheesy sauce) left me really wanting the real thing. Hopefully some of the other recipes are more satisfying.

I really enjoyed this cookbook! I feel like the "cookbook world" has become more competitive as most people don't want a million cookbooks. The recipes need to sound enticing, look fantastic, have nutritional facts and the layout of the book itself needs to be appealing. I thought the layout of this book was very nice and fit the "epic" theme. The pictures are gorgeous and makes me want to make all of the food! I do wish there were more pictures. There were many and the ones that were in there were amazing, however, a picture for every picture would have been even better! It was unfortunately missing nutritional facts. I realize not everyone needs them but I always enjoy seeing them and they are helpful for anyone trying to improve their eating or those who need to watch certain macros, such as diabetes.

Overall though, this book is definitely worth getting! I can't wait to try some of the yummy recipes in here!!

This is a beautiful book! The pictures are absolutely amazing! I love that the recipes don't call for all pre-made items and actually provide recipes to make my own seiten, "chicken" and something I have never heard of before tofu phish (which sounds super appealing). I cannot wait to create all of these amazing recipes in my kitchen. Thank you for taking vegan recipes beyond the mundane and creating truly epic meals!

Everything in this recipe book looks amazing, the pictures are beautiful, and I know it'll be a big hit with our patrons who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet.

With its delicious looking recipes, this book helps making vegan cooking and baking more accessible, especially for people who aren’t used to cooking completely plant-based.
The recipes are - even while sometimes being over the top - more simple than many vegan recipes I’ve seen out there. In a good way. An example: a recipe calls for (vegan) mayonnaise. This cookbook just tells you to use store-bought (vegan) mayo instead of explaining how to make mayonnaise yourself. I loved that. Vegans don’t need to know how to diy all of their sauces, there’s stores for that. Most stores - at least here in Germany - already offer a lot of vegan products, and telling people how to make everything themselves overcomplicates things and makes veganism look more difficult than it actually is. Okay, done ranting.
While I wished there were a bit more pictures of the recipes, I’m really happy about this book and will definitely try out the „cinnadiction rolls“ soon.

High energy vegan cookbook aimed at those who miss meat in their diet, or who want to eat dishes that taste meaty. Full of brilliant colors and indulgent American recipes. This is not a healthy cookbook, as many recipes feature frying and a lot of oil, but for those vegans who want to treat themselves, this is an excellent book to have in the kitchen.

I've been looking forward to this one. Having previously stumbled across his YouTube channel and later purchased his first cookbook, when I saw he was working on another, my interest was piqued. Happily, there are many more options available for vegans and vegetarians these days, but there's always room for more! There's a lot to like here. Most fried recipes include the option of baking instead which is nice. Ingredients are listed by weight as well as volume - this is one of my pet peeves with cookbooks since weight is so much more accurate and means fewer dishes to wash so big thanks for this! If you don't already have one, a small digital scale can be had for around $10 and it's so worth the small investment! The photos included are nicely-shot, but I do wish there were more of them. It's always fun to browse through a cookbook and choose a recipe based on the final product image. So far, I've only made the Fudgy AF Brownies (easy to follow directions, no weird ingredients and YUM!), but I have a ridiculous number of other recipes marked to try. As with any cookbook, not every recipe will appeal to every cook, but I think Dustin has provided enough variety here to please just about anyone (not just vegans). I'll definitely be adding this one to my own collection of vegan cookbooks!

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all I am not a vegan but I am very interrestes in eating a more plant based, which is why I requested this book.
There are a lot of great recipes, and I can’t wait to try some of them out.
I do however think there should have been more photos in the book.

I wasn't actually able to fully read any of the recipes, much less try any of them, because the file wouldn't fully show on Adobe Digital Editions, even from my super fast and up to date work computer. But, from the snippets and wee pictures I was able to glance at from time to time. I'm certainly going to check it out from the library when it publishes.

I can't wait to try so many of these recipes. I'm not currently vegan, but feel that it's a lifestyle change I want to adopt more of, so think this is a good start!

If you’ve ever thought that vegan food is boring, this book will disabuse you of that notion! It is full of fun and tasty-looking recipes, some of which will definitely challenge what you think vegan food can or should be. The book starts with a tiny section about vegan essentials, but the book really is all about the recipes. Sections for the recipes include basics, breads, appetizers, pizza, pasta, sandwiches, and dessert. Some recipes are meant to mimic foods and textures that omnivores are familiar with, like a section on making your own fake meats; I think these kinds of recipes in particular appeal to those who are considering becoming vegan or are in the early days of following this diet. When I have tried veganism, the one thing I missed most was a creamy texture, like you get with dairy products. This book has recipes that definitely scratch that itch, with creamy dishes that don't have dairy. Other recipes are simply wholly vegan, with no reference to omnivore recipes. A simple flip through this book will show you the creativity contained within and will perhaps inspire your own. Whether you are new to veganism or are an old hand at it, this book will most likely give you plenty of fun ideas for this way of eating.

A great addition to vegan cooking. The Chill Sips and Sweet Emotions section are right up my alley. Always looking for sweet treats.

*thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review*
I’ve been vegetarian for 3 and a half years now and I still get really excited when I see new recipes that look amazing! This book is FILLED with those. I still have to try some of them like that Fried Chicken noodle soup was so calling my name and the Fudgy Af Brownies! For now, me and my friends got together and tried to make the All-American Burgers. We didn’t have every ingredient ( like the Vital Wheat Gluten ) but the results were still pretty good, a tad mushy but I think that was a bit of our fault. My friends gave the recipe in between 3 and 4 stars but it did mess a little with our stomachs sooo we’ll give that particular recipe 3,5 stars. Overall it could have more pictures because I love seeing what the food should actually look like BUT I just can’t give it less than 4 stars, it has so much potential good recipes and I’m here for it!

I’ve been mostly vegan for awhile now, I’d say around 90%. When traveling it is hard to stay that way or during work functions.

This cookbook looks awesome! I’ve only made a couple of things so far but they have been pretty good.

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Fair Winds Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-Based Recipes. I was under no obligation to review this cookbook and my opinion is freely given.

Epic Vegan is chock-full of exciting food recipes that will have readers looking at vegan eating in a whole new light. With mouthwatering photographs accompanying many of the recipes, this cookbook brings to mind the old adage "you eat with your eyes". Eaters will be hard pressed to miss the meat with these delicious and varied offerings. The author clearly had fun with this cookbook and did not take anything but the recipes too seriously.

The cookbook is divided into different sections, each with recipes that boast over-the-top flavor profiles that are insanely good. There are Basics like Easy Creamy Shells and Cheese and Crispy Drive-Thru Potato Wedges. In the Sauces and Dips section, stand out recipes include Beet Mozzarella and Fuss-Free Tartar Sauce. Breads like Pizza Dough and Crispy Cream Donuts will make readers scrambling to make more. The Appetizer section has varied offerings such as Sweet Chili Cocktail Peanuts and Breakfast Nachos. In the Handheld section, recipes range from ones like Breakfast Platter Dog to Mac Daddy Crunch Burrito. Pizzas include unique recipes like Franks n' Mac Pizza, while the Pasta section boasts more mainstream offerings like Lobster Mac and Cheese. I am most excited to try the recipes in the Bowls of Stuff section, with finished dishes such as Wonton Bowls with Garlic-Fried Quinoa and Loaded Baked Potato Soup. Both the Shakes section and the Desserts have tantalizing recipes that include Cookie Dough Frostee and Power Tower Brownie Sundae.

Overall, this cookbook has the power to change the opinions of non-vegan eaters, while happily expanding the palate of those who eat this way on a daily basis. For this reason, I would recommend Epic Vegan to those new to the cuisine and those who enjoy the vegan lifestyle.

Awesome cookbook with fantastic recipes and great pictures. You can feel the heart of the writer in every page. I'm going to preorder this book right now to receive a physical copy. Thank you for the sneak peek!

I have been vegan for over 2 years now and i love buying vegan cook books, Aine Carlin is my all time favourite, some books i buy like the Bosh Boys and find the recipes can be called vegan but more "junk food" vegan - so when i got the opportunity to download Epic Vegan I was excited to see if i could pick up anything new ideas wise.. boy was i not disappointed.. the bread recipes are amazing especially the pizza dough one - so versatile and easy to make..and the cauliflower buffalo bites..and the sweet thai peanut cauliflower tacos... i could go on forever about this book.. regardless of whether you are vegan or not you need to own this book, the ideas are great and the ingredients are mainly ones you would have in your cupboard... 12 out 10 from me!!!

This is a book that will be fabulous for some people and just good for others. Even folks who are not vegan (or not even vegetarian) are likely to enjoy it, but there are some drawbacks for some.

The good--

These recipes are truly epic. These are the sort of dishes you see on shows like "Diners, Dives and Drive-ins" where people drive for hours to get them, or treats that are offered by restaurants trying to out-junkify the competition (think burgers loaded with mac and cheese and bacon, or made with donuts for the buns with a fried egg and cheese in there for good measure). If you lust over those recipes but can't have them because no vegan ones are available, now you can make your own.

The photos and food styling are fantastic. The shakes look impossibly decadent, for instance, with stacks of things like brownies and whipped cream and so on. All of the photos look like something from a drool-worthy ad campaign or late night cravings menu.

The sauce section alone made me consider purchasing it. There are simple, tasty recipes for everything from caramel sauce to red and white barbecue sauce to tartar sauce and more. The ingredients are also mainly real foods like cashews and spices, rather than just store bought processed imitations.

The recipes are indulgent, and likely to appeal to folks who really miss comfort food, late night cravings food, over-the-top desserts and so on.

The bad--

There are not a lot of photos. The ones it has are fabulous, but most recipes don't have one. There are some spreads that show a lot of the recipes in that section in one photo, plus some recipes do have one or even two photos, but this isn't a cookbook with a photo for each recipes. This especially matters in a few recipes that are a little hard to follow, such as the fried phish, which involves wrapping tofu slices in nori and then coating and deep frying it. I really wanted to know what wrapping it looked like and what the finished phish sticks were supposed to look like.

This is incredibly wheat-based. Gluten free vegans are likely to be discouraged by how much wheat and gluten is everywhere. There are entire sections that are just about wheat, like the bread chapter, but most recipes also call for flour for breading and so on. Experienced gluten free cooks can figure out how to swap out flours for recipes (such as which ones will work for the mushroom gravy recipe) but you can't generally just swap GF flour mixes one for one even when the flours promise you can. The many recipes for brownies, waffles, pizza, donuts, etc. will all be out, which doesn't honestly leave a lot for GF folks other than the said sauce chapter or using their own recipes to put together the dishes.

Most of the recipes are very time intensive. Many of the dishes involve making multiple recipes and putting them together (making meat patties and macaroni and cheese and layering them on a bun with a bunch of other stuff, for instance). This isn't a typical weeknight cookbook.

There is no nutritional information provided. Looking at the ingredients in many of them, I can guess that a single recipe would often total in the range of the total number of calories I'm supposed to consume in a day for my weight and age. Many are quite high in fat and low in protein and fiber.

As mentioned, most of these are decidedly junk food recipes. These would be great for an occasional splurge but it's mostly processed white flour that's fried and then put together with a bunch of other high calorie, low nutrition food. There are almost no fruits and vegetables in the whole book, other than the occasional salad or fruit add-in (like mangos in the over the top shakes).

Some processed fake foods are required for many of the recipes and no homemade recipes are provided. While there is a recipe for homemade cream cheese, you're expected to buy imitation vegan versions of shredded cheese, cheese slices, etc.

This is definitely a fun cookbook, and one I do recommend. As mentioned, it will be a better fit for some folks than others. You might want to alternate the recipes with some nice green smoothies though.

My rating system:
1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

This is a fabulous cookbook with great pictures that really capture your attention. As a vegan married to a meat loving omnivore, this is such a great cookbook. I’m always struggling feeling like a “short order cook” when it comes to making meals for our family. I love when I can find vegan recipes which will appeal to my husband too. This is a great book for both vegans as well as omnivores looking to cut back on their meat consumption without compromising flavor. This would be great for those just starting out with embracing the meatless Monday movement. While many of these recipes fall on the more indulgent side, I appreciate that this author highlights that vegans eat more than what many think of as “bird food.” Yes, there are many hearty, delicious, and VEGAN meals you can make, and many are beautifully photographed and included in this book, which I highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this cookbook. The thoughts expressed in my review above are my own honest opinion.

Definitely for those who have recently turned to a plant based diet but desperately miss fast food. There's certainly more than enough recipes within this book to cure that particular craving.

Liked the layout of the book, it's neatly structured, flows very well, and is easy to follow even when it comes to the slightly tricker recipes. The ratio of food photography and recipes was decent. I also thought the names for particular dishes such as the "I Try To Think About Elvis Ice-cream" were brilliantly original.

Recommended.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc.

What a great cookbook! The material is well written and presented in an easy to follow manner. I look forward to trying out several of these recipes.

This is a really fun book.
I love the pictures and the way it is written. I felt like I was reading a letter from a friend, with recipes involved.
I plan to try many of the recipes, like cinnamon buns, donuts, burgers, I can go on.

I found this vegan cookbook totally awesome, especially as it's a bit over the top at times. It basically shows that vegan food can be a lot of fun. It's basically "dedicated to all of the adults who still like to play with their food" and has recipes such as Unicorn French Bread Pizza, among other things.

What I love the most about this cookbook is that it is packed with "normal" recipes; things that people wouldn't traditionally think of as something you could recreate as a vegan dish. For me, this is the most exciting part about making vegan meals and this cookbook is a gold mine for just that.

The photography is spot on. There are perfect photos the complement the food and recipes tucked in the book and help draw the reader in and inspire. This cookbook gives you everything you would need, recipe wise, and no excuse to not make something vegan. It is also nice that recipes in this cookbook include ingredients that are also made in the book, so you don't have to run around trying to find an egg replacement for your breakfast sandwich recipe since it is also included in the book! This cookbook becomes more than just a book but a collection of recipes to reference and flip through, and mix and match later.

Epic Vegan: Wild and Over-the-Top Plant-Based Recipes by Dustin Harder from Quarto Publishing Group is truly epic! A beautiful cookbook full of amazing sounding recipes and I am not a vegan though I have been trying to move in that direction. I had to try a few right away. The Fried Chicken Noodle Soup was excellent. I made it as the recipe is written with the rotini pasta and again at a friends house using some of this summers zucchini crop as zoodles. I also made Mom's Chili for a cookout and it was a hit with everyone. The recipes are formatted to be easily followed, though some ingredients may be new to some. It's easy to navigate through this book and there are beautiful pictures for most recipes and introductions to each recipe. The dessert chapter is my favorite with recipes for cakes, bars (the Sweet N Salty Bookmark bars are to die for), ice cream and more. This book will make you want to go to a vegan life style I highly recommend this book, even for other non-vegans.
I received an ARC and this is my unbiased review.

If you are trying to go vegan or are already a master at eating vegetarian foods, then you will enjoy this book by Dusting Harder. He takes comfort foods and turns them vegan for those who are looking for some of their home cooked favorites with out the meat!

You sort of wanted to be a vegan. (But then you thought of all the good food you'll miss. ) Sure, it would be healthier for you. (But what about the tastes you'll leave behind?)

Harder makes vegan recipes an adventure. They look tasty, the photos are attractive, and the ingredients are mostly basic and easy to find. And you can choose the level of complexity - basic or complex.

Word browsing at the bookstore - and probably worth taking to the check-out! For old-timers, this will give you some new ideas as well.

Recommended by someone who was vegan for 7 years. I would have made these recipes.

This cookbook is full of interesting recipes. The premise is that you can take “basic” recipes and then play with them to create epic variations. You can use a cheese sauce with a bread and seitan for a sandwich or perhaps use the cheese sauce on pasta or on a baked potato. The first chapter has “the basics” and then lists other recipes they can be used in. The rest of the chapters include: sauces, breads, appetizers, giant handheld foods, pizza, pasta, bowls (made of food), beverages and sweets. Some of the recipes looked intriguing but as usual, living where I do overseas, many of the ingredients are not readily available. I can see this as a gift to a vegan wanting to try something different. I did find out that the author has a website with recipes, programs from the past and other items that I plan to look at in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto-Fair Winds for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Fair Winds Press for an early copy of Epic Vegan by Dustin Harder. This cookbook was so fun to read. Dustin Harder defines epic food as food to wow and that is really true of this cookbook. This book is dedicated to “all the adults who still like to play with their food.” I am not vegan or even vegetarian, but I do like to try all different recipes and I really enjoyed trying the recipes in this book.

This book starts with a very detailed table of contents listing all recipes, not just the chapter headings. And as you go through the recipes, there are “create your epic” sections which tell you how to use that recipe with other recipes…use this sauce over here, etc. The majority of the ingredients are easy to find and the few that are not, the author states are used to take the recipe to the next level, so are definitely worth the trouble of finding them. There is not a picture next to each recipe, which is usually a negative to me, but the recipes were so fun to read, I did not even notice this until I was almost to the end of the book. Many recipes do have pictures and some recipes are featured in group pictures with several recipes shown at once.

Now onto the food, some of my favorite recipes from this book were:
- Quinoa Bacon Bits (this book starts strong, this is the first recipe in the book)
- Easy Creamy Shells and Cheese
- Fudgy AF Brownies
- Sweet Thai Chili Sauce
- Breakfast Nachos
- Bacon Cinnamon Roll Burger with Peanut Butter
- Sweet Thai Peanut Cauliflower Tacos
- Almost Famous Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
- Epic PB&J Bars
- S’mores Cookie Cups

I really enjoyed this book, both just reading it and cooking from it. There is a wide variety of recipes from breakfast, to dinner, to dessert, to sauces, to bacon bits! I highly recommend you go out and get this book today!

The Epic Vegan is the perfect cook book for junk food or comfort food vegans! It is also perfect for vegans who are just starting out. Rather than a bunch of complicated individual recipes, Epic Vegan begins with a few chapters of simple basic recipes, which are then used in the later chapters to make a myriad of other recipes. Essentially, if you master the first few chapters you can make anything later in the book. This is why it is great for newbies, as it starts with simple recipes and works it's way up. It also focuses on vegan alternatives to a lot of comfort food staples; fried chicken, fish, crab Rangoon, and cheese steak. My personal favorite was the vegan lobster roll (made with artichoke hearts and hearts of palm).
However, I do not think this book is for all vegans. If you are a vegan that doesn't like replacing animal products with vegan alternatives, then it may not be for you. I am usually one of those vegans, but I did still found a lot of the basics, especially the sauces, to be worth it.

This is a beautiful vegan cookbook filled with delicious-sounding recipes using normal ingredients and photos. Hallelujah! There are many recipes in here that I want to make right away. In fact, I'm going to a Christmas in July party this weekend and I think the festive cheesy spinach bread will be perfect for that.

Epic Vegan is a cookbook full of hearty and satisfyingly tasty classic plant based recipes with an American slant by Dustin Harder. Released 9th July 2019 from Quarto on their Fair Winds Press imprint, it's 192 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

As the author says in the introduction, plant based dishes have an undeserved reputation for being bland and boring. People who love bacon, Philly cheese-steaks, pizza, fried chicken, and BBQ burgers tend to think that vegan cuisine has nothing to tempt them. This book has recipes for all of the above and more.

The book is laid out logically. Staples and recipes for ingredients are followed by categories like beads, appetizers/snacks, handheld food (burgers, sandwiches, etc), pizza, pasta, soups/bowls, drinks, desserts, etc.

Some of the ingredients could prove difficult to source unless the reader has access to vegetarian specific ingredients or specialty suppliers. The rest of the ingredients should be buy-able at any well stocked large grocery.

There's a lot of humor and whimsy in the instructions and recipe names: the pastabilities are endless, cheesus take the wheel, etc. I found it amusing; serious foodies might take exception (lighten up, it's supposed to be fun).

I really feel that moving toward a plant based diet will solve a lot of problems for our resource management as well as provide positive health benefits for all of us. I do think that there is room for a cookbook based on 'cheater' recipes which attempt to replicate meat heavy dishes. I've only tried a handful of the included recipes but we found them tasty and anything but bland. The cover photo is a good indication of the style of recipes included in this cookbook.

Many (but not all) of the dishes are photographed and the photography is lush, clear, and beautifully appealing. I must say, however, that many of these recipes require quite a bit of prep-time. They are mostly 'cooking on the weekend' type recipes and not so much 'I worked all day, the dog threw up in the lounge, and my toddler is naked and running around with her undies on her head for the 34th time today' type recipes. I feel better for having said that (no judging here).

This is the go-to book for veg*ns who want to convince their omnivorous friends and family that plant based meals are not boring and bland.

Five stars, very well done. The flower petal unicorn french bread pizza is -really- beautiful (but all my friends took the petals off before they ate the pizza, cowards).

Disclaimer: I received an advance copy of this book through NetGalley.

This book lived up to the title: epic! I tried a variety of recipes, and had my husband try them right along with me. He is a meat and potatoes guy, and expects every meal he eats to contain meat...and if it doesn't, he says something is missing (the meat). My goal was to pick a few recipes from this book that would have him not missing meat in a meal at all. I am happy to report that I achieved this goal.

We tried a few recipes from this book, and I still have a few more I'd like to do. We loved the cauliflower tacos, and the loaded potato soup (with quinoa bacon bits) was quite good. We even ventured into making the "fried chicken" (starting with the seitan recipe). The chicken was probably our least favorite, but I think that's because we ate it alone, as chicken "poppers." I think it would have been delicious in the buffalo chicken lasagna. We also tried the fried potato wedges, which were really, really good as well.

Overall, I thought this book had some great buildable recipes. They were definitely epic...the ones that I picked had several component parts that were time-intensive when put together to form the end product. We also chose a lot of fried foods from this book, and this is not something we normally do at home. The results were delicious, but I would like to try the baked versions of these recipes (many of them do, thankfully, have baked versions).

All of the flavors in the recipes were spot-on. Everything we have made has had layers of flavor (even the batter for the "fried chicken"), and didn't use loads of salt to get there. This guy knows what he is doing, and if I can adapt some of the healthier versions of these recipes, I will definitely be making them as comfort cravings hit and I want a better alternative!

Epic Vegan is the standard American diet made into vegan versions. You will find everything from burgers and mac & cheese to cinnamon roll and shakes. This is the type of cookbook that focuses on making vegan food more accessible to the average person. It is easier to get someone to try a vegan version of a food they regularly eat than to convince them to try something entirely different. There are several items in this cookbook that I am excited to try and I love that there are items that get used in multiple recipes so once you know how to make that cheese sauce or meat substitute you have various options to use it with.

I'll never make a lot of these recipes, but I enjoyed looking at the recipes and getting ideas on how I can make some of my recipes more vegan (even if not completely vegan). Coming at this from a health point of view, some of it is just too much work or I don't have the ingredients (I'm not going to be using edible flowers anytime soon), but the ideas are definitely helpful. I wish that there were more pictures, though! (I find it hard to picture the recipe without a picture...).

Epic Vegan is a gorgeous cookbook for those looking to recreate fast food and comfort foods with vegan ingredients. This would not be the cookbook for those looking to add more plant foods to their diet or with a goal of weight loss - rather these are indulgent recipes for when you are craving a delicious treat!

This book is very American but as I am a huge fan of food from the USA it suited me to a T. Who knew vegan food could actually look and sound tasty. I am already adding ingredients to my shopping list to start making some of these dishes as they look amazing. They are going to help me eat less meat and animal products which is my plan for this year. Great book with lovely ideas and great photos.

Veganism intrigues me. It's more extreme than I'm inclined towards but I admire the dedication. I like that all these recipes avoid processed ingredients. They even make their own vegan sausage. There's no pretension either. Burgers, soups, sausage gravy. Everyday foods. It's a straightforward approach to cooking, focused on appreciating foods.

This is just...epic! There's no other word for it. Over-the-top, yet accessible recipes for anyone. Love it!

An unusual cookery book containing vegan recipes from Dustin Harder, also known as The Vegan Roadie.

It contains ten chapters of plant based recipes, starting with the basics though if you just look at the recipe titles on the contents page, chicken, meats and bacon do feature as names; it feels a little wrong to see those if its a vegan book, even if it's not real bacon, meats or chicken being used.

The other nine chapters cover Sauces, Breads, Nibbles, Handheld, Pizza, Pasta, Bowls of stuff, Shakes and Desserts. There is also an introduction in the book which explains the tools required, ingredients and staples along with how the chapters work.

The main recipes often refer to other recipes in the basics chapter of the book to make a complete dish and vice versa, the basics refer to the main recipes that can be used in conjunction with each other.

Each recipe comes with its own introduction, all the ingredients required in both imperial and metric measurements, how much it makes and plenty of steps to follow. Not all dishes have a photograph to accompany them. The recipes also include tips, such as how to press tofu or adding extra seasoning when looking for a particular flavour.

It's interesting enough but a little too much going backwards and forwards between recipes for my liking and the misnaming of the foods as mentioned before doesn't feel true vegan. Also it seems odd to recommend using organic sugar but not organic flour.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

REVISED VERSION!


Thank you to the publisher's for sending me another copy that had actual content between the endpapers.


Yes, the book has a boisterous title, I stand by that, but it delivers, add a pinch of humour and a side of reality, and you have a wonderful cookbook. Honestly, Mr Harder wants to make cooking a joy and not slaving at the stove, following recipes that have weird ingredients and even weirder instructions.

My personal favourite is the very first recipe in the book, Quinoa Bacon Bits. Who doesn't love bacon? Here's a vegan variant that works not only for the potato soup recipe on p. 140, but with a lot of other recipes.

Speaking of potato soup. My father likes potato soup in a particular way and with lots of bacon in it. Mr Harder, Dustin, I fooled him with your bacon bits, so that is a very big win in my book.

In conclusion, I agree, this cookbook has epic recipes with instructions that are easy to follow. As a part-time vegan, I might not try all of them, but I am definitely trying to cook as many as I can.

I don't live the Vegan life-style and I still enjoyed this book. Packed full of recipes I'm looking forward to trying. I only wish it had more pictures.

Really my one criticism of this book is the reusing of recipes from the front of the book to make more complicated recipes at the end of the book. I mean, it sounds great in theory, until you realize you would have to have the book open at 4 different pages to make one recipe. Unless, of course, you've memorize them, rewrite them on a separate piece of paper, or, you know, own this book in four-fold (great for the author, looks a little silly on your bookshelf).

Having said that, this book is beautiful. Great recipes, decadent food completely made vegan, and gorgeous food photography. I mean, what more could a vegan enthusiast want?
I also think the selection of recipes makes this a perfect book for anyone who complains about how boring vegan food is, because this book is anything but boring.

So 4 stars, with an definite round up if you plan to use it regularly enough to make the recipes from memory in the future.

Very well done cookbook, that I think will be especially helpful for newer vegans or those tha tjust want to eat more plant based, since this book has great ideas that are especially comparable to "normal" meals that most people that say they could never be vegan say they would miss.

Great book, worth a look!

Vegan cookbooks can be at times repetitive, which is why I enjoyed this cookbook so much. The recipes are quite frankly crazy (crab rangoon pizza?!), but that will definitely appeal to vegans who are looking to try things that are beyond the repetitive vegan recipes often found in other vegan cookbooks. I think this book will also hold appeal for non-vegans who might want to try out something crazy, or for vegans trying to impress. The photography was great, the graphics appealing, and the instructions were easy to follow.

This cookbook is literally epic! Every single recipe I am absolutely dying to make. Perfect for all those junk food vegans like myself out there!