Book Review & Giveaway: Vegan Bowl Attack!

When I went to Portland Oregon for the first Vida Vegan Con, I fell in love with "bowls." When I think of a "bowl," I think of a complete meal all in one bowl: some veggies, some grains, some protein, some kind of sauce to hold it all together, and a few tasty garnishes. Ahhh. Yummy, beautiful, satisfying, full of diverse flavors and textures... a proper bowl is a great meal.

Speaking of Vida Vegan Con, that's where I first met my pal Jackie Sobon, who blogs at the excellent blog Vegan Yack Attack! You've probably also seen her recipes and photos in VegNews Magazine, because she is so fancy and talented. Jackie is the author (and photographer) of the excellent new cookbook "Vegan Bowl Attack!"

I've been cooking up a storm from Vegan Bowl Attack! and absolutely loving it. VBA has many bowls like I described above, but also creatively stretches the definition of a "bowl" to mean "pretty much anything delicious that you can eat in a bowl." I am in favor of this!

A champion of a book!

Mezze Fusion Bowl

Oh Swoon. This just had to be the first recipe I made from the book, because this is my power cuisine, and this delicious meal did not disappoint. Mezze Fusion Bowl has: quinoa tabbouleh, Herbed Tofu Feta, olives, artichoke hearts, and some super delicious babaghanoush. The recipe calls for pita chips, which would be delicious, but I didn't have any -- so I threw in some cherry tomatoes from my garden instead. Even though this bowl combines several components, it was quick and simple to assemble. The Herbed Tofu needs to marinate for several hours before hand, but only takes seconds to assemble. The result was briny and salty and herby! 

White Bean Beer Fondue

This was one of our favorite meals (so far!) from Vegan Bowls Attack! When I first told Mr. VE&T that I was going to make something called "White Bean Beer Fondue," he was a little confused and didn't know what to expect. But after the first bite, he was an immediate fan! This is a rich and warm beany dip that's filling, nutritious and delicious. We loved the dippers too - especially the bread cubes, the pretzels, and the broccoli. This was a super fast and super easy dinner to assemble and was so satisfying. It's also really fun to dip little goodies into the fondue and eat dinner that way. I think it's a new family favorite!

dipping dinner is super fun! 

Grilled Romaine Chop Salad

I've never grilled lettuce before! This salad was delicious and summery - grilled lettuce, grilled tomatoes and corn, grilled eggplant, with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes -- just a glorious combo! The dressing is a light vinaigrette with a little nooch and dijon mustard for added vegan power! I love a good super summer salad full of all the best produce that summer has to offer, and this salad will definitely go into regular summer rotation for us.

Orange Cauliflower Soba Chow Mein Bowl

This was a super fun meal to make - definitely unlike anything I make or eat on a regular basis. I love that! This bowl consists of two separate components: Orange Cauliflower and Soba Chow Mein. The orange cauliflower is cooked with garlic, ginger, orange juice & zest, seasoning, and a little sugar (though I reduced the sugar quite a bit and was still happy with it! ~ from 2 Tbsp to 1 tsp). The Soba Chow Mein is super delicious -- soba noodles are stir-fried with veggies and seasoning for maximum yumminess! Mr. VE&T especially loved the chow mein and ate all of it, so I had the left over Orange Cauliflower with lunch the next day. What a great dinner. 

prepare yourself for the attack of the bowls!

be victorious with the help of this magnificent cookbook! 

Roasted Cauliflower Tomato Soup

This was probably Mr. VE&T's favorite from Vegan Bowl Attack, because if you make any form of tomato soup, it will always be his favorite. I like tomato soup okay, but sometimes I think it's a little plain. This recipe however, is a tomato soup that I can really get behind! I LOVED that it was chock full of roasted cauliflower, chard, and chickpeas -- the result is almost more like tomato stew than tomato soup and I loved it. I think this is a tomato soup we can both agree on with enthusiasm! 

the family that bowls together stays together

Grilled Mango Peach with Raspberry Coulis

This dish is from the Lil' Snack Bowls section, and since it's easier to find peaches than mangos, I took Jackie's suggestion to try this recipe with peaches instead of mangos. It's so quick and tasty: grilled peaches tossed with a lovely raspberry sauce. I was a renegade and converted this snack bowl into a breakfast bowl - after taking this picture, I mixed my grilled peaches into my homemade yogurt (with cereal underneath, which you can't see) and it was such a delicious and satisfying Sunday morning breakfast! It's fun to grill in the morning!

Vegan Bowl Attack! is divided into several chapters:

Bountiful Breakfast Bowls 
~ recipes that catch my eye: Caramel Apple Slices, Loaded Potato Breakfast Bowl, Nectarine Quinoa Porridge, Peanut Butter Pretzel Granola
Lil' Snack Bowls
~ recipes that catch my eye: Spicy Sesame Brussels Bites, Mediterranean Layer Dip, Crudite Boquets
Satisfying Soup & Salad Bowls
~ recipes that catch my eye: Herbed Tofu Tomato Salad, Walnut Chorizo Taco Salad, Banh Mi Panzanella Salad, Smoky Corn Chowder Bread Bowl, Kabocha Squash Pozole, Sweet Potato Eggplant Curry
Enticing Entree Bowls:
~ recipes that catch my eye: Southern Comfort Bowl, Mediterranean Spaghetti Squash, Aloha Bowl, Kimchi Bowl with Red Curry Almond Sauce
Damn Good Dessert Bowls
~ recipes that catch my eye: Amaretto Cherry Ice Cream, Roasted Peach Parfait with Crumble and Whiskey Buttercream

falling in love with my new crush
a hot tub is kind of like a human bowl

Giveaway!

Hoorah! I'm so happy to be able to offer a copy of Vegan Bowl Attack to one lucky winner (limited to readers in the USA and Canada), thanks to the publishers, Fair Winds Press. To enter the giveaway: leave a comment here and tell me about your favorite bowl, or your favorite thing to eat out of a bowl! And please make sure you leave an email or blogger contact, or I will just pick a different winner!