Book review: Nourishing Vegan Every Day

There are a few ‘veganised' recipes, such as the vegan eggs benedict with homemade hollandaise and mushroom ‘bacon', which relies on extra-firm tofu for the eggs and silken tofu for the sauce; while aquafaba, dairy-free yogurt and cornstarch come to the rescue of French toast tantalisingly stacked with banana and caramel.

A few fresh and vibrant salads or the almond satay tofu summer rolls would provide great plant-based ideas for upcoming spring/summer menus, but sadly a number of simpler recipes let the book down. Take the garlicky roasted vegetable basil pasta, minestrone soup and smoky sweet potato-mixed bean chilli, which are all naturally plant-based and lack any true inventiveness or secret ingredients to take these everyday dishes to the next level.

It's towards the second half of the book – in the chapters on snacks, sweets, and celebrations – where things start to get a bit more interesting. Her recipe for blueberry wagon wheels (see recipe) removes the iconic marshmallow from the much-loved childhood snack, replacing it with ‘coconut fluff' made from thick coconut yogurt, dried coconut and coconut oil, while nut butter enriches the biscuit dough. Cashews make an appearance in her vegan parmesan, which is the base to her cheesy scalloped potatoes – a sort of rough and ready dauphinoise – which could provide inspiration for new plant-based side dishes.

If the Veganuary marketing has hit home this year and you are curious about increasing the number of plant-based dishes on your menu, get hold of this book to make a start at embracing the plant-based trend and satisfying the ever-growing number of vegan customers.

By Amy Lanza (Fair Winds Press, £19.99_