Vegan Lunch Box
by Jennifer McCann
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Book Reviews of Vegan Lunch Box
Book Review: Super-Mom
Summary: 5 Stars
Jennifer McCann is amazing! No more needs to be said, but for the sake of disbelievers I will continue. Chef Extraordinaire may be the ultimate compliment for some cookbook authors, but few can claim the title of "Creative Super-Mom." Jennifer's playful imagination is well matched by her overall talent in the kitchen, compassionate vegan lifestyle, and evident love for her now school-aged son.
Jennifer made her worldwide debut as the author of the blog, Vegan Lunch Box, where she memorializes the various lunches she sends to school with her son. Her following has grown exponentially in just over a year with vegans and omnivores alike. As one of her loyal subjects, I was elated to see this book come to fruition so quickly. Thus far, I have not been disappointed.
Vegan Lunch Box, the book, is fun and witty. It is enjoyable to read, not something I would usually say about a cookbook. Jennifer includes anecdotes, cooking tips, healthful hints, and product suggestions (including her favorite brand of lunch box, of course!).
Though the pictures of Jennifer's lunch box menus are beautiful, creative, and eye-catching, the recipes are relatively simple. Most are from scratch, but she does not hesitate to use and make suggestions of shortcuts. Canned beans are typically recommended over dried; while store bought cookies, vegan sausage, dairy-free cream cheese, and other natural foods are used when it is more practical.
I also discovered that the recipes in this cookbook are kid-friendly AND husband-friendly. I thought there was no way I would get my husband to eat a pita pocket, let alone one without any meat filling. In fact, I almost didn't serve him the Chickpea Salad Pita (with Cheezy Roasted Chickpeas) that I was preparing for my own vegan lunch box. However, his desire to not lift a finger prompted him to say, "I'll try whatever you're making." He loved it! I was in shock. Armed with a freshly opened bag of whole-wheat pita, I decided to try the Pita Sandwich with Flaxy Hummus the next day. It was equally delicious, yet uncomplicated.
The chapters are themed, with "menus" throughout. This makes for a good read and lots of inspiration, though I found it a bit difficult for referencing or for seeking out recipes to use what I have on hand. However, the author has added a handy food allergy index that notes which recipes are also nut-free, soy-free, gluten-free, or wheat-free (all recipes are dairy, egg, honey, and meat free).
Whenever I am in a lunchtime rut, this will certainly be my go to book. This week, I am looking forward to trialing the "Eat Your Oatmeal" Pancakes and the Lunch Box Fondue. So many fun recipes, so little time!
Book Review: Not just for lunch
Summary: 5 Stars
I expected this book to be good as I was already a big fan of the vegan lunchbox blog but WOW! This cookbook is so much more than I expected, so much more than the title even suggests.
This book is now the first thing I turn to when I am looking for something for dinner - and if I'm lucky, there may be some leftovers for the lunchbox the next day. As I read through the book, I began marking pages of recipes I wanted to try but I soon stopped . . . because I found that I wanted to try just about every single one. I figured I'd just cook my way through the whole book.
The book is organized into the following sections: Quick and Easy (sandwiches, easy dips, etc.); Rise and Shine (for those who want to cook in the morning - biscuits, gingerbread, cornbread, muffins); Ready and Waiting (recipes you can make in advance like soups, breadsticks, pizza); Lunch Box Advenure (my favorite - lots of ethnic recipes like samosas, dahl, sushi, tamales, spring rolls. They are not only delicious but really fun to make with your children).
I just love the way this book is written. McCann puts together entire lunch menus and for the items you don't make yourself, she gives suggestions for brands. Tidbits and stories are scattered throughout the book, such as: "How much to Pack," "Fitting In [for vegan kids]," "Let's Hear It for Legumes," and my favorite "And then, a miracle occurred . . . " about the momentous event of McCann's son eating his first salad. McCann has such an engaging way of writing that it's enjoyable just to read through this book.
This is really a great cookbook - and definitely not just for lunches. It's great whether or not you have children, whether or not you're vegan. The recipes are creative and delicious and very well tested. My only critism of the book (and this is really nitpicking) is that I would have liked a better index. If you don't know the exact name of the recipe, it's really hard to find it in the index. But that is just a minor detail and would not in the least deter me from whole-heartedly recommending this truly excellent book. I have shelves and shelves full of cookbooks and this is the one I am turning to most - for breakfast, dinner - and lunch.
For more detailed info about the recipes I've tried - go to my blog at http://catheolson.blogspot.com
Book Review: New ideas for the lunch box
Summary: 4 Stars
This little book is packed full of great ideas for your child's lunch, or for lunch and snacks at home or out and about. Some of the recipes, like the beautiful autumn leaves on the front cover, are too complicated to make on a regular basis (and are presented as 'special occasion' lunches), and a few are just so commonly used that it just seems pointless to put them in a cookbook (like making your own 'lunchables'), but many are quite easy and unique. I really like the little lunch menus she includes. I often find myself packing fruit-heavy, veggie-light lunches for my son, and the menus are a great reminder to get those veggies in. Perhaps she relies a bit much on convenience foods. Sometimes lunch is a purchased veggie burger, soy dog, or meatless "chicken nuggets", and dessert suggestions include buying vegan candy, vegan fruit gel cups, or vegan "gushers-type" candy. Usually I have very little tolerance for something like this, but in this case, where the book is presented more as a book of ideas for lunch, rather than a cookbook, I think it is forgivable. It certainly proves, though, that "vegan" does not necessarily mean "healthy".
Even if you aren't vegan, I think you'll find the recipes are delicious as is. However, they would all be very easy to adapt to be vegetarian or even omni lunches. We are not vegan and try to eat whole/minimally processed foods as much as possible, so I do sub in real butter in place of vegan margarine and regular cheese in place of the vegan version. As for recipes that have been a big hit here, my sons really enjoyed the puff pastry pockets and the peanut butter filled rice balls. Black bean tamales were a big hit with the whole family - even my omni husband.
I do hope the author got a free Laptop Lunchbox out of the deal, because the color pics in the book, in which each lunch is presented in a Laptop Lunchbox are terrific advertising for that company. I had to keep reminding myself that my son does not need another lunchbox as I browsed the cute pictures.
Book Review: Wow! My kids LOVE the recipes.
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved reading Vegan Lunch Box, as I have many cookbooks, but I also felt a special connection with the author because of her great writing style. As a lousy cook myself, I felt so encouraged by reading her recipes, they seemed so simple, so straightforward, and they were real food. I was a little afraid to actually try a recipe, lest failure result and discouragement set in as had happened so many times before with various other cookbooks. Well, I'm happy to write that my Vegan Lunch Box dishes were a success! My kids asked for second and third helpings of the Almond Sweet Potatoes and the Heart Beet Salad, amazing! My husband loved the autumn leaf tarts, although as a meat eater he said he would have liked a bit of chicken in them. We also made the gingerbread cookies, so simple, so fun to make with kids, so healthy. I even was able to make the icing, another success. Although initially it seemed like a failure because the icing was all clumpy, I pressed on knowing that Jen McCann had timetested all the recipes, and the result was great icing! We even colored it pink for valentines day, and there was so much dough that half is sitting in the freezer for another day (hope it freezes well). So, to make a long story short, I am thrilled with Vegan Lunch Box and have found it really great for a non-vegan and beginner cook like me. The blog is great too. ;-)Book Review: Not Just for Kids!
Summary: 5 Stars
While her blog was created to share the amazing contents of her 1st grader's lunchbox, the recipes and ideas are perfect for any vegan meal, or even anyone who wants to get their kids [or themselves] to eat real [french fries are not vegetables] & healthy vegetables.
Her recipes are tried and tested with an enormous amount of energy and focus on presentation and creativity; food that looks fun, tastes fun.
I love that this book doesn't contain the usual garden variety vegan recipes that you can find in most other vegan cookbooks, but she has created and adapted a huge variety of recipes, from a variety of sources and cultures that are not to be found anywhere else.
This book fills the vegan cookbook void between breakfast and dinner.
Even though I haven't tried every recipe in this book, I have no doubt each one would turn out perfectly.
Thank you Jennifer!
Jennifer's lunches should be a model for healthy lunches for both kids and adults!