redjanet's Reviews
205 recipes reviewed. Showing 1 to 50Sort by: Book Title | Date 
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BOSH!: Simple Recipes. Amazing Food. All Plants. The Fastest-Selling Vegan Cookbook Ever
By Henry Firth, Ian Theasby
HQ - 2018
This took a little bit longer than I anticipated to prep, but it was completely worth it for such amazing flavour. I loved using minced mushroom instead of processed fake beef mince (or beef!) in combination with kidney beans and black beans and many other flavour-enhancing ingredients such as soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and chocolate. This also reheated very well for lunch in the microwave, tasting even better over the next couple of days.
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Appetite for Reduction: 125 Fast and Filling Low-Fat Vegan Recipes
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Matthew Ruscigno
Da Capo Lifelong Books - 2010
This is a quick and easy recipe I can make for two people. I usually serve it with brown rice and tenderstem broccoli for a healthy mid-week dinner.
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I thought I would miss the tahini in this but I didn't at all. I used sweet smoked paprika and cumin and left out the cayenne pepper as I don't like things very spicy and it was delicious.
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Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week
By Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Little, Brown and Company - 2013
This is an excellent substitute if you are missing tuna salad sandwiches at all. Even if you've never had tuna salad, this is a terrific sandwich filler. The crunch and texture is very satisfying, especially on toast. That said, I have trouble waiting for it to be on the toast before I start shovelling it into my mouth! I do recommend adding the dulse flakes as recommended as it really does help add that extra fishy taste, but of course without the actual fish!
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Website: Clean Food Dirty Girl
I made this to take to a barbecue because a barbecue just isn't a barbecue without potato salad, IMO. This was delicious! Mayonnaise was not missed at all as the dressing had so much flavour. I will definitely keep this recipe in reserve for future use.
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Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year
By Del Sroufe, Julieanna Hever MS RD CPT, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Darshana Thacker, Judy Micklewright
The Experiment - 2012
I was amazed by how well this worked. Quick and easy and can be used in place of real mayonnaise for so many things. I used this to mix into chickpea tuna, but would work very well as a sandwich spread as well or anything else you might need or want mayonnaise for.
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Website: So Vegan
I have to admit straight up here, I ended up not making 'fishcakes' out of this as the mix didn't bind enough for me to be able to form any semblance of patties without it falling apart. HOWEVER, I am still giving the recipe four stars as when I mixed it with vegan mayonnaise (using the recipe from Forks Over Knives - see separate review), it made the perfect chickpea tuna! I actually found it hard to stop eating and it was perfect for lunch on a bagel. I only used one nori sheet instead of the four the recipe specified, mainly because my hands were getting tired from snipping it, but in my opinion, one sheet was enough. Really delicious!
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Website: Bosh!
I made this for my non-vegan in-laws on Mothering Sunday and it went down very well. It was hearty and delicious without being too heavy. It was the first time I'd made "cheese" sauce using cashews and, seriously, I could have drank it straight from the blender if it weren't for the fact that I had guests waiting for their lunch. Definitely one to make again!
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Website: Bosh!
If you are missing certain savoury Chinese dishes on a vegan diet, this is a good dish to try. It is quick and easy and has that delicious umami flavour from the hoi sin sauce. Neither my husband or I are huge fans of aubergine, normally finding it a bit mushy, but we both really liked this.
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Website: Clean Food Dirty Girl
This is a very simple lentil stew, but it's good and comforting as a healthy, hearty mid-week meal.
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Another good, quick week-night dinner using the Chinese brown sauce from page 35. As long as all of your veggies are prepped before you start, this is a very quick dish to make.
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A very nice, quick rice dish for week nights. I used my instant pot to cook the brown rice, which helped to save time. I think I may add sliced mushrooms next time to make the dish a bit "meatier" but overall it was really good.
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This sauce is used throughout the book in several recipes and I'm sure I will make it many times in the future. It adds a sweet but also savoury flavour to dishes that is similar to hoisin sauce or sweet chilli sauce. I really liked it.
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Vegan Under Pressure
By Jill Nussinow
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - 2016
I love making risotto in the instant pot! It is so ridiculously easy and comes out well every time. The author gives instructions for the basic risotto recipe and then different variations. This mushroom variation worked well and I really liked the inclusion of chopped rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes. I do think it could have done maybe with a little bit of extra flavour, maybe in the form of a splash of white wine or some vegan butter (or both?), but I will definitely be making this again. Leftovers reheated well for lunch the next day.
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Forks Over Knives - The Cookbook: Over 300 Recipes for Plant-Based Eating All Through the Year
By Del Sroufe, Julieanna Hever MS RD CPT, Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Darshana Thacker, Judy Micklewright
The Experiment - 2012
This is a perfectly serviceable vegetable stew for an easy mid-week meal, though it didn't knock my socks off. I did find the use of soy milk, arrowroot and coconut extract to be a clever, low-fat alternative to a light coconut milk, though I do think it would have still tasted nicer with the latter instead. I made this using carrots, snow peas, edamame beans and water chestnuts. I think if I try it again I might use cauliflower, green beans and maybe some cooked new potatoes for a bit more heartiness.
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Deliciously Ella Every Day: Simple recipes and fantastic food for a healthy way of life
By Ella Mills (Woodward)
Yellow Kite - 2016
This was delicious and full of flavour. Neither my husband or I missed the presence of chicken or chorizo or any other meat products. The author suggested adding boiled potatoes to the dish for extra heartiness, but we both found it quite hearty enough. I had enough leftovers for three days' worth of lunch, which I am looking forward to.
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Very good, healthy vegan pasta recipe. This involves some chopping up to prep but then is one of those recipes you can leave simmering on the hob for an hour while you do other things. This yielded quite a lot and reheated well for lunch over the next couple of days.
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Website: All Good, All Vegan
A dish that proves that you don't need meat for a meal to be satisfying. Mushrooms take the place of ground beef here, with pesto rounding things off with lots of flavour. This is a favourite in my household, which I make often. Leftovers of this dish make a great packed lunch.
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Feed Me Vegan
By Lucy Watson
Sphere - 2017
Surprisingly lovely curry that is fairly quick to make. At first I thought it might be a bit bland, but the flavours were good and tasted even better the next day when reheated for lunch. Definitely one to add to the roster.
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Website: Foodie Fiasco
I was looking for a low-fat recipe for hummus to snack on with veg during the week and came across this. Glad I tried it as it has no oil added and a lot less tahini than in other recipes. It could still use a bit extra something else so I've added some paprika.
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Deliciously Ella Every Day: Simple recipes and fantastic food for a healthy way of life
By Ella Mills (Woodward)
Yellow Kite - 2016
A very good, hearty curry for those cold winter nights. It could possibly do with some more herbs or onions added in, but still satisfying without. That said, I may make it with reduced-fat coconut milk next time to keep the calories down.
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Website: Bosh!
A nice way of making mushrooms the star in a that comes together quickly. A bit on the sweet side, and I also added some tenderstem broccoli as a side dish to make this a fuller meal, but great for a weeknight.
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The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight
By Hairy Bikers
W&N - 2012
These burgers were tastier than I expected them to be and I was very pleased considering they are pretty healthy. I thought they might be a bit too wet with the grated courgettes and onions in them, but they were solid enough. I'm glad the recipe specified cooking them in a frying pan though as I think they would have fallen apart on a griddle pan, which is how I usually cook burgers.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2015
Another excellent stir-fry from this book with a delicious sauce. Also, surprisingly healthy for PW! I think next time I may substitute broccoli florets for the snow peas as suggested as I think the textures would work better, but overall this was another hit I will be making again.
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Olive: 100 of the Very Best Chicken Recipes (Olive Magazine)
By Olive Magazine
Orion - 2016
Excellent quick and easy dish which is comforting and healthy and perfect for a simple weeknight meal for two. I turned the chicken thighs over halfway through the initial 10 minute poaching time as it didn't look as if they would cook the whole way through otherwise. I also left out the butter to cut down on the calories and the dish tasted fine.
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Website: The Slimming Foodie
Easy to make and went well with a salad and new potatoes, though most vegetables would go well with this. I found the sauce slightly too sweet and will probably use less sweetener if I make it again (which is likely considering my OH really enjoyed it), but overall it was a pleasing combination of flavours. Note, I used bacon medallions which didn't wrap around the chicken, resulting in the sauce messily leaking out all over the baking tray.
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The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime: Comfort Classics, Freezer Food, 16-Minute Meals, and Other Delicious Ways to Solve Supper!
By Ree Drummond
William Morrow Cookbooks - 2015
This was a resounding success. The combination of flavours (the sauce is incredible) and textures was perfect and I would be very happy if a dish I ordered in a Chinese restaurant tasted as good as that. This also reheated very well for lunch the next day. I will definitely be making this again.
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How to Be a Better Cook
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2014
This is healthy and tasty and does not take a long time to cook, making it good for a weeknight. I did find getting the timings between the two pans on the go to be a bit of a balancing act as there was always something going on in both, but I suppose as the book is called "how to be a better cook," it is a good lesson in timing! I halved this recipe as I was just cooking for two, though I might not halve the sauce ingredients so much next time as it was a bit light on the sauce front. I didn't add chilli and ginger to my rice as I prefer my rice plain, although I can see how it would be good.
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Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2015
I never thought I would say this about a Nigella baking recipe, but I was so disappointed with these brownies. The idea of a Nutella brownie sounded amazing, and what was even more amazing that the only ingredients were Nutella and eggs (and a bit of sea salt). I followed the instructions and weight measurements exactly, but these ended up tasting mostly just of chewy eggs.
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Home Cooking Made Easy
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2011
This was simple enough to make and consisted of ingredients that give good flavour (chorizo, lemon and thyme for example), but overall, although it was nice, it was very basic and nothing very special. I didn't really see the point of topping the fish with most of the chorizo and some lemon zest, only to add the rest of those two ingredients for another five minutes at the end.
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Simply Nigella: Feel Good Food
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2015
I'll admit straight away that although I like it, I am not generally the biggest fan of macaroni and cheese as I generally find it to be too heavy. That said, I was intrigued enough to give this recipe a try for the interesting combination of sweet potatoes and feta cheese in the mix. Although this, like other mac and cheeses, was rather heavy and a big laggy, the contrast of the sharp feta to the sweet potatoes was very good and there was an overall more creaminess to the texture which I liked. I think it could have used a bit more English mustard or paprika (or a bit more of both) as it still felt a little lacking in taste, but still was quite enjoyable. It also made for a hefty amount of leftovers for lunch the next couple of days and was quite good eaten cold.
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Easy Meals
By Rachel Allen
Collins - 2011
The author suggests this can be eaten as a meal any time of the day, but for my husband and me it is great as a late Sunday morning breakfast/brunch. I only used one big red onion instead of two, as suggested, and two small red peppers instead of one and the sauce had a nice fresh flavour which went very well with the eggs and cheese. I forgot to sprinkle on the cheese and replace the lid before serving, but the cheese melted just as easily by sprinkling straight onto the hot eggs on the plate once dished up. I also served with baked beans and toast.
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Home Cooking Made Easy
By Lorraine Pascale
HarperCollins - 2011
After doing Nigella's version of this from Kitchen for the last few years, I stumbled across this recipe and decided to give it a go as it seemed ever-so-slightly more straightforward. This was quick and easy and came out very well, with lots of flavour, and dare I say it, but I think I may prefer Lorraine's version to Nigella's. The chopped spring onions and sesame seeds (which I didn't bother to toast) added a subtle crunch to the texture and the sauce thickened nicely. My only complaint is that this dish is quite sugary, but then I suppose that's what makes it taste so good!
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A very simple and quick way of cooking haddock, which yielded a lot of flavour in the sauce. The minimal amount of chopping and prep made this an ideal weeknight dinner. I served this with buttered new potatoes and vegetables on the side instead of rice, as the author suggested.
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This is a simple, straightforward recipe for roasting a pork shoulder, which was exactly what I was looking for as up until yesterday I had never done so before. The pork itself turned out beautifully and was soft and tender and the gravy to go with it was easy and delicious. However, it did feel as if some instructions were partially missing. Maybe my pork wasn't fatty enough to have much in the way of juices once it had cooked for a couple of hours (I did a 1.6kg joint for 4 1/2 hours total at 140 deg fan), but I took it upon myself to drizzle some olive oil over the vegetables halfway through as without it they were looking very dry. I'm glad I did so as the potatoes especially came out very well, with nice, crunchy brown edges. However, with the timings given by Lorraine, my carrots were still hard in the middle. Also, sprigs of fresh thyme are shown in the recipe photograph, but there is no mention of it in the recipe itself, unless it is just there as a garnish. In any case, I'm glad I tried this recipe, but I will use it as a starting point to use more interesting versions in the future.
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Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2008
Very good fish pie recipe which is not too heavy and creamy like some. Full of vegetables and easy to make. The leftovers also tastes good cold, which is a good thing as I brought the remains to work for lunch and didn't want to make my office smell of fish by reheating in the microwave. My only small complaint is that celery is a bit awkward to grate (or maybe it's just me?) so I would recommend using a food processor to grate the vegetables and cheese.
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Website: BBC recipes
I've been trying to find ways to roast chicken without the skin on and still have flavour, and I'm very glad I stumbled across this recipe. I only marinated the chicken for ten minutes in the fridge while my oven pre-heated, but this had plenty of flavour once ready. I made my oven slightly hotter than suggested so the potatoes would be cooked in time, but they still could have used a bit longer so next time I may rest the chicken on it's own while leaving the potatoes to crisp up a bit longer. Overall, though, I was very pleased with this dish.
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Website: BBC recipes
A hearty, healthy curry that is full of flavour and easy to make. I used mild chilli powder instead of hot as I am a wimp, but this still left a nice warmth on the tongue without detracting from the flavours. This recipe did make an awful lot of sauce, which I found slightly wasteful, but I suppose you could save it as soup, as it is quite hearty and thick due to the lentils.
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Website: Eat Like A Girl
This is a nice and simple but tasty dish that is perfect for a mid-week meal and for using up some prawns I had languishing in the freezer. The rocket dressed with lemon added a fresh zing to the pasta.
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Jamie's 15-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2012
The sauce is lovely and overall this is a very nice, healthy meal with fresh flavours. My only drawback is, as with many of these recipes, that although the prep is fairly fast, the amount of washing up it creates (pan for the sauce, pan for the pork, pan for the rice, food processor, etc.) is quite a lot for what is supposed to be a quick midweek meal!
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The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight
By Hairy Bikers
W&N - 2012
A very nice, simple chicken stew. This tasted good, though as it was ever-so-slightly bland, I may use hot smoked paprika next time, or just plain paprika instead of the sweet-smoked variety I used this first time. This reheated very well for lunch.
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Jamie's 15-Minute Meals
By Jamie Oliver
Michael Joseph - 2012
This was nice, but nothing very exciting. The chilli and mint gave a nice kick of flavour to the courgettes and the pork was easy to prepare. I didn't bother with the pre-cooked brown rice and just steamed some plain white basmati rice on the side as I already had some in the house and it is also cheaper and even more less steps to do!
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The Hairy Dieters: How to Love Food and Lose Weight
By Hairy Bikers
W&N - 2012
I used this more as an inspiration than as an actual recipe as I already had a tin of Cajun seasoning lying around, which I used instead of the prescribed recipe. I pretty much make my potato wedges the same way anyway most of the time so the only thing I really did word for word from this recipe was the chive dip which is just two ingredients - low fat yogurt and chives! Still, it made for an easy, healthy weeknight meal which my partner and I both enjoyed.
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The Hairy Dieters: Good Eating (Hairy Bikers)
By Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers, Si King
W&N - 2014
Although this made a substantial lunch, along with a salad and some rice, I was a bit disappointed and surprised that these meatballs did not have as much flavour as I was expecting, especially given I've had very good results with other Hairy Dieters recipes in the past. The meatballs were slightly dry and a bit too crunchy with the use of panko crumbs. The garlic sauce definitely saved this dish for me as it gave a contrast of flavour and texture to what was otherwise a fairly lacklustre dish.
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The Hairy Dieters Eat for Life: How to Love Food, Lose Weight and Keep it Off for Good! (Hairy Bikers)
By Hairy Bikers, Si King, Dave Myers
W&N - 2013
I made this last night in an attempt to get back on track with eating healthily after the indulgences of the holidays. The beef was not as tender as I was hoping for it to be, but the sauce had a lovely flavour. It was a bit on the spicy side, but a dollop of sour cream (as suggested by the authors) helped cooled things down a bit and it all went very well with rice.
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Feast: Food That Celebrates Life
By Nigella Lawson
Chatto & Windus - 2006
This was a very easy cake to make and turned out moist and delicious. I don't like Guinness (or any beer for the matter), and I was pleased that instead of giving it a any flavour of beer, the stout just added a more intensity of flavour. The cream cheese frosting gave the perfect contrast to the rich chocolate cake.
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I made this for a between Thanksgiving and Christmas family gathering and it was very well received. I did use tinned pumpkin purée, and the resulting flavour was a good mix of both the pumpkin and cream cheese. It is definitely different than your typical cheesecake, but worth trying.
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Nigella Christmas: Food Family Friends Festivities
By Nigella Lawson
Hyperion - 2009
Excellent cookies; perfect for the season.
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This was a simple, easy to prepare dessert to bring to a friends' house over the holidays and it went down a treat. The flavours combined beautifully and the end result was a wonderful combination of textures - soft and fluffy cake with a slightly crispy top.
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I'll admit that I'm not overly keen on fruit cake, but having declared I would bring dessert to my in-laws for Christmas I decided on this. This was indeed quite easy to make in advance of the big day and it kept well wrapped in baking parchment and tin foil in a baking tin, as instructed by Nigella. The cake itself was very moist and although the chocolate flavour wasn't overwhelming, it left a nice aftertaste and added an extra dimension.
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