I have mixed feelings about this cookbook, primarily because I don't know who its target audience is.

I would not recommend this book to someone who is new to the vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, or who is "trying it out" to see if it is something they could or would do long-term. That's because I wouldn't want someone considering a plant-based diet to think that this is the only kind of eating available to them. The recipes in this book are very plain, boring, run-of-the-mill stuff, much of it nearly flavorless. They seem more likely to drive someone away from a commitment to plant-based living than to attract someone.

I similarly would not recommend this book to a seasoned vegetarian or vegan cook. The recipes here are very simple, and any experienced cook could come up with them on their own. I would consider these "base" recipes, recipes upon which a cook might build in order to create more flavorful, more enjoyable dishes.

The only audience I can think of for whom this book might be appropriate would be for a teenager or young adult who is already committed to plant-based living, but is new to cooking for themselves and so largely inexperienced in the kitchen. Maybe a student who is moving out of the house for the first time. Such a person might appreciate the simplicity and ease of the recipes and the relative availability of the ingredients called for without being turned off from the plant-based lifestyle due to the lack of creativity of the recipes contained. ( )

The recipes are not too complex, so this is good for a beginner cook. Someone with more cooking experience or who likes complex meals might not like this too much. ( )

Although I am not a vegan, I do like to bring vegan dishes to potlucks and group meals, since I've seen entirely too many vegans go hungry at such gatherings. I found this book to be quite informative as it had lots of advice for those starting out in a vegan lifestyle, including examples of balance meals, sneaky non-vegan foods, and even whole lists of how to stock the pantry. Vegan Recipes in 30 Minutes contains so many tips and tricks that I look forward to using this resource often.

Although I am not currently a vegan, I'm a vegetarian with lots of allergies, including milk and egg. So, I'm slowly moving toward being vegan. Because of that, I appreciated the information provided in the book about veganism and cooking. I'm not a great or experienced cook, and a lot of vegan/vegetarian cookbooks have ingredients I'm so unfamiliar with that I don't know where I'd find them in the grocery store! Vegan Recipes in 30 Minutes contains recipes that are easy to follow, with easily-available ingredients. Even though the ingredients and cooking techniques don't seem very exotic, the recipes are interesting and varied. This book promises to be my new regular cookbook, and I'm actually excited to try out a number of the recipes! The only thing I would have liked is more pictures-- only one picture is shown at the beginning of each section. This may not bother more experienced cooks, but as a novice, it would have been nice to see what I was aiming for! ( )

Wholesome. If I had to describe the food in this cookbook in one word - that's what I would say. Two words? Wholesome AND delicious. I am really enjoying it. Among my favorites are "Green Breakfast Smoothie", "Baba Ghanoush", "Tabouleh" (in which, as suggested, I substituted quinoa for the couscous - and it came out fabulous!), "Coconut Curry Soup", "Curried Lentils", "Grilled Pesto Tofu" (and with my fresh-from-the-garden basil it's as fresh as pesto can get), "Quick Pad Thai", "Mixed Berries and Cream" (with coconut cream instead of dairy cream - what flavor!)....just to name a few. I still haven't tried all of the dishes, but I can't wait to do justice to the rest.

The book is well organized into neat sections with photos of dishes that delight the eye before each chapter. There is a chapter at the beginning of the book called "Veganism Explained" that clarifies all the questions anybody might have about vegan foods. Very informative indeed - either for a confirmed vegetarian/vegan or for anybody just starting to venture out into more healthful lifestyle. And of course, the fact that each of 106 recipes can be done in 30 minutes helps too, even though for me that was not the main feature. All in all, an excellent cookbook. ( )