Vegan with a Vengeance!
Oct 23rd, 2008 by QuirkyVegan
A few weeks ago I went crazy and bought my first vegan cookbook - Vegan with a Vengeance 
So far I have tried a couple of recipes, namely the carrot and raisin muffins and the red pesto with gnocchi. There are many more recipes that I would like to make and try out on my entourage, but they are a little wary of this strange vegan food. They seem to think that all vegan food tastes like unflavoured TVP, so a bit of a hard sell there. It’s World Vegan Day on 1st November, so maybe that could be my day to treat them to a real vegan feast!
I like the upbeat tone of the book and Isa’s asides which include a bit of New York punk folklore here and there. The only teeny tiny thing that I don’t like is the liberal use of maple syrup in the recipes - that stuff ain’t cheap on this side of the Atlantic, that’s if you can find it! Obviously that’s not Isa’s fault…
Does anyone have any alternatives to maple syrup? Or do I just have to miss those recipes out? 
I also have VWaV - Maple Syrup is like $10 for 200mil in Australia so I usually substitute with agave syrup or sometimes rice malt.
You just have to see what flavours you like or don’t like.
Happy baking!! (can I suggest the giantoid peanut butter cookies - they are AWESOME! and I made them normal size so it made bucket loads!!)
Hi Kate,
I detest maple syrup, so I’ve checked out all the substitutions… there’s agave nectar, which has a low glycemic index (if you care about that kind of thing) and is closest to honey; brown rice syrup which is nice, but pricey where I’ve found it; or honey (not all vegans eat honey, not all vegans eschew honey, so it depends where you stand on the matter). Some people like to use molasses, but that is another one of those tastes I really don’t care for…. so I haven’t experimented with it at all.
Depending on the quantity you can also make a simple syrup (dissolve sugar into warm water), but I’ve only done this for small amounts (less than 1/4 cup), and I don’t have a scientific measurement for you.
If you’re feeding the results to your non-vegan entourage, I’d recommend things that are heavily chocolate based. They tend to translate better than the rest of the desserts I’ve tried. I do a really easy “mousse” which is silken tofu drained and beaten to within an inch of it’s life in the food processor. Then add melted chocolate (dark), in the same quantity as the tofu, and continue to process until mixed. Add a few drops of vanilla. Serve or chill and serve. People adore this
I hear ya on the maple syrup, I also think agave is very expensive here and way to sweet for my tastes in large quantities. Jennifer Schmoo (Vegan Lunch Box) has a recipe for pretend maple syrup which I haven’t tried yet but might be good in recipes. Do let me know if you try it, I am curious but lazy!
I love WVAV! But you’re right - a lot of maple syrup. If you’re looking for another great cookbook, check out Veganomicon - I’ve loved 99% of what I’ve made out of there!
I hear you on the maple syrup as well. I hate using it in recipes where it is not the main ingredient because I think it’s too expensive to lend only a subtle flavor. Like others, I really enjoy using agave nectar and also brown rice syrup. That is a fun cookbook. I’ve also had great success borrowing various vegan cookbooks from the library which allows me to try MANY more recipes than if I were only buying cookbooks and I like to think it’s better for the environment too.