I am loving this cookbook. So far, I've made six or seven recipes and every one has been a success. If you like flavorful, exciting food that just happens to be vegan, Viva Vegan is a worthwhile addition to your culinary library. ( )

This cookbook is not meant for the kitchen novice. This book would be good for someone with more ease in the kitchen (and more kitchen utensils and food stuff), but for someone who sees cooking as the necessary evil to being able to eat good food more cheaply, this is not the book for them. Every recipe I tried came out disappointing; again, this may have had more to do with my own lack of experience/ease in the kitchen than the actual recipes themselves (which look amazing. I would be much more happy if someone more experienced made these for me!) ( )

This has quickly become my favorite cookbook. When I first read about it I thought it would be all about Mexican food which I have read a lot about. I was happy to find that the author is Venezuelan and she covers both central and south America. This book has a lot of information so if you are completely new to Latin cooking or vegan cooking you won't have any problem but it may take some study and reading through it a couple of times.

I have cooked quite a few recipes my favorites so far have been the white seitan, Brazilian orange rice, tempeh smothered in sofrito, yellow grilled tempeh, green onion salsa, calabicitas, Arroz con seitan, and Arepas with Mechada & Guasacaca. I am so glad that I learned how to make Arepas, they have become a go to dish that I make several times a week now. This would be a great book for anyone that likes to eat food. ( )

I just ate my first few recipes from this book and HOLY MOLY I'm impressed. I wish this weren't a library book, because I'll be very sad to return it. (And I'm already trying my best not to get food smudges on the pages.)

This book gets docked half a star because of the layout. Some recipes go on over the fold, so you have to flip a page. That can be tricky business when you're up to your ears in mole sauce. And there aren't nearly enough photos, but maybe that's a good thing, as I'm less likely to drool over all of the pages.

As for the recipes I made, I did the annatto infused oil to make yellow rice, tempeh asado with a beer/lime/garlic marinade and corn tortillas with masa harina. Served with a bit of avocado and tomato, this was probably one of the best meals I've had in quite a long time.

For anybody looking to spice up their cuisine, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. The recipes are approachable, easy-to-follow, and well worth any and all effort. ( )

Got a free signed copy of the book from the author at Book Expo this week. I've only read one chapter so far, but am already inspired and on the hunt for a new ingredient or two. Reading the "Latino vegan" recipes makes me hungry, and I can't wait to try them. ( )