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I got Thug Kitchen for Christmas, and DD got four other vegan cookbooks. She finds that some of them, as well as recipes she finds online, are too generic and that the authors don't have great knowledge of ethnic foods -- ie. recommending the use of curry powder instead of proper spice mixes, or calling a dish "Asian," which is awfully generic.
I don't particularly mind if dishes are Americanized or "generic." I only care about health and taste. I cut way back on seasonings for recipes that are spicy. I have lived and vacationed in Central America enough to be very familiar with the cuisine. Asian food is another story, and Indian food is something I've only recently become acquainted with. I do try to seek cookbooks from authors who seem to know what they're doing. Vegan Richa, for example, is one I like a lot.
I like Veganomicon . On its own it would not be enough and it's eccentric in some ways but there are some terrific dishes. I really like their lentil soup with tarragon, for instance, and there's a lovely coconut cake, and a couple of fantastic salads (one has hazlenuts and cranberry and I forget what else) and some nice casserole type things.
If you are ever near a Cafe Gratitude, be sure to try their wonderful vegan dishes. So yummy with fun names. I think they sell cookbooks but one may need to order some of the ingredients ( sources are listed). There is one in the Bay Area ( Berkeley?), one in Kansas City, and I think I heard one opened in Phoenix.
And a bit old fashioned now, too. There are trends in food as well as fashion! Not always a good thing. But we do tire of certain combinations over time.
suz mentioned lentil soup with tarragon - I like it so much I started growing my own tarragon because I found it very hard and expensive to get good fresh tarragon where I live. Now I have a few perennial plants and I dry my own too (as I do with thyme and oregano as well). I didn't get my own version from a recipe book but from trying to copy a local restaurant's version. I add organic canned San Marzano tomatoes to my version.
