Reviews of ExtraVeganZa

Read the Advanced Praise and Foreward from the book.

Reviewed by Crista Thor
Contributor for: www.momentumplanet.ca

Hungry anyone? You will be, after a scan of field biologist and organic farmer Laura Matthias’ book project, ExtraVeganZa: Original Recipes from Phoenix Organic Farm. As the title suggests, something spectacular lies between the covers of this glossy and substantial vegan anthem.

That something, however, may be more than just the ambrosial recipes. Matthias opens with an introduction that reveals her dedication to ecological food systems. Her family left the Vancouver area to pursue a sustainable lifestyle operating an organic farm and running a bed & breakfast on Vancouver Island.

Beginning a cookbook with reverence for the act of growing and sharing food makes so much sense. As you read Matthias’ first-hand experiences with rejuvenating an organic farm, you can’t help but feel hope for our food system. The book closes with a commentary on natural food dyes and a glossary of edible flowers, further testament to the author’s understanding that food is a dynamic experience.

The pages between these two intelligent commentaries contain 250+ vegan recipes that will have you composing grocery lists with abandon. Covering both sweet and savory, and with a palate for the extraordinary, Matthias succeeds in creating fresh combinations. The virtue of a wholesome tree fruit is dabbed with a spicy perfume in the Pear Cardamom Muffins, which make a great snack to pack in your pannier. Potatoes and leeks are painted with lively yam in the Potato Yam Leek Soup. The author was right when she wrote, “the yam is a delightful departure...” Now I can’t decide which dessert to make next – the Butternut Spice or Almond Amasake Bread Pudding?

If I may indulge two nutrition side notes: (i) where Matthias calls for canola oil, be cautious that you’re purchasing an unrefined, non-genetically modified version; and (ii) be conscious of the quality of the soy milk you’re using, or consider substitutions like homemade brown rice or almond milks. Commercial soy products can be difficult to digest because the enzyme inhibitors in soy are not adequately neutralized in commercial production. Also look for soy products that are non-genetically modified.

What's cookin'

From: http://journalnowveggie.blogspot.com/2006/10/whats-cookin.html

When the weather starts to cool down in the fall, I get the urge to get cooking in the kitchen. This season, I've been trying out the newest addition to my cookbook collection, ExtraVeganZa: Original Recipes From Phoenix Organic Farm, by Laura Matthias (New Society Publishers, 2006). And so far, this book is a winner.

The recipes often make novel use of ingredients. For example, the Vegetable Mochi Casserole has a topping of grated mochi. Mochi, a dense, chewy Japanese food made of brown rice, is usually cut into small squares and baked. It puffs up and gets crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I would never have thought to use it as a casserole topping - but it is an inspired idea! The seasoned mochi bakes up gooey and crisp -- almost cheese-like but even better -- the perfect casserole topping. The other elements: a garden's worth of steamed vegetables; tofu chunks; and a creamy, cashew-butter sauce - complement it well. A friend said it may be the best thing I've ever cooked.
Now, don't let the mochi mentioned above scare you off. If you don't want to venture into using unfamiliar ingredients, there is still plenty here for you. Fern's Carrot Cabbage Kale Salad makes a colorful, tasty and tremendously healthy side-dish out of readily available ingredients.

It's a good thing that the first part of ExtraVeganZa makes it a pleasure to eat your vegetables, because the second part, called "Dessert Island," is filled with wild indulgences. I started at the beginning, making the Mandarin Orange Spice Cake. It turned out so deliciously that I fully intend to forge ahead, through the Chocolate Lavendar Cake, the Chocolate Red Velvet Cake, the Hazelnut Pear Cake.... As you can see, the flavor combinations range from the traditional to the unusual. Several of the desserts use flower flavors, such as lavendar and rose.

And that leads to the brief but fascinating third section, on "Eating With Your Eyes." Matthias discusses ways to make food visually appealing, including using natural food dyes and edible flowers.

As is fitting for a book concerned with the visual appeal of food, it is beautiful. There are color photos of several dishes, the layout is clean and easy to navigate, and the indexes are accurate and helpful.