Caribbean Vegan, Second Edition: Plant-Based, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Authentic Island Cuisine for Every Occasion

Cookbook content: 5 stars - highly recommendCondition of Cookbook: 2.5 stars (sticky fingerprints on covers)I ordered 2 books, one for myself and the other as a gift. Imagine my disgust when I removed the books from the package and felt a sticky residue on BOTH books. You can see the prints rather clearly when the books are held at certain angles. They were difficult to capture on camera though.Aside from that, the books seem to be unused. I did a quick skim of each book and didn't notice any other markings or damage on the interior pages, which leads me to believe who ever handled/packed these books is responsible for leaving sticky prints on the cover.It's not the worst thing in the world, but it's still gross. I'm not sure if Amazon or the seller is responsible, but I hope they're more mindful in the future and make sure their handlers/packers wear gloves or at least make sure their hands are clean. I wont bother with a return. I'll just wipe down the covers of each book with a little soap and a damp cloth.As for the actual content of the cookbook, the recipes look delicious and the photos are absolutely beautiful! Obviously, since the books literally just arrived today I haven't had a chance to make anything yet, but I plan to this weekend and will update my review later.From what I've seen so far none of the recipes seem overly complicated. Most of the ingredients should be fairly easy to find in well-stocked grocery stores, especially if you live in a culturally diverse area with a sizeable Caribbean community. Otherwise, you may have to visit a Caribbean market or other specialty market.Anyway, I'm super excited to start cooking and try every recipe!

I am not familiar with Caribbean food but I like food with spices but not too hot. I ordered this book from Amazon and followed through the instructions in this cookbook including making the Bajan Seasoning (it's a must and used in few recipes). This seasoning is good on everything. I tried the following recipes: Creole Rice, Creole Spaghetti, Curried TVP Stew, White Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie, Creole Ratatouille, Black-Eyed Pea Stew, Yellow Split Pea Dal, Eggplant Accras, and Barbadian Coconut turnovers. These were so easy to make and they are so tasty, spicy but not too hot.I do recommend that you buy the habanero or Scotch Bonnet pepper (used in recipes), use gloves, and remove the seeds and membranes inside the pepper. This will reduce the heat of the pepper. If the food is too spicy for you, you can always reduce the amount of the pepper. The pepper adds a unique flavoring to the dish. 1/2 of a pepper goes a long way!The dishes in this book are spicy (lots of spices) and very aromatic. It reminds me of Indian food but it is really different than that since some use thyme, basil, and green onions which are not used in Indian food. Really, I have never eaten this kind of meal before. This is a unique experience for me to try this kind of dish and I LIKE it! I am going to try the jerk seasonings and the rest of the recipes. I am so EXCITED and so glad I pre-ordered it.The pictures really helped since I kind of want to know how the dish look like. Some have step-by-step pictures on how to make it.This is a really GREAT cookbook and I highly recommend it.

The very idea of vegan Caribbean food may sound strange or unexpected, but whatever the cuisine or diet, this is one of the best cookbooks I own both. It is well-written and tested and the recipes are original. Ditch Mark Bittman and get this book, whose author actually knows what she's doing. Everything I've made from this book has turned out perfectly and been delicious, and I can't wait to try out the rest of the recipes. The pictures are mouth-watering and the recipes are extremely inventive and inspiring. The ingredients are not that exotic, either, making this book accessible for anyone with reasonable access to ethnic grocery items. I had most of them such as the spices, green onions, ginger, chilies coconut oil, and legumes on hand already. This book combined them in new, ingenious ways!The mixed bean stew is one of the most delicious bean dishes I've ever had with a deep, spicy kick from the combination of chilies, ginger and a generous amount of black pepper. It was an easy one-pot preparation that made enough leftovers for me to happily feed on for days. The recipes run from very healthy to indulgent, making it an endless source of recipes for weekdays and special occasions alike. Don't be daunted by the long ingredient lists; the recipes are very well-written and come together in a snap. On top of everything else, this book is a joy to read and flip through.

Very cool recipe book. Makes me remember visits to the Caribbean and the great food.AMAZON: YOU HAVE TO ENFORCE DELIVERY INSTRUCTION WITH DRIVERS!!!!!!!PEOPLE LOVE TO STEAL PACKAGES!I'VE HAD MULTIPLE PACKAGES LEFT IN WET WEATHER WHEN INSTRUCTIONS CLEARLY STATE TO LEAVE PRODUCT ON COVERED PORCH 30FT AWAY!!!!!!!

I fell in love with this book. Especially when you live in the Caribbean its an eye opener! Recipes look so good and a lot of natural and home made ingrediënts! Not every recipe has a picture. I would buy this definitely as a gift to Caribbean people.

As a rule I do not write reviews but I had to come say my piece....there were some negative comments from other reviewers and they are just plain wrong! This book is a gem! I lived in Brooklyn for many years (which has a huge West Indian community). The flavors in these recipes are so authentic and bring me back to that amazing time in my life. I've never tasted vegan cuisine like what the Ital Rasta chefs make and I've missed it. This book brought those flavors into my house! I'm recommending it to everyone I know who is trying to eat a more plant based diet! Start cooking like this and you won't miss meat or dairy for a second!! So grateful to Taymer for so richly representing a cuisine that many people have never gotten to even try! It's so authentic and amazing!! Buy it now!!

Used often to change up the diet

If you’re just starting out vegan and don’t have much experience with vegan foods, you love Caribbean food, or maybe you’ve been vegan for a long time and hit a plateau with cooking, this book is definitely for you. There’s lots of recipes in here, more than enough recipes to get you excited to be vegan or excited to stay vegan. I highly recommended this book!! Trust me it’s worth the price and then some.

This book is excellent. Recently becoming vegan, I thought I would greatly miss the Carribean meat dishes I used to cook. Luckily I discovered this book though. All the recipes will have you excited to be eaten vegan, trust me. I live in London and most items in the recipes are easily available here but depending on your location, you may struggle to find some things but the book would still be worth purchasing for you. You get pages and pages of recipes too so definitely getting your money’s worth. I wouldn’t mind a few more pictures of the dishes in the book personally but that would literally be my only critique. If you are considering buying it then I’m positive that you will be as excited as me if you get it. I’m very happy to be leaving such a positive review.

I tried to get my hands on the first edition several months ago but it was completely sold out. I'm very glad this second edition came out! So many amazing (and delicious) recipes and beautiful photos that accompany!I image this would be just like the Caribbean food my mother would have made, if only she had been from the Caribbean!Very highly recommended.

Bought this for my mom who is Jamaican and interested in plant-based cooking, but finds it difficult to wrap her head around veganizing the traditional meat-based Jamaican food she has known all her life. She likes it and was definitely intrigued by the recipes... time will tell if she actually tries any of these recipes.