After work on Friday Isaac and I walked to Ellwood Thompson’s to grab some dinner. We ended going for the sushi counter. I got a Summer Roll which was crab, shrimp, avocado, carrots, cucumbers and lettuce all wrapped in a rice paper wrap with a sweet spicy chili sauce. Isaac got a salmon roll and we shared.
I’ve had other Southern Tsunami Sushi products before including the avocado rolls and I think I like those better- the seafood version was just okay. Next time I’ll just stick with the avocado rolls or sushi.
I went to a run this morning, before the temperature got too out of control – it’s suppose to get up to 95 today!! I ran about 5.5 miles and even thought it was 9 AM it was still HOT! I ended up super sweaty and all I wanted was something fresh and cool for lunch. I had a raw veggie plate with TJ’s edamame hummus.
While eating I looked through a new cookbook I recently received: Vegan College Cookbook courtesy of Peta.
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Turns out that I’m not in college nor am I Vegan, however I’m not one to turn down a free cookbook so I gladly accepted this one. I just got the book in the mail today so I haven’t had a chance to try anything, but I have looked through the pages and read many of the 275 recipes. Overall, the thought of a Vegan cookbook for college students is great, the descriptions are witty, and the recipes are v. easy.
As I skimmed through the book, I was particularly intrigued by the 20 page section titled Spotlight On: Peanut Butter which features sandwiches, salads, sauces, and desserts- all including the beloved peanut butter. There’s also another Spotlight On section which highlights recipes with ramen including “Pimp my Ramen” Noddles. Even in college I didn’t really eat ramen so I wasn’t too impressed with this section, however I did make me a giggle a little because I did have some friends who lived on ramen in college.
One thing that I don’t love about this cookbook is that all of cooked recipes use only a microwave. I realize that if you are living on campus and don’t have a stove it’s probably perfect, but I try to limit my use of the microwave, so this method of cooking isn’t really for me. Of course I can always use the recipes as a guide and use the stovetop or oven instead of the microwave so I might be doing a little improvising. One cool thing is that there are a ton of recipes for foods that I never thought you could make without a stove including cinnamon rolls, blueberry pancakes, BBQ Pizza, and a ton more.
This cookbook also loses some points with me because it’s lacking both pictures and nutritional information. I don’t know about you, but even if my version of the recipe never looks like the one in the cookbook I still LIKE to have a picture to look at. I’m about 75% more likely to make a recipe that had a photo over one that doesn’t. And nutritional information per serving is nice to have as a guide. Also, I like glossy pages, but I think that’s just a fetish of mine so I won’t subtract any points for it being a paperback.
I will definitely be trying some of the sandwiches, salads, sauces and desserts in this book because they look pretty delicious. One of my favorite recipes featured is “Ants on a Blog: A quick and healthy snack for all you die-hard bloggers too busy, typing away to make a meal.” It’s just the old ants on a log – celery, PB, and raisins combo, but I thought some other bloggers might get a kick of this.
I’ll be sure to point out the recipes I try from this cookbook and let you know what I think!
I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. I’ve been having a great one because one of my best friends is in town- we hung out last night and it was awesome to see her!! Isaac and I are headed to Charlottesville this afternoon to crash a wedding party- hopefully all goes well 
For any Virginia readers out there interested in local foods, you may be interested in checking out Fall Line Farms. It’s a farm to family co-op that offers beef, lamb, pork and poultry, artisan goats cheeses and a listing of heirloom local produce from farms in the Richmond and Virginia Beach areas. I like the idea of this organization because unlike a lot of other Community Supported Agriculture groups you get to choose what products you want each week rather than just getting a standard lot.
Brittany Mullins, HHC
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
thanks for the review on the cookbook! i try to stay away from cookbooks designed specifically for college students because i know that they’re probably just going to only involve a microwave and some boiling water. which is totally fine and dandy, but since i live at home, i prefer to use the kitchen available to me!
Fantastic review!! I loved the PB chapter as well
Thanks for the heads up about Fall Line Farms. It’s exciting to see something like that so close! I can’t wait until the semester is over to finally start making some trips back out to the farmer’s markets we used to live near.
Thanks for the review! Not a huge fan of cookin everything in the microwave either, but I can see how it would be useful for those living in a dorm. I love recipe photos- partly why I often make recipes from online sites.
It’s too bad that spring roll wasn’t the best, because it looks amazing. I bet it would be easy to recreate, and perfect for spring/summer.
I’m waiting on my copy of the PETA cookbook as well. Even though I’m so far out of university, I’d still like to see what’s in there, because I am definitely crunched on time. And hey, I am going back to uni, so technically, I will be a student again!
It is quite hot here in Texas too!
That cookbook looks great! I might have to get it.
MY MOM JUST SENT ME THAT COOKBOOK! noooooooooo way
Thanks for your review. I know what you mean about cookbooks with pictures.
I’m expecting a copy of that book too–now you’ve got me excited to look through it!
Thanks for the awesome cookbook review! Looks great!
i went running saturday morning, too – sweated like crazy as well! that’s awesome that you did 5.5, Brittany! i only got to 3 – it was just too darn hot for me – and i went early too – i guess not early enough to beat that heat! whew!
that’s pretty cool you got the cookbook to review – but i would be a bit disappointed by the lack of photos and the cooking with a microwave – i’m also not a fan of the ‘ol microwave – it kinda scares me! i wonder if they don’t allow hot plates in dorms and such anymore? cinnamon rolls sounds super good though – and ants on a blog made me chuckle!
Hey there, Brittany! I’m just catching up on your posts – I have to say, your black bean burger was simply mouth watering
It looked so good, seriously.
I love summer rolls! They are surprisingly filling and so fresh tasting. I swear I could eat them or sushi every day and never get sick of it.
Thanks for your review of the cookbook. I actually got a copy in the mail last week, too, but haven’t had a chance to peek at it yet. Your review was a great preview of what to expect! I have a feeling you and I see eye-to-eye on a lot of it.
So cool that your friend is in town! I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself!
I’m seeing this Vegan College Cookbook on a lot of blogs and wondering why I don’t have my hands on a copy yet. Especially being a vegan and of college age… humm… Haha. It looks interesting!
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