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bluestjuice's review
4.0
I wanted a copy of this book based on a friend's rave reviews, and although I noticed it was a vegan cookbook, I remember thinking, 'whatever, they're salads, salads should be NATURALLY VEGAN.' Well, that's something of an oversimplification, isn't it. Not being vegan, I found the approach to certain things (mostly proteins and cream-based dressings) unnecessarily convoluted, and many of these salads make liberal use of ingredients I am unfamiliar with and don't necessarily want to get to know well, such as tofu and tempeh and saitan. However. Despite these potential drawbacks, there is a lot of awesomeness packed in here, and at least a dozen different salads that I'm really looking forward to trying out. I greatly appreciate that the author's angle here is a variety of seasonally-appropriate hearty main-course salads, and although there were a few too many Asian-inspired dishes for my personal taste, I felt like she did a good job of balancing different flavor profiles (there were additionally Mexican-inspired, eastern European-inspired, Indian-inspired, French-inspired, fruit-based, grain-based, and 'steakhouse cuisine-inspired' options, and that's just the ones I can remember offhand). Her instructions were pretty straightforward and I appreciated that she separated out the recipes for a number of her frequently used or only slightly adapted toppings and dressings into beginning sections, referring the reader to them in each instance where they appear instead of writing those recipes out longhand each time. It's a nicely organized book. I did have a few complaints about the food photography in several instances where the plating or preparation of the ingredients didn't really match the directions as given - a recipe calling for whole chopped tomatoes that's photographed with halved cherry tomatoes, for example. On the one hand, it's a salad, it's not a big deal to make these small substitutions (and really, salads are infinitely substitutable). On the other hand, I wanted to see what the recipe as written looked like!
Long story short, I enjoyed this book, am glad to own it, and look forward to making my own tasty entree salads soon. Even if I might substitute in real buttermilk ranch and actual bacon. But I might even fry some tofu, who knows. Crazier things have happened.
Long story short, I enjoyed this book, am glad to own it, and look forward to making my own tasty entree salads soon. Even if I might substitute in real buttermilk ranch and actual bacon. But I might even fry some tofu, who knows. Crazier things have happened.
onesonicbite's review against another edition
5.0
I originally bought this book my Mother for Christmas. She said she wanted to eat more vegetables, so I thought this would be a great book for that. At the time my Mom was living with my sister while looking for a new home, so my sister ended up flipping through and liking a few recipes. So she bought the book for herself.
Funny thing is for awhile my Mother and my sister would tell me to make a recipe from the book, and I keep pointing out that I don’t own it. I still don’t. I’ve been checking out from the library. I think I was afraid because the book is so small. Did I REALLY need a whole book on salads? Answer- yeah- I really do.
Photos
Not a big fan of the black side bars. Although I LOVE how visually it is different from other cookbooks, it is easy to leave marks on it. I think the biggest issue is the fact that it is a salad cookbook, meaning you are using oil for dressings, and I left quite a few greasy finger prints on the side (right where you touch to turn the page!). And since this is a library book, I could easily see which recipes other patrons made (hello Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad!) Naturally my vegan mind is racing- are they vegan? Are they omnivores diving into the vegan world? Did they like it?!
As always I love the photos in the book. They are done by my second favorite food photographer (my main man will always be Ted *insert winkie face*) Vanessa K Rees. I've mentioned it in other reviews, but she has worked with Romero before for Protein Ninja and Moskowitz for Isa Does It. You will recognize her signature style photographing from above. If you want a preview of the sexy photography there are some on her website.
What I do love about the photos is that the images aren’t unrealistic. Nothing bothers me more than inaccurate photos. I’ve caught a few photos in other books where CLEARLY different vegetables are in the dish, or the color is unattainable. What I like about these photos is the dishes are shown as a reasonable end result. The green apples are big chunks for the Reubenesque salad for example. And there notes when they are being fancy, like in the Mermaid salad (no, I sadly didn’t make this) They spiralized the beets instead of julienned them.
Set-up
The book is divided up by the introduction/information, dressings, side salads, salad toppers, spring, summer, fall, winter, and then breakfast ‘salads.’ The last chapter is clearly bending the definition of a salad, and frankly the easiest to ignore. Sorry. But I am glad she divided the recipes up by seasons. Yeah, sure you can make a winter salad in the summer (or vise versa) but if you have a CSA share, you would much rather wait till the summer when the produce is super fresh, knowing it will taste better. This is also why I have tried mostly the winter and fall salads, I keep making salads during this time of the year.
Writing
I feel a little crazy writing this- but Romero’s writing is a little bland in this. Sure there is a lot of wit and spunk in the introduction, but not as much personality in the descriptions. Maybe I am just imagining that? Regardless, I think my favorite part of the book- no diet talk. No talk about gurl you gonna be so thin with this salad talk.
Overview
Vegans have a love hate relationship with salads. So many times we know in the back of our minds that if we go to a restaurant there will “always be a salad option.” A lot times it is sad and pathetic- iceberg lettuce, oil and vinegar, and subpar veggies cut in large chunks. I had a similar issue when living with my in-laws. Although they are great cooks, every single dinner included a side salad with oil and vinegar. I think they genuinely enjoyed this, but I couldn’t help but think of better uses of the lettuce.
Salads have been morphed into the pinnacle of diet culture and clean eating. It has been called out for being an excuse to starve yourself, and for being overrated. Most salads in American culture are either heavy fat-calorie bombs (pasta salad, chicken/tuna/egg salad and the like) or watery-crunchy-vegetable based meals that are so bland you need to drench them in dressings.
But if you ever got a salad from a higher-end restaurant, you will know they are so much more. It is a delicate balance of flavors as you only have a few ingredients, they need to work with each other. There is also the question of quality, if your produce isn’t at it’s peak quality your salad is lacking. And this is what Romero addresses in her book. She wants you to use produce when it is fresh- and that’s why she organizes everything by season. She wants people to eat well thought out, flavorful salads that are more than lettuce, cucumber, and radishes.
Pretty much Romero wants to take salads away from rich white women who are littering their wellness Pinterest boards with expensive fancy looking salads, and trying to democratize them. They are filling, full of flavor, and pretty affordable. Salads, at least in this book, are for everyone. And I love Romero for being able to accomplish that.
Recipes
As with all my cookbook reviews, I try my best to leave links with recipes that are online BUT are up there with the publishers permission. I also won’t link recipes that might stray too far away from the recipe (which some bloggers do) I also made sure I provided at least one recipe from each section of the book. Read the Recipe Reviews on My Blog
Funny thing is for awhile my Mother and my sister would tell me to make a recipe from the book, and I keep pointing out that I don’t own it. I still don’t. I’ve been checking out from the library. I think I was afraid because the book is so small. Did I REALLY need a whole book on salads? Answer- yeah- I really do.
Photos
Not a big fan of the black side bars. Although I LOVE how visually it is different from other cookbooks, it is easy to leave marks on it. I think the biggest issue is the fact that it is a salad cookbook, meaning you are using oil for dressings, and I left quite a few greasy finger prints on the side (right where you touch to turn the page!). And since this is a library book, I could easily see which recipes other patrons made (hello Fiery Fruit and Quinoa Salad!) Naturally my vegan mind is racing- are they vegan? Are they omnivores diving into the vegan world? Did they like it?!
As always I love the photos in the book. They are done by my second favorite food photographer (my main man will always be Ted *insert winkie face*) Vanessa K Rees. I've mentioned it in other reviews, but she has worked with Romero before for Protein Ninja and Moskowitz for Isa Does It. You will recognize her signature style photographing from above. If you want a preview of the sexy photography there are some on her website.
What I do love about the photos is that the images aren’t unrealistic. Nothing bothers me more than inaccurate photos. I’ve caught a few photos in other books where CLEARLY different vegetables are in the dish, or the color is unattainable. What I like about these photos is the dishes are shown as a reasonable end result. The green apples are big chunks for the Reubenesque salad for example. And there notes when they are being fancy, like in the Mermaid salad (no, I sadly didn’t make this) They spiralized the beets instead of julienned them.
Set-up
The book is divided up by the introduction/information, dressings, side salads, salad toppers, spring, summer, fall, winter, and then breakfast ‘salads.’ The last chapter is clearly bending the definition of a salad, and frankly the easiest to ignore. Sorry. But I am glad she divided the recipes up by seasons. Yeah, sure you can make a winter salad in the summer (or vise versa) but if you have a CSA share, you would much rather wait till the summer when the produce is super fresh, knowing it will taste better. This is also why I have tried mostly the winter and fall salads, I keep making salads during this time of the year.
Writing
I feel a little crazy writing this- but Romero’s writing is a little bland in this. Sure there is a lot of wit and spunk in the introduction, but not as much personality in the descriptions. Maybe I am just imagining that? Regardless, I think my favorite part of the book- no diet talk. No talk about gurl you gonna be so thin with this salad talk.
Overview
Vegans have a love hate relationship with salads. So many times we know in the back of our minds that if we go to a restaurant there will “always be a salad option.” A lot times it is sad and pathetic- iceberg lettuce, oil and vinegar, and subpar veggies cut in large chunks. I had a similar issue when living with my in-laws. Although they are great cooks, every single dinner included a side salad with oil and vinegar. I think they genuinely enjoyed this, but I couldn’t help but think of better uses of the lettuce.
Salads have been morphed into the pinnacle of diet culture and clean eating. It has been called out for being an excuse to starve yourself, and for being overrated. Most salads in American culture are either heavy fat-calorie bombs (pasta salad, chicken/tuna/egg salad and the like) or watery-crunchy-vegetable based meals that are so bland you need to drench them in dressings.
But if you ever got a salad from a higher-end restaurant, you will know they are so much more. It is a delicate balance of flavors as you only have a few ingredients, they need to work with each other. There is also the question of quality, if your produce isn’t at it’s peak quality your salad is lacking. And this is what Romero addresses in her book. She wants you to use produce when it is fresh- and that’s why she organizes everything by season. She wants people to eat well thought out, flavorful salads that are more than lettuce, cucumber, and radishes.
Pretty much Romero wants to take salads away from rich white women who are littering their wellness Pinterest boards with expensive fancy looking salads, and trying to democratize them. They are filling, full of flavor, and pretty affordable. Salads, at least in this book, are for everyone. And I love Romero for being able to accomplish that.
Recipes
As with all my cookbook reviews, I try my best to leave links with recipes that are online BUT are up there with the publishers permission. I also won’t link recipes that might stray too far away from the recipe (which some bloggers do) I also made sure I provided at least one recipe from each section of the book. Read the Recipe Reviews on My Blog
gimchi's review
4.0
SUPER impressed. who knew that raw cashews soaked in hot water could make a creamy salad dressing?!?
i didn't realize this was a vegan cookbook, but finally. FINALLY. i feel like vegans can actually eat well without only eating food that's made to look like meats, or subsisting on oreos!
#newfoundrespect
#worstbookname
i didn't realize this was a vegan cookbook, but finally. FINALLY. i feel like vegans can actually eat well without only eating food that's made to look like meats, or subsisting on oreos!
#newfoundrespect
#worstbookname
slightly_devious's review
5.0
Holy shit. I bought this as an iBook, but I think I NEED the hardcover.
chrissymcbooknerd's review
5.0
My top five reasons why this book is fantastically amazing.
1. The insanely, gorgeously delicious photographs throughout the entire book
2. The lovely glossy pages make me feel as if I'm reading a favorite magazine instead of a cookbook
3. The scrumptious salads that look healthy, beautiful, and incredibly tasty
4. The salad dressings, which seem easy to replicate and delicious to devour
5. The breakfast selections. Yes, that's right -- a salad book with incredibly appealing early morning suggestions.
And then, of course, there's my overall top reason why this book is fantastically amazing:
It's totally, 100% vegan... and healthy.
Five stars for my five top reasons that I absolutely MUST have SALAD SAMURAI on my bookshelf ASAP!
1. The insanely, gorgeously delicious photographs throughout the entire book
2. The lovely glossy pages make me feel as if I'm reading a favorite magazine instead of a cookbook
3. The scrumptious salads that look healthy, beautiful, and incredibly tasty
4. The salad dressings, which seem easy to replicate and delicious to devour
5. The breakfast selections. Yes, that's right -- a salad book with incredibly appealing early morning suggestions.
And then, of course, there's my overall top reason why this book is fantastically amazing:
It's totally, 100% vegan... and healthy.
Five stars for my five top reasons that I absolutely MUST have SALAD SAMURAI on my bookshelf ASAP!
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
5.0
Gorgeous, with a beautiful layout. I love the elegant black sidebars, however it shows fingerprints even without greasy fingers!
The salads are broken up by season (very loosely, I mean tomatoes in Winter?) and every one has a photo except the first in each section. The crunchy toppings, various dressings and vinaigrettes and baked tofus make throwing together your own salad or bowl a cinch.
The salad flavors though! I could never come up with such delicious combinations. This cookbook is a treasure come Spring when those CSA greens start rolling in!
The salads are broken up by season (very loosely, I mean tomatoes in Winter?) and every one has a photo except the first in each section. The crunchy toppings, various dressings and vinaigrettes and baked tofus make throwing together your own salad or bowl a cinch.
The salad flavors though! I could never come up with such delicious combinations. This cookbook is a treasure come Spring when those CSA greens start rolling in!
oceanonyourskin's review
3.0
"But there is always the salad"
Yes, lockdown number I-lost-count-I-don't-know-anything-anymore is clearly affecting me. I'm trying to find something new to cook, to keep my soul from being crushed.
This book was alright. There are a few dressing in particular that I want to try, plus the salads are divided by season, so you can use fresh veggies for each.
It didn't blown me away, but it was somewhat interesting.
-
Sì, il lockdown numero ho-perso-il-conto-non-so-più-chi-sono mi sta chiaramente influenzando anche le letture. Sto cercando di trovare qualcosa di nuovo da cucinare, per sconfiggere la noia.
Questo libro era ok. Ci sono alcuni condimenti che voglio provare, e le insalate sono divise per stagione, così si possono usare le verdure tipiche per ognuna.
Non mi ha entusiasmato all'ennesima potenza, ma ci ho trovato qualcosa di interessante che mi sono segnata da provare.
Yes, lockdown number I-lost-count-I-don't-know-anything-anymore is clearly affecting me. I'm trying to find something new to cook, to keep my soul from being crushed.
This book was alright. There are a few dressing in particular that I want to try, plus the salads are divided by season, so you can use fresh veggies for each.
It didn't blown me away, but it was somewhat interesting.
-
Sì, il lockdown numero ho-perso-il-conto-non-so-più-chi-sono mi sta chiaramente influenzando anche le letture. Sto cercando di trovare qualcosa di nuovo da cucinare, per sconfiggere la noia.
Questo libro era ok. Ci sono alcuni condimenti che voglio provare, e le insalate sono divise per stagione, così si possono usare le verdure tipiche per ognuna.
Non mi ha entusiasmato all'ennesima potenza, ma ci ho trovato qualcosa di interessante che mi sono segnata da provare.
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
Salad Samurai by Terry Hope Romero is a 2014 De Capo publication.
Naturally, when we hear the word ‘Salad’, the first thing many of us think of, is that small ‘dinner salad’ we have on the side or that might serve as an appetizer- which is about as boring as boring can be. Seldom do we think of having a salad as a main course- or refer to a salad as being ‘hearty’.
This cookbook, however, will change your entire perceptions of salads. While these recipes apply to the vegan diet, anyone can find a recipe they will want to try. Not only that, there are fresh ideas for homemade dressings, and plenty of hints and tips as well, and color photos of the recipes.
The salads are organized by seasons, which makes sense to me. Various fresh ingredients are not in season year -round. My moods change with the seasons as well. Summertime has me reaching for more fruits and lighter meals, while in the winter I long for something warmer and a little heavier.
The ease of preparation varies, and the ingredients were not ones I can readily obtain here in Podunk, Texas. However, once can always use these recipes to prompt your own imagination by adding, leaving out, or substituting ingredients that work best for you.
One thing is for sure, though- after reading through this book, you will never think of salads as boring again!!
Naturally, when we hear the word ‘Salad’, the first thing many of us think of, is that small ‘dinner salad’ we have on the side or that might serve as an appetizer- which is about as boring as boring can be. Seldom do we think of having a salad as a main course- or refer to a salad as being ‘hearty’.
This cookbook, however, will change your entire perceptions of salads. While these recipes apply to the vegan diet, anyone can find a recipe they will want to try. Not only that, there are fresh ideas for homemade dressings, and plenty of hints and tips as well, and color photos of the recipes.
The salads are organized by seasons, which makes sense to me. Various fresh ingredients are not in season year -round. My moods change with the seasons as well. Summertime has me reaching for more fruits and lighter meals, while in the winter I long for something warmer and a little heavier.
The ease of preparation varies, and the ingredients were not ones I can readily obtain here in Podunk, Texas. However, once can always use these recipes to prompt your own imagination by adding, leaving out, or substituting ingredients that work best for you.
One thing is for sure, though- after reading through this book, you will never think of salads as boring again!!
megfang315's review
3.0
really interesting. there were so many different combos, and i appreciated the diversity. i don't follow salad recipes exactly, so this was more inspiration rather than rules to me,
just tried her kimchi quinoa salad, and i loved it! i've been in a rut and making mediterranean quinoa salad for years, and this was so refreshingly different and tasty. it was a little ingredient-intensive, but was quick to put together.
just tried her kimchi quinoa salad, and i loved it! i've been in a rut and making mediterranean quinoa salad for years, and this was so refreshingly different and tasty. it was a little ingredient-intensive, but was quick to put together.
bryonie's review
2.0
I expected so much more from a cookbook like this one.
First off, maybe I'm being too narrow minded, but oatmeal is not a salad. Oatmeal is oatmeal. Period. Too many liberties were taken in this book as to what a salad actually is.
Second, there were far too many 'exotic' ingredients in this book. Certainly this is not a 'buy everything from one store' kind of book. I'm not about to shop at three different locations to get all the ingredients needed for one salad. And on top of that, there was far too much of the same thing. If you like kale salads, this book is for you. I'm pretty sure there were probably 2-3 leafy green salads in this book that called for any other kind of green (I'm not including the noodle/bean based salads in this statement -- they get their own statement to follow). And speaking of non-leafy green salads -- personally, I would have LOVED to see more bean salads, or noodle salads. And bean salads that were anything other than lentils. My god, I HATE lentils. I don't care how good they are for you, they are nasty.
Thirdly, with all the steps involved in some of these recipes, it would take you half the day to make most of these. Yes, some of the things can be made in advance, but come on... these are SALADS, not 4 course meals. Maybe if you could stay at home all day every day you'd have time to make some of these things, but for the average person? Not. Gonna. Happen.
Fourthly, it's obvious the author has a sweet-tooth when it comes to salads. I don't. I don't like fruit in my salads, or overly sweet dressings. I flagged over half the recipes in this book as something I would never make because of all the sweet shit in them. This is a me thing, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
And finally, and this is a death knell for cookbooks for me, there were not pictures for all the recipes in the book. I want to see what something looks like before I make it. Even if it's an amateur photo that hasn't been dressed to within an inch of it's life, people eat with their eyes first (and their sense of smell too) before they even lift the fork to their mouth.
Yes, I might make a couple recipes from this book, but it was mostly forgettable, to be honest.
First off, maybe I'm being too narrow minded, but oatmeal is not a salad. Oatmeal is oatmeal. Period. Too many liberties were taken in this book as to what a salad actually is.
Second, there were far too many 'exotic' ingredients in this book. Certainly this is not a 'buy everything from one store' kind of book. I'm not about to shop at three different locations to get all the ingredients needed for one salad. And on top of that, there was far too much of the same thing. If you like kale salads, this book is for you. I'm pretty sure there were probably 2-3 leafy green salads in this book that called for any other kind of green (I'm not including the noodle/bean based salads in this statement -- they get their own statement to follow). And speaking of non-leafy green salads -- personally, I would have LOVED to see more bean salads, or noodle salads. And bean salads that were anything other than lentils. My god, I HATE lentils. I don't care how good they are for you, they are nasty.
Thirdly, with all the steps involved in some of these recipes, it would take you half the day to make most of these. Yes, some of the things can be made in advance, but come on... these are SALADS, not 4 course meals. Maybe if you could stay at home all day every day you'd have time to make some of these things, but for the average person? Not. Gonna. Happen.
Fourthly, it's obvious the author has a sweet-tooth when it comes to salads. I don't. I don't like fruit in my salads, or overly sweet dressings. I flagged over half the recipes in this book as something I would never make because of all the sweet shit in them. This is a me thing, but I'm sure I'm not the only one.
And finally, and this is a death knell for cookbooks for me, there were not pictures for all the recipes in the book. I want to see what something looks like before I make it. Even if it's an amateur photo that hasn't been dressed to within an inch of it's life, people eat with their eyes first (and their sense of smell too) before they even lift the fork to their mouth.
Yes, I might make a couple recipes from this book, but it was mostly forgettable, to be honest.