Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe-Store Blog

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Cookbook Giveaway!

You know what would make this week better? Winning a free cookbook! We happen to have an extra copy of You Won't Believe It's Vegan! by Lacey Sher and Gail Doherty, former owners of the highly successful vegan restaurant Down to Earth.

This cookbook is filled with some good looking recipes and color photos. The one thing that we think is a little weird about this book is the title. I mean, why wouldn't we believe it's vegan? As we know, vegan food is usually pretty awesome. Unless of course they were talking to one of the many omnivorous friends or family members that most of our have; the ones that skip over our meal contributions because they claim to "not like tofu". How can you not like tofu?! But anyway. Here is what you can do to enter the giveaway. Tell us about the last time you made a non-vegan say, "I can't believe it's vegan!". Was it that double chocolate cake you made for your mom's birthday? Or the savory squash casserole you shared at Thanksgiving? Or maybe you've tried a vegan dish that was so shockingly similar to it's non-vegan counterpart that you found yourself saying "I can't believe it's vegan!" Leave us a comment on this blog post telling us your story, and we will draw a random winner tomorrow afternoon at 5:00pm EST.

Labels: giveaway, vegan cookbook

posted by Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe # 12/08/2009 04:00:00 PM

Comments:

I love baking. It's like a form of meditation for me. Every single time I bake all my love and energy goes into it. A couple weeks ago I made pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon frosting...you know when people say it tastes so good, it makes you want to slap your momma? I made them, so I knew they were vegan, but they were so good I wanted to slap myself! :)

# posted by

Loi Laing : December 8, 2009 5:02 PM

Every year around the holidays I make Kittee's pumpkin cheesecake squares (from the Papa Tofu zine) and all of the omnis around say "THIS is vegan?!" They've been requested again this year.

# posted by

Okra Mary : December 8, 2009 5:07 PM

pretty much everyone at my wedding who tried anything from our completely vegan meal came up to me and said "i can't believe this was vegan". BBQ Tofu, Hot-N-Spicy Tofu, 3 kinds of Dumplings, tons of veggies, huge vegan chocolate ganache cake. of course, we ended up divorcing eventually, but the food was awesome!

# posted by

Justin Holt : December 8, 2009 5:08 PM

I make a mean double chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and raspberries on top...usually people can't believe that it's vegan, and assume that it's loaded with butter and eggs to make it taste so rich. It's deceptively simple but definitely delicious...the way I like vegan desserts!

# posted by

pviddy : December 8, 2009 5:09 PM

Great question!! I served my in-laws some chili last week, and they were shocked, and still don't believe me that it was vegan. I have to say, the Chocolate-Chipotle Chile from The Urban Vegan is the best I've ever made and pleases every eater. The TVP tricks them every time!!!

# posted by

Vicki's Vegan Vice : December 8, 2009 5:09 PM

i whoop up a CRAZY good pecan pie that even the non-vegan's at work can't resist. i may be a northern boy, but i can make a mean pecan pie!

# posted by

d a l t o n i c : December 8, 2009 5:14 PM

Simple. Every time I make pumpkin raisin oatmeal cookies everyone just goes gaga over them.

# posted by

birdfeed : December 8, 2009 5:19 PM

my boyfriend and I made a vegan banana kream (k-for kim!) pie for Thanksgiving and his whole family was blown away. With all their butter flake crusts and custards ours was the only pie to get finished!

# posted by

pixeldixie : December 8, 2009 5:20 PM

I make a spiced pumpkin "cheesecake" (from Friends of Animals' Dining with Friends cookbook) that always gets comments from non-vegans who can't believe anything so delicious can be vegan. Actually, any of the "cheesecakes" I make from that cookbook tend to get that response - and make me very popular with lactose-intolerant friends and co-workers :)

# posted by

Professor Julie : December 8, 2009 5:26 PM

For my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I made Oreo Cheesecake balls. Easiest things ever - 1 pack of Oreos & 8oz of Tofutti cream cheese processed together, formed into balls, and rolled in crushed pecans. They were the biggest hit, and my non-vegan friend told me I HAVE to bring them to her holiday party this weekend.

# posted by

Steph Timms : December 8, 2009 5:26 PM

Sounds Weak, but I make Vegan Veggie and Bulghar Wheat Chili that will Knock your Socks Off. It smells (and taste like the Meat Chili my Mom made when I was a kid) When they come in the door, they all say "You making a Non-Vegan Dinner?" Too which I smile and say..."You know Me better than that...it is Amazing though." then they eat it and I see All eyes widened at the Revelation that Vegans don't eat twigs and Yeast Balls, but rather We Can Cook Like MotherTruckers!!!! Cruelty-Free and Healthy too.

# posted by

J Bretzman : December 8, 2009 5:33 PM

i made chocolate peanut butter whoopie pies for thanksgiving : ) oh and also tomato basil cream pasta! my friends and roommates loved them both!

# posted by

lolahippie : December 8, 2009 5:33 PM

Been vegan almost a year & hoping to make a totally vegan Christmas dinner that impresses my friends and family. Haven't tried any of the recipes from the book yet but can't wait!

# posted by

Chris : December 8, 2009 5:41 PM

Everytime we make the italian sausages from Vegan Brunch, people can't believe how soft, tasty and VEGAN they are! :)

# posted by

phrog : December 8, 2009 5:46 PM

I made mac and cheese and they couldn't believe I didn't use cheese, or even fake cheese!

# posted by

Vegan Wheekers : December 8, 2009 5:52 PM

This is wonderful that you are offering a Soymilk maker. I would love to own one. The price of everything has gone up and this would surely cut down on the cost of soymilk!
Annette Dondanville

# posted by

Annette : December 8, 2009 5:57 PM

Chocolate peanut butter pie. This is the dish that makes non-vegans do a double-take not only because it's vegan but it uses tofu, which many non-vegans are hesitant to try. I found the recipe in a peta leaflet but simply blend together 1/2 cup of melted vegan chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of peanut butter, 1/2 cup of non-dairy milk, and one 12 oz. package of silken extra-firm tofu and pour into a prepared graham cracker pie shell. Let it set in fridge for about a half hour and there you go. Simple and delicious.

# posted by

vegbrarian : December 8, 2009 6:12 PM

I have a friend who exclusively eats hot dogs, cheese quesadillas, grilled cheese sandwiches, and frozen pizzas. He ate one of my cupcakes and told me that it was delicious. He knew it was vegan, but I could see the look on his face change from anticipating disappointment (before eating the cupcake) to happy disbelief (while chewing). What's not to love about vegan cupcakes?

# posted by

AJP : December 8, 2009 6:30 PM

Anytime I make a fancy-ish cookie that is more than a granola-banana ball or something, ppl can't seem to believe it's vegan. :)

# posted by

nora : December 8, 2009 6:37 PM

In May my co-workers threw me a baby shower. They knew I was vegan but ordered a cake from Publix anyway. I decided to make the cookies and cream cupcakes from VCTW so I would have omething yummy to eat. Everyone loved the cupcakes and were amazed they were vegan. More cupcakes were eaten than cake. One point for team vegan!

# posted by

Jill : December 8, 2009 6:48 PM

I make vegan red velvet cupcakes (vctotw) for my non-vegan friends all the time and none of them can believe it.

# posted by

jbutterfli : December 8, 2009 7:16 PM

Serve any meat lover this Vegan "Meat Lovers" Lasagna and they'll be asking for thirds...http://stemartaen.com/2009/11/vegan-meat-lovers-lasagna/

Guaranteed!

# posted by

nahum stmartin : December 8, 2009 7:57 PM

Last night! I made Vegan Alfredo sauce. He was shocked.

# posted by

Melissa : December 8, 2009 8:57 PM

For my 3 year old's birthday, I made the Hostess Cupcakes from the BabyCakes cookbook. Everyone, even the finickiest of them all, ate them and loved them. What a 3 year old doesn't know, won't hurt him, right??

# posted by

Anonymous : December 8, 2009 9:19 PM

vegan eggplant parmesan- made with follow your heart cheese. so delicious- better than teh real thing!

# posted by

jessica : December 8, 2009 9:38 PM

Our wedding cake was vegan! People that knew said it was the best cake they'd even had, vegan or not. And people who didn't know just said Yum!

# posted by

Karen : December 8, 2009 9:43 PM

I made this Super-FLax whole Wheat Boule that my husband just about flipped over. I can;t believe its Vegan!

# posted by

NOELLE : December 9, 2009 12:20 AM

I made a double-layer pumpkin cheesecake from a recipe I found over at Fat Free Vegan -- although, naturally, this recipe was far from fat free -- for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. I will be bringing even more vegan food with me to my sister's for Christmas and can't wait to show everyone, once again, that food can be even more delicious when no one is harmed in the process. Thanks for the terrific giveaway!

# posted by

Anne D : December 9, 2009 8:53 AM

I made chocolate (tofu) mousse pie for Thanksgiving - My niece who is 14 and grossed out by tofu loved it! She even watched me make it and wasn't sure she could try it because of the tofu. I guess it looked to delicious to pass up!

# posted by

Chris : December 9, 2009 9:33 AM

Thanksgiving I made an apple cranberry crisp and no one knew it was vegan.

# posted by

Barb : December 9, 2009 2:53 PM

I made my family tofu scramble with lots of tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and garlic, just like our traditional egg omelets. All of them, even the tofu suspicious, LOVED them and could not believe that there were no eggs!

# posted by

bazu : December 9, 2009 2:53 PM

For Thanksgiving I made a vegan pumpkin pie. It was made with tofu and no one could even tell. A non-vegan told me it was the best pie she's ever eaten and that there was no way it could be vegan. That made my day. I love educating people on the deliciousness of vegan food.

# posted by

Roxetta : December 9, 2009 3:28 PM