There are plenty of recipes to try: I'd certainly like to try cooking the Vegan shepherds pie, a giant patty and Rasta Pumpkin pasta to start with. But the recipe I’m sharing with you today, because it would be an act of unspeakable cruelty not to, is for the Rum-Roasted Potatoes. I was a little daunted by the book at the beginning when it kept asking for ingredients that I’ve either never heard of, or are very difficult to procure for the average Canadian.

This cookbook definitely delivers on what it promises in that every recipe is packed with spices, peppers, and other flavourful foods to guarantee meals that will leave your taste buds happy. With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Bloomsbury Publishing plc for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, and I have to say that for someone in the Caribbean, this would probably be a good recipe book.I work with students from the Caribbean, so I was always curious about the foods they grew up eating.

Beyond the fact I love the base recipe for dumplings and pea stew but also in 3 days I cooked 3 dinners in a row. By the way, I used vegetable shortening (in the form of Trex, which is much the same as Crisco) rather than the vegan butter stipulated in the recipe, as I always have it in the fridge for pastry. I loved all the different curries, was delighted to find a Vegan Jamaican ginger cake recipe and the rum roasted potatoes were a wonder at Christmas.There are recipes that are a spin on popular dishes which will have the keen meat eater licking their lips.

Packed with around 100 mouth-watering vegan recipes, Natural Flava will elevate your vegan cooking repertoire with finger-licking goodness. True, there’s an argument for the blanketing stodge of Beige Food, too, but it’s not a case of either/or). I wish the recipes had some general cook-times listed, but while they don’t, the recipes also don’t seem like they would take all day. Jamaican food also has an authentic vegan history with the Rastafarian Ital diet ('Ital' is a natural, unprocessed, plant-based diet used to promote wellness).

Think Potato and C hickpea Curry with Roti, Jerk C auliflower Wings, Coconut, Black-Eyed Pea and Sweet Potato Stew, and Plantain Cookies . Presented with mouthwatering pictures and engaging text that makes you want to cook, the recipes are easy to follow and written in an engaging way that isn't gimmicky. Natural Flava brings together Ital inspiration, punchy Caribbean flava and quick and easy recipes in this feel-good cookbook. This is an amazing introduction to plant- based Caribbean cooking and since I have never had authentic Caribbean food before - mainly because I have the chilli threshold of a toddler - I was SOOO excited to see this book.

I don't normally review but seriously, the red pea stew is one of my all-time fav comfort foods and it's the best base recipe I've found and I'm so happy to have it in an actual book. There are many recipes of greedy interest: Plantain Hummus; Caribbean-Spiced Jackfruit Wraps with Plum Sauce; Corn Fritters; Tomato and Coconut Pasta; a tremendous Curry Tofu and Vegetables, which I nearly selected to run here; Cauliflower Burger with Spicy Mayo, Slaw and Mango Chutney; Sweet Potato and Chickpea Peanut Stew with Jollof Rice; a fabulous meat-free take on Pepper Pot Soup; Yam Fries with Scotch Bonnet Sauce or Chilli Jam, and there’s also a recipe for Mango Chilli Sauce I have my eye on.

That one detail is what truly keeps this from being a favourite for me simply because I’m not sure how feasible some of these recipes would be.