Vegan Diner: Classic Comfort Food for the Body & Soul

In her newest effort, Hassan (125 Best Cupcakes) offers a cookbook that will be a boon to vegan cooks who crave diner-style food like crispy banana-cinnamon waffles, beer-battered onion rings, sloppy joes, pot roast, and pineapple coconut cream pie. Desserts and baked goods rely heavily on soy or almond milk, vegan margarine, and flaxseed meal. Main "meat" dishes like smoky seitan roast (which can be sliced and used to make sandwiches) depend upon more hardcore vegan ingredients like vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast flakes, chickpea flour, and TVP (textured vegetable protein). One of the more intriguing recipes is for Barbecued Ribz, essentially a dough that is baked in the oven, scored into strips, slathered in homemade barbecue sauce, and grilled. Hassan includes a glossary of vegan ingredients in the front, a list of online resources in the back, and lots of food photos and diner images (salt and pepper shakers, booths, barstools) throughout. This is a book for the committed and adventurous vegan cook; it's inspiring and fun. (May)