Happy Herbivore Abroad: A Travelogue and Over 135 Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes from Around the World

I love the Happy Herbivore Cookbooks, I would say that the first two are among my five favorite vegan cookbooks. Her original book is probably the cookbook I use the most. (See:  The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes  ; Everyday Happy Herbivore: Over 175 Quick-and-Easy Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes  ).Why four instead of five stars? Well this book contains 125 recipes as opposed to the 175 each in the previous two releases. And the recipes are mostly good but not exceptional. I will say that if you want a quick, low fat book of recipes, this is great. But if you don't have the first two of her books, those are much more solid recipe books. And many pages in this are dedicated to photos of the places Lindsay traveled to. There are a few recipe repeats, but they don't count towards the 125. And unlike a few other vegan cookbooks which I tore apart in my reviews, this one actually has the bulk dedicated to dishes. (One that I reviewed - not any of Nixon's - had at least half of the recipes for spices, rubs, dressings, condiments, frosting, glazes, and such... At least half!)There is also a section of 'American' recipes in the back. Not a big deal (and it does state that on the back cover), but with 125 recipes, I would have preferred a few more recipes from other countries. Japan could have been a great source of recipes since they have an active Buddhist culture (vegetarian and vegan) around Kyoto and many restaurants cater to the vegetarian and vegan. Sadly we see recipes such as edamame (seriously the easiest thing to make).The great thing about Lindsay's recipes is that most of the ingredients can be found at your local grocery store. Rarely have I had to seek something out that my local Whole Foods didn't have. And probably 75% of the time I have everything on hand already (if you stock a good selection of beans, grains, and spices then you have the ability to make many dishes - depending on what veggies you have currently).In this book the standouts were the stews and casserole type dishes. There were many veggie or bean or rice dishes that were VERY similar to recipes in her other books (I checked a few - some are one or two ingredients off from the original - others result in similar tastes), others are exact copies such as the cheater pad thai. (Not counted in the 125 recipe count).But overall a very good cookbook. As a fan of her others I enjoyed it, but perhaps the bar was set too high with the amazing collection of recipes in the earlier books. One note for the publisher: Proofread. I doubt Sheree's cajun blend spice has 360 calories and 6 grams of fat per teaspoon =)Standouts: Cassoulet, goulash, quick chili mole, masoor dal, migas (soooo good!), saag, cheater African beans, chili bok choy, vegetable korma, vegetable enchiladas, African delight (mmmmmm... kale), cajun stuffed mushrooms. (Of note: Teeny Tiny Spice Co makes a great Ethiopian berbere and Cajun seasoning. You can buy on Amazon.)We're still working through the recipes, but so far so good. Just buy the first two if you haven't already. And look for the upcoming "Oh She Glows" vegan cookbook (2014 I think...)Update (Dec 12, 2012):The desserts and baking dishes are good - for vegans! But I hesitate to make these for non-vegans since they have a wholesome, healthy flavor. Personally I enjoy lighter emphasis on oil and sugar (one of the reasons I love Nixon's cookbooks), but for those not used to a vegan diet, they might give the ol "See? Vegan food is bland!" argument. In that instance I use the overwhelmingly sugar-centric  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar: 100 Dairy-Free Recipes for Everyone's Favorite Treats . But Nixon's recipes are for the health conscious, so just be forewarned that they will not be the type of vegan desserts that they serve at Black Sheep bakery! (Which I cannot eat anymore thanks to my looking up the nutritional info... 600 calorie bran and berry muffin??? Yikes!)Still, 125 recipes is a good slice, especially the emphasis on international cuisine. But I stand by the four star merely by the comparison to her previous two recipe books which each had 175 recipes, and I think a bit more exciting dishes overall. Buy the first two if you don't have them. They will keep you occupied for awhile. Then get this book if you want some more variety. The internationally influenced entrees are the best part of this book.

I currently own the entire family of Happy Herbivore books and am a big supporter of Linday Nixon's mission to make healthy, low-fat, plant-based food widely accessible. This makes me both a slightly biased reviewer and a well-informed one.That said, it is worth mentioning that this book is not like the other books in the HH family. I am not sure that this would be the book I would recommend for someone trying to get into plant-based, low-fat living. While all of the recipes are simple and made with accessible, whole-food ingredients, I think that the original Happy Herbivore Cookbook or the Everyday Happy Herbivore Cookbook is more appropriate for those who are new to plant-based cooking/eating. In those books, many of the basics are covered and provide a solid base for branching out to more exotic recipes.What I like:-It is a more personal book than the others of the HH family, which I appreciated as someone who has traveled to some of the destinations referenced in HHA. I have spent a lot of time in Central/East Europe, for example, and I have never been able to enjoy a proper Hungarian Goulash. HHA solves that. I have often tried to re-create some of my East European favorites but have been met with limited success. The European recipes in the book are spot-on!-there are some fancy recipes--like things that I would make for a dinner party--that are made with affordable, easy-to-find items.-the photos are gorgeous. Very visually-appealing.-I think this book has the potential to de-mystify some international cuisine. Curries and French dishes can be intimidating! I am pretty fearless in the kitchen, but I would not have attempted to come up with my own low-fat curry like the one in this book. Things that I would order from a takeout menu are in this book at a much lower cost (both in terms of money and calories!) and probably take about as much time to make as it does to wait on a delivery.What I do not like:I would have liked some more breakfast and baked goods. I do not think their absence detracts from the quality of the book and I realize that there are only so many ways to make a tofu scramble and there are plenty of ideas in other HH books, but I found myself going back to HHC/EHH for breakfast ideas this weekend after feeling uninspired by the HHA book.All of this said, I have tried the following recipes:-German Lentil Soup-Bread Pudding-Donuts-African Jollof-Pineapple Curry-Swedish Split Pea Soup-Bundt cake-Tinto de Verano-CassouletThe biggest hits were the donuts, bread pudding and the pineapple curry, but they were all delicious. The African Jollof is great cold over mixed greens--we did that for a road trip and it worked out well.In sum, this book is the perfect complement to and logical progression of the HH offerings. I think this is just the beginning for the Happy Herbivore. I suspect that bigger, better things are coming and I look forward to seeing Lindsay Nixon's continued success! Very well done!

Seit ich dieses Buch habe, ist es wirklich permanent in Gebrauch, was bei mir noch lange nicht bei allen veganen Kochbüchern der Fall war.Nicht nur sind viele klassische Internationale Rezepte enthalten (wovon alle, auch die Kuchen, ohne zugesetztes Fett auskommen), sondern auch kreative Rezepte, welche wahrlich zum Nachmachen animieren. Bis jetzt hat jedes nachgekochte Gericht absolut wunderbar geschmeckt, was auch daran liegt, dass die Autorin nicht mit Gewürzen spart ;-)Der einzige Kritikpunkt sind die verwendeten Cup-Einheiten, jedoch gibt es wirklich überall Cup-Messbecher, so dass dies auch kein Problem darstellen sollte.

Ich liebe Nixons Kochbücher, und das ist keine Ausnahme. Gesund und lecker, sie trifft voll meinen Geschmack.

I buy ALL of the Happy Herbivore books because the recipes are so easy to follow.Thank you for that! This is a perfect addition to anyone's kitchen!!

i was so disappointed when looking at rather basic and boring recipes, and the pictures make the food looks yucky. Not a very happy herbivore at all. :"(

The recipes are very basic. They are not good enough to convert a carnivore into a herbivore, which is what I was hoping.