Can a non-vegan chef and blogger write a vegan cookbook? UK based chef, blogger and author Kerstin Rodgers not only thinks so, she has done it. Her cookbook, V is for Vegan is 100% vegan. The recipes in V is for Vegan are not necessarily suited for whipping up a quick meal, but they are great for when you really want to get creative in the kitchen and add new dishes to your repertoire. Kerstin divided the book into sections based on meal: snacks, breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition to these four sections, the book opens with a section called “Knowledge is Power.” Within this section, are recipes for pantry staples along with great information on vegan cooking and how to incorporate previously untried foods like edible flowers into your meals.  V is for Vegan has recipes to suit every taste from the simple Cheesy Popcorn to more exotic dishes like Chocolate Sichuan Pepper Fettuccine with Porcini and Black Olives. In addition to its 120 recipes, V is for Vegan is filled with fantastic photographs by Jan Baldwin.

Here is a sample of what you can make with this book:

Black & Green Cheesecake with Bengali Lime & Avocado

Black and Green Cheesecake photo by Jan Baldwin

Key limes or Mexican limes used in Key lime pie are very different from the usual “Persian” limes that we usually see. Key limes are smaller, more acidic, and the flesh is yellow. Once dried into black lime, they are a useful ingredient in Middle Eastern cookery. The strange thing about both Key limes and Persian limes is that they are ripe when the flesh is yellow, not green.

As it’s sometimes hard to get hold of Key limes, I use normal limes. But if you can get hold of Bengali limes (I buy them at Asian supermarkets), then do. They are perfumed, floral, and exotic.

Serves 6 to 8

Oil spray, for greasing

For the crust:
1¼ cups [150 g] Oreo cookies, finely ground
3 Tbsp coconut milk

For the filling:

1¼ cups [150 g] cashew nuts, soaked in water for 2 to 4 hours, then drained
2 small avocados, peeled and pitted
½ tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
Scant ½ cup [100 ml] agave nectar
Juice of 2 lemons
Scant ½ cup [100 ml] coconut oil
Juice of 5 limes, plus the pared zest of 1 for the top (optional)
Slices of kiwi fruit, for the top (optional)

Lightly spray a 7-in [18-cm] loose-bottomed cake pan with oil.

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground Oreos and coconut milk. Press the mixture into the bottom of the cake pan. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Put all the ingredients except the lime zest and kiwi fruit into a powerful blender. Process until smooth. Then take the cheesecake base from the fridge and ladle in the green filling.

Decorate with curls of pared lime zest, or with overlapping layers of kiwi fruit slices, or both. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.

(Recipe © 2016 Kerstin Rodgers, V is for Vegan, published by Quadrille, reprinted by permission.)

V is for Vegan is a great book for new vegans, long-time vegan and even omnivores looking to reduce their use of animal products, but afraid they will be giving up taste. Hopefully in writing this cookbook, Kerstin realized that there is no need for animal products when cooking and eating. However, as of March 15, 2016, looking at her blog posts, I don’t see that change happening as she is posting pictures of the non-vegan food she was eating on her trip to New York. It is truly sad that a vegan cookbook author would choose to not be vegan.

Enter now for your chance to win a copy of V is for Vegan. Please note, the giveaway is limited to residents of the US and Canada.