The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life

When I was a kid I sometimes wished I had a little sister. We would have watched Star Trek and the Smurfs together and she would have been really nice to me. If I had a kid sister I would buy her “The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life” for Christmas because it is the perfect book for someone newly interested in veganism and my kid sister would be so into it because she would also be vegan.

The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life was written by Melisser Eliott, the blogger behind “The Urban Housewife” and world traveler. It honestly answers every question that a person has about veganism in an informative and relatively upbeat way. Most books about animal rights are really depressing, as they can’t help but be, but Melisser keeps a positive attitude by showing you what you can do to make things better. She touches on everything from animal cruelty to why you should avoid wool, how you can find vegan make up, where to get vegan shoes, and what vegans eat for regular meals. She even talks about very common things that you might think are vegan at first (because they are called non-dairy creamer or soy cheese) that turn out not to be. The book is really well researched and since it just came out it is amazingly up to date. She has sections about how to answer questions that you will constantly get asked (whether you want to talk about it or not) like “where do you get your protein” and how to answer these questions with grace.

My favorite part about the book is that Melisser highlights different vegan women from all over the world and has recipes from many of them including some of her own. She also has a section on vegan gardening and different crafts. Basics, really, that every vegan girl must know like how to ice a cupcake and beginner instructions on knitting.

There aren’t a ton of recipes but it seems that the ones included with the book were all chosen for a reason because they each sound amazing. I think keeping the number of recipes low is a great idea because new vegans can often get overwhelmed by a ton of recipes. That doesn’t mean that they are boring or standard. Most of the recipes have a delightful twist. When I saw “Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Tempeh over creamy Polenta” I knew we would be trying that first because it features our most favorite fall ingredients.

It was so good. There were a lot of little extras in the recipe, like adding almond butter to the polenta and maple syrup to the tempeh that really elevated the whole dish into something special. It would even be a good easy thanksgiving meal if you are keeping things simple but she has Thanksgiving covered too.

Also the book is all in color and has the most fabulous illustrations by Michelle Cavigliano. Truly it is a great guide and I am so happy to have it. I already found some new shoes!

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8 thoughts on “The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life

  1. jessy

    Melisser’s book sounds wonderful - and so full of so much awesomeness! that’s really cool that she has such an upbeat and positive attitude, because you’re right on a lot of the vegan books ‘n such out there often times being downright depressing. i need to feel good about be’n vegan, not pissed off and sadfaced. kick booty on everything her guide has to offer - i’m gonna have to pick it up ’cause i feel there are times when i live in a cave under some kinda rock when it comes to all things vegan that i could be experiencing or knowing about that’s out there. i am still overwhelmed by all the recipes out there. i love that there are so many, but having a few really great recipes to start off with and really truly enjoy is great! we have a bunch of vegan cookbooks at home, and we’ve only made a handful of recipes from each (there are even a few we haven’t made anything from yet. shameful, i know…). sounds like Melisser knew what she was doing by taking out all the fluff and getting to the good stuff. i can’t wait to get my copy. yay!

  2. Jes

    Oh wow, those brussles sprouts look ridiculously good. I love polenta, tempeh, and brussels the mostest, so I’m totally digging it. Melisser’s book sounds rad! I’ll have to find it somewhere if not buy it fo sho!

  3. celyn

    What a good review and what a great photo! I had a copy of Melisser’s book for a giveaway and it was fantastic. I’ll definitely be buying my own copy!

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