The Cooking Date with Isa Does It

Isa Does It vegan cookbook

Did you know that I get a lot of my audiobook listening done when I’m cooking?  When I’m into a good audiobook our dinners get a little more elaborate so I can keep cooking and listening. One of my favorite cookbook authors is Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and if you are vegetarian or vegan chances are you are already a fan. I love that my non-veg friends incorporate Isa’s recipes into their dinner menus as well.

Isa has a new cookbook out called Isa Does It. The idea behind this one is quick, easy and delicious meals for every night of the week. I have most of Isa’s cookbooks but I think this one is the most accessible, with not too many hard to find ingredients, or special cooking tools needed. And from the few recipes I’ve tried so far, the dishes are flavorful and scrumptious. And Isa is a fan of the one pot meal, so you won’t have a ton of cleanup.

I preordered this book (and received a cute grocery tote bag!) and just got it a week ago. It’s a hardcover book with gorgeous photos and colorful and fun typography. In my first pass perusal of the book, I used post-its to mark the recipes I wanted to try.

The book is easy to follow and includes sections for soups, salads, handheld, pasta, stews, stir-fries, bowls, Sunday night suppers, basic proteins, breakfast, and dessert. Plus there’s an intro with cooking basics, modifications, and how to stock your pantry.

These are the dishes I’ve prepared so far from Isa Does It. Sorry the photos are terrible- they look much better in the book! But they tasted good anyway:

I love pesto, so the first dish I made was the Pesto-Cauliflower Pasta with Breaded Tofu. I roasted the cauliflower, used whole-wheat linguini and Isa’s bestest oil-free pesto recipe. So good! Andrew grabbed seconds.

I’ve been eating a lot of rice or noodle bowls lately, and so the next recipe that caught my eye was the Curried Peanut Sauce Bowl. The peanut sauce was so scrumptious, and tasted delish with the steamed kale, seared tofu, and cilantro. Yum!

The third recipe I made this week was Down-Home Curry with Tofu & Broccoli, perfect for a cool Fall evening. The curry had just the right amount of spice, and was so fragrant. After you make the curry you add potatoes, carrot, broccoli florets and tofu to the pot, so it’s a snap to make.

Some of the other recipes I’m eager to try are the Shiitake Banh Mi, Tofu-Mushroom Stroganoff, and the Cast-Iron Stir-Fry. The Coconut French Toast sounds pretty yummy too.

The recipes in Isa Does It are hearty and delicious, so I encourage even non-veg eaters to give these a try – maybe for your next Meatless Monday meal. I truly don’t think you’ll feel deprived at all.

You can test drive a few of the Isa Does It recipes yourself and read more about Isa:

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Seared Brussels Sprouts & Tarragon Cream – taste test from The Jew & The Carrot

Cornbread Muffins and Meaty Beany Chili – interview/recipes on Denver Westward Veggie Girl

Mushroom Stroganoff and Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies – interview/recipes on Omaha.com/Livewell

Isa’s on tour now so if she comes to your city you should totally go and pick up a signed copy and sample some cookies!

Finally, you can catch Isa on her brand new Make It Vegan cooking show! Here’s her segment for Roasted Red Pepper Mac & Cheese and I can vouch for its yumminess:

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22 thoughts on “The Cooking Date with Isa Does It

  1. quix689 says:

    I have a couple of her cookbooks, but I don’t have this one yet. Sounds like I should fix that, though. Thanks for the review! I’m vegan, and it was fun to see a review for this book somewhere other than a vegan blog. 😀

    1. Lucy says:

      Vegan high five! I don’t know how often I’ll post cookbook reviews, but it was fun to try something new 🙂

  2. Tammy Sparks says:

    You are so making me hungry, Lucy! (at 6 in the morning) You’ve got me craving tofu! I must check out this book. Thanks for the heads up:)

    1. Lucy says:

      The recipes are very yummy, and satisfy any comfort food cravings 🙂

  3. BermudaOnion says:

    I’d never heard of Isa until this book comes out. I’m not vegan but do enjoy a meatless meal so will have to check this out.

  4. I love listening to audiobooks when I cook too. 🙂

    I waiting for this one to come in at my library. I have it on hold but there’s a couple people ahead of me. I love that your non-veg friends like using her recipes too. I’m not a vegetarian but I’m always looking for veggie recipes that appeal to meat-eaters.

    1. Lucy says:

      The style is comfort food and I think will have a lot of appeal for non-vegetarians too. I’m interested to hear what you think!

  5. everyone has been raving about Isa Does It; I’m going to have to look for this one.

  6. joyweesemoll says:

    Wish I had the curried peanut sauce bowl for lunch. I love peanut sauce with cilantro. Yum!

    1. Lucy says:

      Mmmm me too. Isa likes cilantro in her recipes, and I’ve gotten my family to like it more 🙂

  7. jama says:

    Isa’s new to me — enjoyed the video and now I need to look for this cookbook. The curry looks especially yummy. 🙂

  8. Beth F says:

    I loved this book too! So many great flavors and easy to follow recipes!

  9. What a wonderful idea, listening to books while cooking, I have to give that a try. Great book review!

    1. Lucy says:

      Cooking and dish washing time is when I get the bulk of my listening in 🙂 Hope you give it a try!

  10. Carole says:

    I would never have thought of audio books while cooking – I tend to have Food TV on – I’ll have to give it a go! Good to see you over at Beth Fish Reads – it’s my favourite link up – I’ve now followed you on Bloglovin too. Cheers

    1. Lucy says:

      Thanks, Carole! The only time audiobooks don’t work for me when I’m cooking is when I’m making something a little complicated.

  11. Vicki says:

    My son is a vegan, and his wife and kids are vegetarians. I bet they would love these recipes. I’ll recommend the book to them.

    1. Lucy says:

      I bet they are familiar with Isa! Hope they give the book a try 🙂

  12. Laurie C says:

    I listen to audiobooks while cooking, too, although sometimes they distract me a little too much from following the recipe carefully enough! I prefer cookbooks like this one, with recipes that aren’t too complicated, probably for just that reason!

    1. Lucy says:

      Yes, good point! Audios are good when you are familiar with the recipe.

  13. Cecelia says:

    I’m not a vegetarian, but I am trying to eat a lot more fruits and veggies, and the recipes in this cookbook sound like a great starting point. I’m putting it on hold at my local library!

  14. This is the second review I’ve seen for this book in recent months. Looks like a cookbook I’d love to add to my collection, so I’ll be keeping my eye out for it.

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