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Today I’m sharing my review of the vegan cookbook, Isa Does It, by the illustrious Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
If you look through my cupboard, it’s very easy to tell which cookbooks have been the most loved Velveteen Rabbit-style. They are splattered, stained, and scribbled on with notes aplenty.
The most loved recipes fall open right to that page from lengthy sessions in the cookbook holder.
And some of the most battered and beloved cookbooks I own were written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (often in combination with Terry Hope Romero) of Post Punk Kitchen fame.
When I first went vegan, Vegan with a Vengeance & Veganomicon were my training guides – showing me the ropes of how to prepare foods that were entirely new to me like tofu, tempeh, and seitan.
Before VWAV, I’d never made a tofu scramble. I had never purchased nutritional yeast flakes.
Things that are second nature to me now were introduced to me with those cookbooks. They hold a special place in my heart, because they were so intimately a part of my process of learning to cook things from scratch and learning to cook extensive vegan meals.
Isa Does It
When I heard about Isa’s newest book, Isa Does It, I couldn’t wait to add it to my collection. The book focuses on meals with a minimum amount of fuss that can be put together any night of the week. They don’t require hours of preparation or hard to find ingredients.
The hefty book is over 300 pages, hardcover, and packed with over 150 recipes. There are loads of cooking tips and tricks, a section on stocking a pantry, and lots of helpful pictures for those visual learners amongst us.
Something that really sets Isa’s cookbooks apart in my mind (in addition to the crazy delicious food) is her sense of self that comes through in all of the recipes.
It’s a cookbook that not only makes you want to grab a spatula and skillet, but also makes you laugh. You get a real sense of her sass and attitude, which makes it feel like you’re cooking with a friend.
This gorgeous cookbook was photographed by Vanessa Rees.
A cookbook is always more inviting with lots of big, well shot photographs. And what I love about Vanessa’s pictures is that she really sets a scene and mood. The pictures have an “action shot” quality, like they are taken right in the middle of putting it all together.
I really have only dipped a toe in as far as all of the recipes I am eager to try. However, I couldn’t wait any longer to share some of the goodness with you!
I started with the down home curry with tofu & broccoli.
(You may notice from the picture that the broccoli in my curry is strangely pea-like. When I pulled the broccoli out of the refrigerator, I realized it had become a sad, slimy mess. Frozen peas to the rescue!)
I never put tofu in my Indian curries, but it added a wonderful toothsome bite that was a nice change of pace from chickpeas.
Additionally, the spicy coconut milk sauce was filled with potatoes and carrots. As is so often the case, this filling curry was even better the next day when all of the flavors had melded.
A couple of days later, we celebrated with nacho night. I didn’t make every listed component. (Maybe next time, Pico de Gallo & Guacamole!) However, I did make the creamy and endlessly satisfying queso blanco, made with cashews, miso, nutritional yeast flakes, and spices.
It was poured over chips with hefty spoonfuls of lentil meat, made with lentils, tomato paste, and spices. I always forget about lentils when it comes to taco night, but it was a tasty alternative to black or pinto beans.
The lentil meat calls for ancho chile powder, but I had to use regular chile powder.
(After visiting three grocery stores, I gave up. I did find it this past weekend, though, at a local Mexican market for a future taco night!)
The next day I finished off the lentil meat and queso with ancho-lentil tacos, served on whole wheat tortillas instead of corn tortillas.
Next, I made the pizza bowl with greens, sausages, and olives.
In lieu of homemade vegan sausages, I simplified by using Field Roast apple sage sausages. The sausages were piled on top of brown rice. They were served alongside garlicky kale and black olives.
The whole shebang was covered in a creamy roasted red pepper sauce. The sauce was so good, after I was finished with the bowl, I had to snag a couple more spoonfuls before putting the sauce away.
FYI: Isa notes throughout the book that people without high speed blenders should always have cashews soaking, so that creamy sauces are only minutes away.
However, I have a Vitamix. So soaking is wonderfully unnecessary. That means that the many rich and creamy sauces didn’t require any pre-planning on my part.
If you’re short on time and don’t have a high speed blender, before I had one, I regularly used a coffee grinder to grind the whole cashews into a flour first before blending. That works well too!
Finally, I made the Chandra malai kofta. This dish is basically Indian meatballs (made with zucchini, chickpeas, almonds, breadcrumbs, and lots of spices) in a creamy cashew and coconut milk sauce.
The zucchini meatballs have to sit for at least a half an hour in the refrigerator to set up. So it would be a good thing to make the day before for an easy dinner the next night.
This dinner party-worthy meal had wonderful contrasting textures with the crisp-on-the-outside kofta and creamy curry sauce enveloping them.
Isa notes that the recipe makes a generous amount of sauce, enough for covering additional piles of steamed or roasted vegetables. Since I didn’t make any sides to go with it, we had sauce aplenty, enough that I’ll probably halve the sauce recipe next time if I’m only cooking for two.
(Update: I froze the leftover sauce, and it thawed and reheated beautifully. The texture was just as smooth and silky as it was fresh. It made for a quick dinner by just adding some steamed broccoli, potatoes, and cubed extra-firm tofu. Chickpeas would also be delicious instead of the tofu.)
In combination with the book release, Isa has released a new video series called Make It Vegan, featuring recipes from the book that are short and hilarious. You should definitely check them out if you haven’t already!
I have my eye on this Dragon Noodle Salad, and these Rosemary Chocolate Chip Cookies would be great for the holiday season.
Kelly Klepfer says
Are you in Iowa? If so you should join Vegan Omaha and plan a trip on a meet up night. Isa brings treats most of the time. She did a signing/reading last week and brought her rosemary chocolate chip cookies. Freakishly amazing.
Cadry says
Great idea, Kelly! I’m going to do that. I live in the eastern part of the state, and so it would be a bit of a jaunt. However, it would be fun to go to Omaha for a long weekend. I haven’t spent much time there at all, outside of going to the airport.
Kelly Klepfer says
Omaha is turning into quite the Vegan mecca of late. We’ve had 6 or so new restaurants open with specific Vegan food options. Our meet ups are pretty fun and definitely tasty. Isa is opening a restaurant, too. She’s hoping the location she has will work, there’s a city code issue, but I think she’s planning Februaryish to open. Heck,you know us Iowans, I even have an extra bedroom I’d let you use if you aren’t anti-cat or cat sensitive.
Cadry says
That’s awesome that the vegan options there are multiplying. It gives a person hope! Omaha is so lucky to be getting Isa’s new restaurant. I can’t wait to check it out once it’s open!
That’s sweet of you to offer a place to stay. I’m definitely not anti-cat. I have two of my own! 🙂
angela says
OMG that malai kofta! That was my favorite pre-vegan dish. I tried to find this book at two local bookstores last weekend to no avail. It might be time to stop messing around and log in to Amazon… Thanks for the review!
Cadry says
You’re really going to love it then! I’d never had malai kofta before, and so this was my first introduction. It was incredibly good.
If you’re still unable to find the book at a local bookstore but don’t want to wait for Amazon, I saw the book prominently featured at Barnes and Noble. Although, it’s a lot cheaper on Amazon, of course.
thepeacepatch says
I may have to rush out tonight to find this book because tomorrow is National Nachos Day and it needs to be an Isa Nacho Night too! Thanks for the review…supercool to know that there are other cookbook splashers/scrawlers/doodlers out there. I don’t know how I’d ever transition to ebooks in the kitchen. I love real cookbooks. 🙂
Cadry says
It’s National Nachos Day?!! Where are my decorations? This could become my favorite holiday of the year.
Do you know if e-readers have the option of making notations? If I could virtually scribble on the sides, I might be okay with the move! Another plus to an e-reader would be that several times I’ve been out running errands and wished I had the book with me, so that I could decide on the go what to pick up at the grocery store. Maybe if I had an e-reader, it would have just been in my purse waiting for me!
Anonymous says
The Bistro Beet burgers are great, Baked Tofu addictive!! The tofu stroganoff is good, just a little rich, I added steamed greens to the ww noodles. LOVE this book
Cadry says
Good to know! I’ll keep those recipes in mind!
Andrea says
What a great review! You’re making wish I had more days in the week to cook! I’ve made one thing so far from Isa’s book and it was wonderful. I’d like to make a few more before writing my review, and it looks like just about anything I choose will probably be great. The Chandra Malai Kafta looks especially amazing. (Love the analogy of the splash and the scratch.)
Cadry says
It has been really tough to decide what to make next. Too many good looking options! Luckily, so far it seems like there’s not a bad choice in the bunch. I’ll look forward to reading your review!
aimeed28 says
The Roasted Red Pepper Mac and Cheese has changed my life. Oh my gosh, so good.
Cadry says
Wow, that’s high praise! I’ve been thinking about that one. I’ll have to move it up on the list!
Richa says
i bought the book just last week. i have to make those nachos and pretty much all the bowls. i went through all sorts of emotions once i opened up the book. i was like wowza.. thats a whole lot of recipes, ooh and i will like almost all of this stuff.. gosh those gorgeous pictures, then oh god I can never write a cookbook anymore, it will be nowhere near this, 😀 .
i wish the font was a little larger and darker, but otherwise the book is gorgeous and awesome!
Cadry says
I hear you! But on the other hand, remember what Theodore Roosevelt said. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Isa’s book is wonderful because it is so totally Isa. Your book will be wonderful, because it will be so totally Richa!
Amanda says
Great review, Cadry! All of the recipes you featured sound awesome, but the Chandra Malai Kofta is at the top of my list to try. 🙂 I’m very excited to check out Isa Does It, and I agree about Vanessa Rees – her photography blows me away every time. She is ridiculously talented.
Cadry says
Yes, the Chandra Malai Kofta is something special. I look forward to making it for guests sometime in the future. It’s one to impress for sure! Yes, Vanessa’s pictures take food photography to a whole other level. They are a beauty to behold.
acookinthemaking says
Obsessed with this book, and especially the photos, though I haven’t gotten to cook out of it yet (time has been absurdly short the last two weeks). I’m super-excited to make each of the 9478987 recipes I flagged with sticky notes, but one that does stand out off the top my head is the Lentil-a-roni!
Also, just the other day it occurred to me that, even though I started with a base of knowledge, Veganomicon really was what taught me how to cook. I think it is a direct result of Isa’s gift in recipe-writing. It’s not just a list of ingredients and steps, but a primer on how to prepare each ingredient properly. And it’s done in a subtle and seemingly effortless manner. I really would buy anything she published!
Cadry says
I’ve heard the lentil-a-roni is a good weeknight recipe too – quick and easy! You’ll have to keep me posted on what you make!
That’s so sweet that Veganomicon was influential in your growth as a cook as well. I’m only missing one of Isa’s cookbooks – Vegan Cookies Take Over Your Cookie Jar. I gave it to my cookie-obsessed niece as a gift (and she loved it), but I still haven’t picked up a copy for myself!
An Unrefined Vegan says
No surprise that everything you’ve shared from Isa’s book looks mouthwatering, down-to-earth, yet creative. My shelves are loaded with her previous cookbooks, too – they’re like old, dear friends.
Cadry says
What a lovely way to put it, Annie. Old, dear friends indeed.
Bianca- Vegan Crunk says
Yay! I LOVE all of Isa’s book (and all of Isa & Terry’s books! And just Terry’s books!). Haha. Love them all. I’m actually going to Atlanta VegFest this weekend to do a cooking demo/signing, and Isa will also be there demo-ing and signing. So I’m waiting to get my signed copy from her!! So excited!! That Pizza Bowl is so up my alley.
P.S. Love the scratch-on-a-new-car analogy!
Cadry says
Have fun at the VegFest this weekend! That’s cool that you’re going to have Isa sign your copy. Although, then it would be even harder to make notes in it and splatter it with curry sauce! 🙂
Herbivore Triathlete says
Veganomicon was the first cookbook I bought after going vegan! Love Isa and her sense of humor. I want all her cookbooks, especially the cookies and pie ones. I have cookbooks that are falling apart, literally, from being used! There are so many that I want and so little time to cook from them all. I am impressed that you’ve made so many meals already. I barely have time to cook a few days per week!
Cadry says
Veganomicon continues to be so useful, because of the way she breaks down all kinds of grains, beans, and various vegetables in terms of how to prepare them. I still find myself using it with things I don’t cook all the time, like millet. It’s a wonderful resource!
Herbivore Triathlete says
I agree, I use it as a resource for things like that all the time!
FoodFeud says
my boyfriend is dying for me to make the nacho night dish, haha. Yrs looks great. Well, everything does. Kudos on making so much already. I’m with you on adding notes to my cookbooks – a splattered & scribbled book is a much loved book. But others in my bookselling field find it blasphemous 🙂
Cadry says
Well, if your boyfriend is dying for nachos, it’s the least you could do… you know, to help him out in a completely selfless manner, of course! 😉
I used to keep my cookbooks pristine, and then a friend of mine told me how she always made notes in hers. Before that, I just tried to remember what changes I made or what I did or didn’t like. And after she told me that, it was like a revelation. I figured, why am I saving my cookbooks for somebody else? I might as well really get my use out of them!
Carla says
I don’t have the book, but I’m totally getting it now! Side note: I thought I didn’t have to soak my cashews, since I have a Vitamix. But Isa said to, so I did. Surprisingly, the sauce gets even creamier! Now, I always soak my cashews before blending.
Cadry says
Wow, that’s really interesting, Carla! The Vitamix makes all of the sauces so creamy, I can’t even imagine how they could be creamier. Good to know!
Jared says
I’m glad to have finally read your review, after you’d mentioned on Instagram compiling a solid recap of the recipes you’d tried thus far. This was excellent! I also haven’t seen anyone on the blogosphere try this set of recipes yet, so the comments are worthwhile. I am presently holding off on buying my copy — I recently bought 3 or 4 new cookbooks and really haven’t delved into them too much. I’m afraid if I buy Isa Does It now, they’ll soon collect dust!
Cadry says
I know how you feel, Jared! Every Christmas I get several cookbooks as gifts, which I love, of course. However, I always have the hardest time focusing, because there’s just too much goodness to explore!
panda cookie says
I was a tester and thought the beefy asparagus stir fry sauce was one of my favourites. We’ve made it many times since testing. Highly recommended!
Cadry says
Oh, I’ve had my eye on that one too! It sounds so good. Thanks for the recommendation!
luminousvegans says
Everything looks so tasty. I’m still sadly waiting for my copy and drooling over everybody’s photos on social media. The book looks beautiful on the outside, from the font to the photo. Can’t wait to be able to actually get my hands on the darn thing!
Cadry says
It really is a beautiful cookbook. I can’t wait to see what you make from it once your copy arrives!
rika@vm says
What a lovely book review! The Down Home Curry with Tofu & Broccoli & Nacho Night both look delicious! Wow, the Pizza Bowl looks fantastic, too, I think I saw it on Jojo’s IG. Everything looks wonderful!
Cadry says
Oh, I’ll have to check out JoJo’s IG page. I missed that one! Everything has been so fantastic from the book. I can’t wait to make more!
Bobbie {the vegan crew} says
I’ve been so excited about this book, and I can’t wait for my copy to come in. I’ve long been a fan of Isa’s recipes, and if the sampling you’ve shown us above is any indication, the book is a true treat. My mouth is watering over here!
Cadry says
You’re going to love it, Bobbie! I hope your copy will arrive soon. Isa has made something really special with this one!
flickingthevs says
I was being really good and not buying any new cookbooks and now you’ve gone and torpedoed all my good intentions! I really like the look of the kofta and the pizza bowl. The PPK cashew sauce is my go to cheese sauce!
Cadry says
I would apologize for compromising your self restraint, but I have a good feeling that you’ll be thanking me later! 🙂
Maggie Muggins says
My copy finally showed up on Friday, I’ve yet to make anything but I’m super impressed by the layout of the book. I think I’ll be devastated the first time I spill something on it! Great review of the recipes you’ve tried, I’ve seen photos of that pizza bowl floating around and I think I’m going to break in the book with that recipe.
Cadry says
Isn’t it so beautiful? The design and layout are so attractive! I’ll be interested to hear what you make!
Julie says
I made the Down Home curry tonight and was wondering if it was supposed to be creamier (I’m maybe an advanced beginner in cooking-always doubting myself). I was thrilled to find your picture and see mine looked similar. Anyways, it didn’t matter too much since it tasted delicious. I didn’t specifically have sweet curry, so I do wonder how that would taste…I would not have minded a bit more sweetness to this. The broccoli did come out very nicely, just so you know for next time…I nibbled most of it out of the leftovers as I let it cool down. Your photos are terrific. Now I REALLY want to make the kofta.
Cadry says
I didn’t use sweet curry either. I’ve been meaning to pick up Isa’s preferred curry powder from Penzey’s. My favorite curry powder is also from Penzey’s, though. It’s their hot curry powder.
Good to know that the broccoli came out nicely with it. Hopefully my broccoli won’t fight against me next time, and I’ll be able to make it as written. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words about my photos! Much appreciated! Thanks for stopping by, Julie!