An accessible cookbook with lots of substitute information and relatively few ‘exotic’ ingredients for those who have never baked vegan (or specialty diet) dishes. Recipes range from scrumptious desserts (like cheesecake and brownies) to savory staples (such as muffins and quiches), but vegan essentials (such as vegan cream cheese and homemade baking pan grease) are also covered.

My favorite parts were the why behind the reasoning and the tips and tricks for troubleshooting your own bakes if they don’t turn out the way you were intending. However, this cookbook lost a star because of its lack of pictures. Pictures are a necessity for me in cookbooks, and each of the recipes could have benefited from one.