Book Review

Vegan a Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road

By Sarah Kramer
Reviewed by Tammie Ortlieb

I got a little more than I expected when I opened Sarah Kramer's pocket-sized travel guide, Vegan a Go-Go. Sure, it has the usual Kramerish type recipes?Sarah & Tanya's You-Must-Make-This Dressing, Sunflower Seed Avocado Spread, Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, and Chocolate Banana No-Bake Pie-- but it also has a wealth of plain old reading material. I loved the stories of Kramer as a child traveling with theater parents. I also appreciated the tales of Sarah as a young adult just learning about the world and the troubles that ensued. And I found it interesting how both of these experiences shaped her later adventures. Also, I'm a sucker for travel tips. I found myself poring through ways to avoid jet lag, learning how to stay safe on the road, jotting down which books to bring along, and listing must-have items for the carry-on. Even after twenty years of traveling with four kids, I still need to be reminded to pack food for the road (thanks, Sarah!).

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Ok, so getting past the suggestions to stick a plastic fork and spoon in my purse, just in case, and to make sure to always have slippers so my feet don't ever have to touch nasty hotel carpet, and moving on past tales of glorious trips to Graceland and misguided tours of New Orleans, what about the recipes? The list is very similar to those of Kramer's previous titles—How It All Vegan!: Irresistible Recipes for an Animal-Free Diet , The Garden of Vegan: How It All Vegan Again! , and La Dolce Vegan!: Vegan Livin' Made Easy. And they aren't all food recipes either. I do like knowing, for example, that in a pinch I could make my own toothpaste with ingredients from my host's kitchen. Sometimes that teeny little tube I bring along gives out before I decide to go home. Same goes for eye make-up remover. No more freaking out because I brought nothing to take off the mascara I wore.

As for the food, the recipes are simple, easy to prepare and require pretty "normal" ingredients. Kramer helps us with passport themed labels for those recipes that are either new to the book, in need of special ingredients, or are especially great at impressing those families who "live in Meat-ville and have never seen a soybean." Even the most diehard omnivore, for example, would go for Sarah's Stranded-in-the-Middle-of-Nowhere Sandwich, a veggie wrap or sammy that incorporates veggies such as avocado, red pepper, and lettuce, and the most basic of spices—salt and pepper. For those who aren't impressed with a veggie wrap, wow them with the super easy Fettuccini Alfredo. My guess? You will be invited over more often. And for dessert, win them over with Mama Mayhem's Perfectly Easy No-Bake Cookies, chocolatey peanut butter yummitude!

So, let's say I'm at my mom's which is a good four hours from my house. I know breakfast is a relatively sure bet, she almost always has a huge tub of oats on top of the fridge. But I will never, and I can bank on this one, never find any soymilk among the two percent, diet margarine or cheese singles. Kramer to the rescue once again with her Quick Oat Milk and Quick Banana Milk (and my mom ALWAYS has bananas!). And forget the cereal or oatmeal, my son said he could drink the banana milk straight up.

Interestingly, though, I don't think it's the seasoned cook like me who would most benefit from Vegan a Go-Go. I really think Kramer's little travel guide would be a great gift for the vegan college kid or a perfect library starter for the young mom. With a healthy mix of smart life lessons, a decent listing of staple recipes as well as a good amount of more impressive dishes, and a guide on how to get around while being vegan, Vegan a Go-Go should be in every twenty-something vegetarian's kitchen drawer.

Buy Vegan a Go-Go!: A Cookbook & Survival Manual for Vegans on the Road now!

Tammie Ortlieb is a freelance writer and adjunct instructor with a Master's Degree in Developmental Psychology. She resides in southwest Michigan with her omnivorous husband, four veg kids, and small menagerie of pets. Tammie writes for various vegetarian sources, mostly on being okay with your vegetarian self. She's a book nerd, a research nerd, a health nerd, and a huge glass of soymilk half full kind of creature. Visit her blog at www.middle-agedveganchick.blogspot.com.

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