Awards
Cookbook Awards & Reviews
Awards
The Gourmand World Awards were founded in 1995 by Edouard Cointreau at the Frankfurt Book Fair for cookbooks and wine books. They now include all Food Culture from around the world. Often, they have been called the “Oscars” of the Food & Drink Awards.
In its actual edition, "it brings together the best of over 100,000 screened books and publications from some 230 countries and regions. There are various criteria for each category on the list, but they have all in common one guiding principle, all books are chosen for their appeal and importance from an international point of view. These books deserve to be promoted and to become known internationally."
The Gourmand Awards spread its prizes over 100 categories to "reflect the wide diversity of world food culture" including Vegan "as it has become mainstream in very few years, everywhere."
Local plays an important role too, "with major efforts to save local food culture and transmit it."
Health, nutrition and sustainability are represented in the categories as well.
In the spirit of the Awards, the Irresistibly Vegan is an extraordinary plant-based repertoire of unique international recipes with surprising flavors from simple ingredients, shared by a chef whose experience was carved in three different countries.
The book features complete menus and transmits the art of pairing foods in a culinary tradition (Mexican, Thai, Greek, Italian, etc.) or under a theme (summer, winter) inspiring you to create your own combinations.
This food will leave you satisfied and your body will recognize it as healthy and nutritious. That’s it: when food fulfils your cravings and takes care of your wellbeing!!
Local has been literally the soil of the Irresistibly Vegan, inspired by the vegetables and fruits brought to the market by local farmers and the craft of vegan food artisans of the region. Even printing was done locally.
Finally, scrumptious food that is healthy and supports a kind lifestyle and sustainable planet.
"The Literary Titan Gold Award is bestowed on books that we found to be perfect in their delivery of original content. Our literary awards are given to books and authors that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas."
"The Outstanding Creator Awards honor literary authors and creative artists from multiple disciplines. A 'Grand-Prize Winner' is an entrant whose score is the highest above all other competitors in their category"—cookbooks in this case.
"The Reader Views Literary Awards program helps level the playing field for self-published authors, recognizing the most creative and exciting new books in the industry. Our awards program is recognized industry-wide as one of the most respected literary awards programs for independent authors."
“Firebird Book Awards receives the works of Authors and publishers from around the world. Two judges from a select panel of 17 judges read each book in its entirety and independently scored each entry. All judges committed to a set of standardized criteria that evaluates the quality of the writing as well as production aspects. Only entries with the highest of scores were awarded the coveted Firebird.” Patricia J. Rullo, founder of the Firebird Book Awards, adds, “our judging panel includes a diverse group who represent a cross section of ages, cultural heritage, race, religion, gender, and experience.”
“The Next Generation Indie Book Awards are judged by leaders of the indie book publishing industry, including many with long careers at major publishing houses. Their love of a great read and experience in the publishing arena identify books deserving a wider audience.”
"Best Book Awards. Award Winner in the category Cookbook: International, Independently Published. American Book Fest has over 20-year history and is one of the world’s largest international book award program for mainstream, independent & self published titles. Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Wiley, Hachette Books, McGraw-Hill, Routledge, Rowman & Littlefield, Johns Hopkins University Press, The White House Historical Association, American Bar Association, HCI Press, Bear & Company, Shambhala Publications and hundreds of national and international Independent Houses contribute to this year’s Outstanding Competition!”
Reviews
"Readers' Favorite has been an industry leader for nearly a decade and is one of the most popular book review and book award sites on the Internet. They offer free, unbiased reviews from regular readers and a highly respected International Book Award Contest."
The Huffington Post
Irresistibly Vegan: Gourmet Dining by Elvira Rodríguez Alonso is a full-color cookbook with a wealth of recipes. The book offers a virtual encyclopedia of incredible eats that are vegan but will genuinely appeal to a broad audience given its diversity of choice and exceptional offerings.
The layout of the cookbook is as to be expected, with an introduction to the chef, a bit of backstory, some helpful tips and tricks, and recipes broken down by traditional categories: appetizers, mains and sides, and desserts.
The author also provides complete three-course menus for optimal pairings and notations on recipes that are gluten-free or accommodate similar food intolerances.
I remember a dinner at my father-in-law's house where two of his daughters had returned from college and told him that they were now vegan. His response? "You never think it will happen in your own family."
Fast forward ten years and he is a vegan too, which is why Irresistibly Vegan by Elvira Rodríguez Alonso piqued my curiosity. The recipes are incredible and the full-color, full-page spread photography enhances the reading experience and, mercifully, shows us how the result should look.
The standouts to me were the Broiled Asparagus with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes, Lemony Rice Bread Crumbs, and Tarragon Butter, and the Moroccan Orange-Cardamom Cake. I have made both with rave reviews from even the pickiest little eater in my home. This is the vegan cookbook for everyone and will no doubt have pride of place on the most respectable countertops. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
"Literary Titan is an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors that have a passion for the written word. We review fiction and non-fiction books in many different genres, as well as conduct author interviews, and recognize talented authors with our Literary Book Award. We are privileged to work with so many creative authors around the globe."
Irresistibly Vegan by Elvira Rodríguez Alonso is a cookbook for those interested in exploring or living on a vegan diet or adding some more exciting and creative vegetable dishes to their actual way of eating.
Today, a lot of people are getting aware of the food they put into their mouths and how it impacts their bodies. However, despite this growing awareness and an attraction towards a Vegan diet, the options available for the vegan population remain super bland and difficult to maintain. This blandness is one of the major hindrances for people who want to start eating this way. The author faced similar troubles while traveling and decided to show the world the ease of cooking a vegan diet and making it delicious.
The author presents 135 dishes in this book that will please your taste buds and your heart. All these dishes are divided into 3 parts: Appetizers, Main Courses, and Desserts. Apart from that, the book also presents suggested Gourmet Menus of the dishes included here for complementary pairings. The author doesn’t restrict herself to a single cuisine but has tried to encompass different cuisines and dishes. This inclusion gives the readers a variety of tastes to explore and experiment with. It leaps the boundaries and can be widespread through multiple cultures and countries.
The writing style is easy to read, and the instructions are detailed, making it easy to follow and cook. The list of ingredients and cooking time listed are accurate and will help ensure you achieve a delicious taste. I am not a cook, but I found the ingredients and instructions understandable and achievable. In addition, the images provided for the context provide an appetizing motivation to cook.
Overall, I very much enjoyed the cookbook. If you are a person who is looking for delicious vegan/plant-based dishes, this is the book for you.
Reader Views has been a book review service since 2005 with reviewers from the United States, Canada and Europe providing a professional service that exceed the expectations of authors, publishers and publicists. Their reviews are known by their depth, accuracy and thoroughness.
Vegetarian/Vegan Chef and Restaurateur Elvira Rodríguez Alonso has created an extraordinary culinary masterpiece. With over thirty years of experience in the food industry, Chef Alonso introduces readers to her twenty-one most requested vegan gourmet menus. These menus include over one hundred individual recipes expertly paired to complement each other while tantalizing the taste buds. No matter if you are new to the vegan lifestyle and looking for a starting point or just want to expand your plant based meal options, “Irresistibly Vegan” will not disappoint.
“Irresistibly Vegan” is laid out in a reader friendly manner that is both foolproof and uncomplicated. This simplicity of organized menus gives confidence to beginner home cooks and can also be helpful to experienced restaurant chefs. Alonso covers the ingredients of a well-stocked vegan pantry and essential cookware needed in order to prepare delicious healthy meals for family and friends. Suggestions are made for staples to have on-hand for easy meal preparation. Affordable, easy to find ingredients are prevalent in the recipes with soy-free and gluten-free options.
Thoughtfully crafted mouthwatering photographs are spread throughout the pages to entice the reader while they gain the know-how to successfully recreate the recipes. I appreciate the helpful hints found while preparing recipes such as, “To separate rosemary and thyme leaves from their stems, run your fingers downward along each stem, against the leaves’ growth.” It is this user friendly approach and easy to follow directions that takes the intimidation out of gourmet cooking.
The menu sections are unique, with directions being written in preparation order to ensure both sides and the main course come out at the same time. For this reason, sometimes sides are noted before the main dish. I found this technique brilliant, especially for the inexperienced cook. Often I see the word gourmet and immediately think “nope, not for me” but in this instance that is not the case.
In preparing my review of “Irresistibly Vegan” I recreated three recipes to take to my book club. The recipes chosen were Stuffed Sweet Baby Peppers, Cauliflower Wings, and Spiced Apple Cranberry Cake. They were a huge success receiving numerous compliments and recipe requests. The recipes were simple to follow using colorful, tasty meat free ingredients. I am amazed by how fresh everything tasted. I recommend this book to restaurants hoping to broaden their menu as well as any person desiring to eat clean, sustainable, healthy meals.
Outstanding Creator Awards: "Irresistibly Vegan is an incredible vegan cookbook filled to the brim and rich with recipes—over a hundred mouth-watering, savory recipes! This is our highest-rated, highest-scoring cookbook for a reason!"
Part of what makes this cookbook especially exceptional is that its author, Elvira Rodríguez Alonso, is a very experienced vegan cook, having started cooking when she was just eight-years-old! She has over thirty years of experience as a cook, and furthermore has been vegan for most of her life.
One of the most frustrating things about many other cookbooks is that they're vague and, at worse, inaccurate, especially in terms of cook times. That is not the case with this book. The author of Irresistibly Vegan understands the nuances and complexities of preparing foods. They understand that you need to be specific about the ingredients, the prep, and the cook times. In other words, the author is thorough. The cook times and temperatures are listed and accurate. The author details every ingredient for every recipe to the ounce, and we love them for it.
There are even brief stories or explanations of many of the recipes, giving each recipe life and meaning.
Something else that's great about this book is how varied the recipes are. There are appetizers like the stuffed sweet baby peppers, main courses (entrees) like shepherd's pie (with lentil, mushroom & vegetable ragout), and desserts like pistachio-walnut balkava.
The author really seems to understand veganism, including its biggest criticisms: that it's supposedly dull, tasteless, and leads to deficiencies. Nothing could be further from the truth as far as this vegan cookbook is concerned. The author highlights several staple ingredients that accomplish several key things: adding taste/flavor and ensuring adequate nutrition. Beans, lentils, and peas are highlighted as sources of protein and nuts & seed butters are highlighted as sources of essential oils.
Another great thing about this book is that it is rich in colorful, eye-catching photos of each meal...
All in all, this is an incredible vegan cookbook. If you are vegan, vegetarian, eat a plant-based diet, or have someone in your household that eats this way, this book could really be eye-opening and helpful.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards in its 16th year is the largest international book awards program for indie authors and independent publishers and it has been said to be the 'Sundance' of the book publishing world.
Irresistibly Vegan -Gourmet Dining , by Elvira Rodríguez Alonso.
Healthy and elegant, this luscious book is as beautiful to read as it is to cook from. It sets out beautiful, tasty, healthy menus and advises on pantry staples. The recipes are clear, with accurate prep times, and the results are consistently good. Standouts include the Cilantro-Lemon Hummus with Pita Bread; Vegetable Strudel with Tomato-Dijon Sauce; Classic Lasagna with Vegetable Bolognese Sauce, Cashew Ricotta, and Wilted Spinach; Ramen Noodles with Spinach-Cilantro-Ginger Sauce; Smashed Baby Potatoes; Linzer Torte with Raspberries; Pear Frangipane Tart; and the Spiced Apple Cranberry Cake. Everything in the book looks great and tastes delicious.
Next Generation Indie Book Awards Judge
Gourmet Magazines
Recipes featured in Gourmet & Lifestyle Magazines like:
- Global Vegan Magazine
- Good Life Magazine
- Nature’s Fare Markets Newsletters
Media Coverage
This vegan cookbook isn't just for vegans
Really, honestly -- vegan food is irresistible, even for non-vegans.
"This gourmet repertoire of appetizers, main courses and desserts will surprise even the toughest critics -- really," said Elvira Rodriguez Alonso, who lives in Lake Country.
She should know.
She's the author of the Irresistibly Vegan cookbook, a hardcover, 336-page, full-colour collection of 135 recipes, 125 of which are also non-gluten.
"I don't want to impose my way on others," said Alonso, who is vegan because it's better for her health, the environment and animals.
"I just want to make people realize that there is beauty in diversity. These recipes are packed with flavour and protein (from plant sources), but could also be served with a meat protein. Therefore, Irresistibly Vegan is a cookbook for everyone, not just vegans."
Alonso was born and raised in Spain and took an international culinary route before retiring in Lake Country and tapping into a lifetime of good-food knowledge to write the cookbook.
The 336-page, full-colour cookbook has 135 recipes and costs $40 for the hardcover edition and $10 for the e-book.
After initially being released as a softcover book, it was recently re-released in hardcover and has won a raft of awards, including the Gourmand World Cookbook Award (in Canada in the vegan category), a Literary titan Book Award, Firebird Book Award and Next Generation Indie Book Award.
In Spain, Alonso grew up with the tradition of the freshest, most delicious and most nutritious foods prepared and shared with family unhurried around a table lively with conversation.
As a chef in Germany, she started work in 1986 at one of the first vegetarian restaurants in Cologne called Zorba the Buddha.
She also had a catering business, providing food at seminars and retreats.
There was also a stint in Italy before purchasing the Plaza Cafe in Sedona, Arizona in 2000.
The crabless cakes appetizer is made with chickpeas, jackfruit and hearts of palm
Alonso married a Canadian man along the way and when it came time to retire in 2019, they travelled across Canada and chose the Central Okanagan for its natural beauty, lake, ideal four seasons, bounty of fruits and vegetables and nearby snow skiing.
Many of the 135 recipes are also grouped into 21 complete meal menus with suggested appetizer, main course and dessert.
For instance, the Greek menu kicks off with the citrus-roasted fennel with tzatziki dip appy, moussaka eggplant and potato casserole as the main and pistachio-walnut baklava for dessert.
Greek-style moussaka -- an eggplant and potato casserole, which is also known as Greek lasagna
Or, the Culinary Tour of Europe includes a French-inspired lentil salad and Italian-style stuffed peppers to start, savoury strudel in the German tradition as the main and the all-round chocolate cake for dessert.
By the way, the chocolate cake achieves its vegan and gluten-free status by using gluten-free, all-purpose flour, non-dairy milk and coconut oil in the cake and coconut milk and dark chocolate for the frosting.
Vegan chocolate cake -- yum
Alonso has also started to lead cooking classes at Lakehouse Kitchen Cooking School in downtown Kelowna.
The next two are the Irresistibly Vegan Summer Foods classes on Saturday, July 27 and Saturday, Aug. 17, where hands-on participants will learn how to make eggplant rolls, broiled asparagus, watermelon-mint salad, a bruschetta trio, lentil-walnut mousse and seasonal berry tart.
You can also sip a glass of wine while you cook.
Register for $160 at: Lakehouse Kitchens Cooking School
The Irresistibly Vegan cookbook is for sale for $40 for the hardcover edition and $10 for the e-book here at this website: Buy book.
The veggie croquettes appetizer
It's also for sale at a bunch of local stores and wineries, including Indigo, Lakehouse Kitchens, Invati Yoga Studio and Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Kelowna; Mission Hill, Volcanic Hills and Off the Grid wineries in West Kelowna; Sole Revival, Invati Yoga and 50th Parallel, Arrowleaf, O'Rourke and Peak Cellars wineries in Lake Country; Good Gracious Gift Store and Eat Good Market in Vernon; the BC Wine Information Centre in Penticton; and the South Okanagan wineries Hester Creek, See Ya Later Ranch, Ruby Blues, Bench 1774, Desert Hills, Hidden Chapel, Laughing Stock, River Stone and Vin Amite.
Scrumptious Tasting Plant-based Food
Irresistibly Vegan: Gourmet Dining is a beautifully presented cook book filled with vegan and plant-based recipes that will appeal to a wide variety of cooks. What was the inspiration for this collection of recipes?
Being a vegetarian and vegan chef for over 35 years in three countries, I wanted to share the best plant-based recipes from around the world for vegans and non-vegans alike that are a joy to prepare, beautiful to behold, yummy and nutritious after experiencing the lack of these dishes in most kitchens and definitely in restaurants, cafes and other eateries.
This collection of recipes was inspired from a vision that healthy and scrumptious tasting plant-based food nourishes the body and soul while supporting a more humane lifestyle and sustainable planet.
How did you get started with plant-based cooking and the vegan lifestyle?
While I have been vegetarian for most of my life, I moved to a vegan diet 6 years ago when seeing the way animals were treated in our food chain and it’s significant contribution to climate change, along with the increasing intolerances and allergies to dairy. Then, I started to cook my vegetarian recipes entirely plant-based and created new exciting additions to the repertoire.
If someone is new to vegan cooking, what is the number one recipe in your cookbook that you recommend they start with and why?
As most people are missing out on the delicious flavours and protein packed legumes, I would recommend to make the Lentil-Walnut Mousse and leaf over all other protein recipes in the Appetizers and Main Courses (Pinto Beans with Refrito, Lentil Loaf, Chana Masala, Lentil Balls, Cilantro-Lemon Hummus, Gigante-Bean Bruschetta, Veggie and Bean Chili…).
Then, I will recommend to choose a Main Course to experience the satisfaction of a complete plant-based meal like the Chana Masala Stuffed Yams and finally, you must try a dessert, like the Spiced Apple Cranberry Cake…because life is sweet!!!
Do you have more cookbooks planned? If so, when will they be available?
I am planning to write an Irresistibly Vegan Cookbook on Stews, Soups and Creams. It will be another 2 years as I am busy reaching as many people as possible with this book including cooking classes/events.