As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm trying to reduce my reliance on animal products and reduce my intake of naughty foods - I'm hoping that both will be helpful in treating my PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), a metabolic and hormonal disorder that I'm attempting to tackle.

In my research, I came across a book by Isa Chandra Moskowitz called Appetite for Reduction, a cookbook of low-fat vegan recipes that she developed after being diagnosed with PCOS herself. After reading some great reviews, I ordered the book on Amazon and it arrived yesterday. First up: Potato Scallion Pancakes (p.61), Orange Scented Broccoli (p.100) and Hoisin-Mustard Tofu (p.153). While it took slightly longer than one of Jamie Oliver's "Meals in Minutes" challenges, the three dishes took way under an hour to cook, and featured mostly fresh veggies and spices - very little oil, and only a smidge of soy sauce and mustard. And boy, was it flavourful.

The Potato Scallion Pancakes fell apart a little when I took them off their baking sheet - I think if I had made them slightly smaller that might have been avoided. Also, both the broccoli and the tofu recipes called for mirin, which I don't usually have just lying around - so I used white wine, which seemed to be a fine substitute. I'm noticing that vegan cooking requires its own plethora of condiments that I am gradually going to need to fill my cupboard with: these recipes called for sesame oil (both toasted and not) and panko...all things I don't normally have kicking around in my pantry.

Overall, I'd give this menu an A-. The Asian flavours were authentic, and the meal was hearty, although I kinda missed fried rice - there's a recipe in the book for "Unfried Rice" that I might need to try next time.

Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is published by Da Capo Press.