Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck

So I don't normally review cookbooks on Goodreads (maybe I should?) but I love, love, love this recipe book. This book is a Tex-Mex comfort food cookbook for vegetarians and vegans. It would be super easy to add meat to a lot of these recipes, but you don't have to, the food really fills you up and make great leftovers. Once I had a steady repertoire of faithful recipes, I started experimenting and finding more and more recipes that I liked.

The swearing is a little too edgy at times but the recipes are delicious, the flavours are excellently balanced and I've cooked some of these dishes multiple times. The tofu marinade recipes, at one point, I was making 3-4 times a week.

Some of the recipes I love off the top of my head are the show more pineapple guacamole, apple baked beans, grilled peach burritos, okra and baked potato hash, crunchy peanut slaw, blueberry and lavender scones, watermelon hibiscus coolers, stovetop herbed popcorn... and on and on it goes.

If you like Tex-Mex comfort food that's vegetarian-friendly and really like, hot, spicy, well-balanced food, you'll love this cookbook. c: show less

Well, this one was different. There is extreme profanity throughout; it’s part of the book’s concept, weaving its way through the entire text. It’s going to fill a niche market, I suppose, reaching people who might not otherwise reach for a vegan cookbook, or certain vegans who think the presentation is the best thing ever. Unfortunately, it’s going to completely turn off some cookbook readers/users, and that’s a shame because the recipes are really good and worth reading, making and eating. I knew what to expect and I was amused, and I found it somewhat entertaining for while but then, for me, all the swearing got tiresome and I was just trying to read the recipes and the extra helpful information that’s included. I was show more expecting many obscenities but I guess I wasn’t truly prepared for their volume. However, the recipes are excellent, and I welcome many kinds of vegan cookbooks so as to appeal to the widest range of cookbook readers who are vegan or vegan interested or simply looking for some good recipes.

There are many recipes that appealed to me. I really appreciate that most recipes seem easy to make, that many times whole grains are used, and I also loved the pages with ideas for putting together dishes such as how to build a salad and how to build a bowl and how to roast garlic, etc. There are some good photos of the food (though not for every recipe) and other photos too.

From the breakfast section I’m especially interested in: quinoa oatmeal; mixed veggie and tofu chilaquiles; basic maple granola with add in ideas; tofu scramble tacos; brown rice bowl with edamame and tamari scallion sauce; whole wheat banana pancakes; oat flour griddle cakes with blueberry sauce; baked okra and potato hash.

From the salads, sammies, and mini meals section these looked particularly good: roasted broccoli and millet pilaf; braised winter cabbage and potatoes; sweet corn and green chilis baked flautas; smoky black-eyed peas with roasted sweet potatoes and collards; baked Spanish rice; and some of the baked tofu marinades.

From the soups and stews section, these recipes: vegetable noodle soup with ginger miso broth; pozole rojo; corn and basil chowder; potato leek soup; pumpkin chili (Yes!, #1 on my list! Though perhaps I could say the same about a dozen other recipes in this book. There are so many appealing ones!); tortilla soup; chickpeas and dumplings; wedding soup with white bean balls and kale.

From the salsas, sips, and the snack life section: cumin-spiked pinto bean dip; creamy black bean and cilantro dip; mid-summer salsa; salsa verde; and peach-mint sun tea.

From the burritos, bowls, and other bomb-ass meals, these looked best to me: (these first two vying for recipe #1 with the soup recipe in that section!!): creamy ravioli with house marinara; mixed mushroom and spinach lasagna; and also sweet potat0, squash, and black bean enchiladas; cauliflower cream pasta with fresh herbs; roasted chickpea and broccoli burritos; white bean and red lentil burgers; and root veggie fries.

And from the baked goods and mother fucking desserts section: chocolate fudge pops; crispy millet and peanut butter buckeyes; maple-oat banana bread; carrot cake cookies; and chocolate chip and almond butter cookies all looked delicious.

The above recipes don’t necessarily represent the scope of all the recipe variety in the book; they’re simply the ones that personally most appealed to me.

I recommend the book going in knowing what to expect, for the excellent mostly healthy, reasonably easy to make, and delicious looking recipes. show less

Although I was really thrown off at first by the plethora of swear words in this cookbook, try not to let them dissuade you from this clean-eating, plant-based cookbook. I have Post-It Notes in the double digits for recipes I want to try, and the message this cookbook wants its readers to know is one I 100% believe in: Eat like you mean it. Animal products and massive amounts of sugar should not be eaten in the doses most people do, and this cookbook is a great resource to get you in the right direction. If you think the swearing will bother you, don't hesitate to request one of the other amazing vegan cookbooks the library has to offer; they are a fantastic resource to get you to start eating healthier!

Sarah M. / Marathon County

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The title of this book intrigued me, and I anticipated a light-hearted, clever, irreverent approach, with possibly, a dash of health consciousness. I’m sad to report the cleverness is limited to inserting “fuck” into every title, caption, and sentence. “Shit,” “motherfucker,” and other risqué expressions also make appearances.

The words used by an author are analogous to spices. It would be challenging to create a memorable dish without including carefully selected spices. The skillful use of this vernacular can be just the kick needed to lift the text above the ordinary. But the unimaginative language in Thug Kitchen is equivalent to dumping an entire spice bottle into the recipe.

Thug Kitchen is, however, a book of show more recipes, and readers might be willing to overlook the cheesy vocabulary if the selection of recipes is worthwhile. Unfortunately, that, too, is a disappointment. show less

Another profanity laden book but that's its schtick and if you're able to look past this, the recipes are incredibly easy to follow. The summary on goodreads is spot on. I was tempted to buy this book for my budding 12yr old chef (the appeal of being allowed to read a cookbook full of swear words--middle school heaven!). Maybe they'll publish a clean version for younger audience.

I get that the authors are doing some cultural appropriation, but by and large the recipes are solid (the torta one is off for texture).

The most recommended cookbook in my store at the moment, a beautiful companion to their web series. Minus one star for veganism, though.