Even though the weather is already climbing into the 80s in Ocala, chili for dinner still sounded fantastic this evening.
I’d say it’s never too hot for chili, but I’m pretty sure that’s a lie. It does get too hot for chili, but it never gets too cold for ice cream!
Tonight I prepared a big batch of vegan chili that I made by following a recipe from Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps.
The book was sent to me a few weeks ago as part of a Blogger Book Tour and, while I’m not vegan myself, I love preparing delicious, meatless meals and am always game for enjoying both vegetarian and vegan dishes.
I thought the book would include a lot more recipes detailing how to transform a traditionally meat-heavy recipes (like chili) into something delicious and vegan, but I was mistaken.
While there are a handful of vegan recipes included, the book is more of a vegan guidebook and provides a “label decoder” for vegans to break down ingredient listings on labels to make sure they’re eating 100 percent vegan. (I actually found this section really interesting, as it taught me about some of the obscure ingredients I see on many labels!)
The book also lists vegan-friendly restaurants by city, dairy swaps and brands that make great vegan food and where to find their products. A very large portion of the book is dedicated to listing vegan-friendly foods and alternatives which I would imagine would be a great resource for vegans, especially those who are new to veganism.
Unfortunately I am not vegan, so I’m not really the target market for this book and really was hoping it would be more of a recipe book that I would be able to frequently use. Luckily, the recipes that were detailed in the book that I did try, like the chili I made this evening, were very good!
The chili was hearty and packed with beans and flavor. Plus, it was incredibly easy to make which is always a great thing in my book!
Since I am not vegan, I figured that one of you out there who is vegan or would like to learn more about vegan alternatives would really enjoy this book and use it to its full potential, so I’d love to mail it to one of you!
If you’d like to receive my copy of Skinny Bitch Book of Vegan Swaps, simply comment below and let me know and I’ll randomly select someone tomorrow morning.
Enjoy your night! 
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I’m not vegan, but I’m allergic to dairy, so I love vegan recipes!!
Hey, Julie!
Thank you for doing this giveaway. I became vegan a month ago when I found out eating cheese and milk indirectly led to the slaughter of all the young male calves born from dairy cows. Having a handy book of swaps would be great to help navigate the supermarket more effectively.
If you want to see “why veganism?”, check out “Meet Your Meat” on YouTube.
On a lighter note, if you ever have a moment, look up the song “hey Julie” by fountains of Wayne on YouTube. I think you would enjoy it.
Have a great evening!
hi Julie! Yes, I would love to peruse this book! sounds interesting!
I’m definitely curious about this book 🙂
AGREED, never ever too hot for a nice bowl of chili 🙂 Ps. Yours looks AMAZING by the way, think I may just have to make a batch for dindin tomorrow night, thanks for the inspiration!
I would love a copy of this book! I have been recently exploring more vegan recipes and have had fun trying some new foods!
Ohh, I would love a copy of this book! Although I am not vegan, I am interested in becoming more aware of the dietary lifestyle of a vegan since I am studying to become a dietitian! Also, I would love to try out new recipes as well!
I switched from being a vegetarian (8 years) to a vegan within the last few weeks, this book sounds like a great resource!
I’d love to try some vegan recipes.
This book sounds great! I read the original Skinny Bitch and thought it was super interesting!
I LOVED the Skinny Bitch book and also enjoy the Skinny Bitch workout DVD. The cookbook sounds awesome–especially the chili you made! YUM!
I. Love. Chili.
I work at a pork processing facility and therefore I have recently become vegan…I would love a copy!
I am a vegan, an ethical practice I have employed for over a year now. I’m always on the lookout for sustainable, cruelty-free, and tasty recipes, so I’d love to try this out!
OOooo me me!! I’ve read the skinny bitch books and really enjoyed them 🙂 Plus, not eating meat is a real challenge sometimes…If I don’t venture out and try different recipes I might eat the same thing twice.. or for a week straight. I think I’ve just convinced myself that I need to go buy this book haha
I would love to learn more. My doc think it would help a med condition, but I’m not sold yet because I am addicted to ice cream!
I have been vegetarian for a year, and am slowly making the switch to being vegan. I was looking at this book the other day and I really wanted it. It is actually in my amazon shopping cart, but I’m waiting till I find more things for the free shipping. 🙂 This chili looks so good, I actually made chili the other night for dinner because it was the only thing that sounded good. I love your post, they are the highlight of my morning!
I would love a copy because my brother and i usually have to adapt recipes to BE vegan for ourselves because of food allergies and intolerances. That would make cooking definitely easier!
Love to live vegan – and would love to add this cookbook to my collection. Thanks……
I try to eat vegan as often as I can . . .it’s the kind of lifestyle I tend to agree with most.
I’m glad you tried a recipe from the book -most people turn their nose up at the word ‘vgean’ because they think it’s flavorless and boring, however, it’s certainly not! Your chili looks scrumptions.
I’m a vegetarian who often eats vegan, and I love the Skinny Bitch books!
I recently went vegetarian and am thinking of going all out vegan so this would be an ideal way yo try it out.
i have the first skinny bitch book, it was a big factor in my decision to be vegetarian. i would love the recipe book, i’m in the biggest dinner rut.
I love seeing so many people interested in vegan cooking! It’s so healthy and a fun challenge to create new recipes without animal products! will definitely have to try this one.
I’m not vegan either but like to try different meals!!! 🙂
the Skinny Bitch book looks very interesting….I would love to have a copy. thank you
In a vegan and I would love the book! Thanks for sharing that recipe and giving us your thoughts 🙂
I’m not vegan but eat a semi- vegan diet and am always interested in great new recipes!
Im not vegan but I am a poor college student so I try to cook with less meat
I love the Skinny Bitch books & would love to have this one!
Although also not a vegan, that book has been on my list to read for a while. The name is one of the reasons as I heard the book is written in a very get real approach.
my sister recently became vegan and i would love to share this book with her!
While I am not vegan I do have a dairy allergy so this could definitely be a helpful book for me:)
I’ve been vegetarian for about 2 years and have recently started baking vegan desserts. I’m not branching out to vegan cooking so this book would be great for me to know what to look for in labels so that I’m making things 100% vegan!!
We are going vegan in our house, this book looks awesome!
I’m vegetarian and always interested in reading more about veganism!
I’ve been vegan for just under a month now, and I love it! I was looking at this book in Barnes & Noble last week and just couldn’t justify buying it. It would make me a happy vegan girl. Thanks Julie!
I have recently started to consider a vegan diet! I think the health benefits are great and this book would be so helpful! (And the chili looks delish!!)
I’ve been vegetarian for two years now and make a lot of vegan meals. I would definitely put that cookbook to good use!
I would love to learn more about this. My doc said a vegan diet would be good for a med condition, but I am having trouble considering it because I love ice cream too much!
I would LOVE this book! I was a complete vegetarian for two years and I still limit my meat intake. I enjoy vegan meals. I read Skinny Bitch and really enjoyed it!
I just recently went from vegetarian to vegan and this book would be a big help. I’ve heard different things about the Skinny Bitch books which is why I hadn’t yet bought any. Your review was really helpful!
I’m not vegan either, I love cheese way too much to be, but I do have family members who are so I prepare a decent amount of vegan and vegetarian meals throughout the week. I love the Skinny Bitch line and think this book would be a great reference when preparing meals.
Though I’m not vegan I am a vegetarian & make vegan dishes often. Reading labels is one of the trickiest things to master, I’d love a copy of the book!
I’ve been meaning to buy that!
Despite my meat-eater boyfriend’s obsession with steak, I have been slowly weening him off of meat, this recipe book may be the edge I need to seal the deal! 😀
Been vegan 5 1/2 years thanks to Skinny Bitch!
I’ve been vegan for about three months, and am in a bit of a rut when it comes to my meals lately! This book could be just what I need to have a little more fun with my food 🙂
I would really like to win a copy of the book!
That is a book that I would love love love! As a vegetarian it is so hard to decode the food labels sometimes!!!