Maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I really like reading cookbooks and cookzines and this first issue of Ashley Rowe's half-size cookzine is so freakin' cute. Packed with a really nice balance of essays about food and recipes for cooking stuff up, this is a good place to start for folks just learning to cook vegan. Learn how to make a basic white sauce, your own seitan, a basic vegs mac'n'cheese, cornbread and cookies. But, you know, folks who have been vegan for awhile will most definitely benefit from nice variations for standard recipes like the "Cinnamon Buns of Doom." Is it just me or does everything in this zine sound delicious?! Also, Ashley includes a handy restaurant guide for pretty much the whole state of California.

For Ashley Rowe resistance is tasty and no doubt once you try out these little recipes, your resistance will taste good, too. Round 2 includes holiday recipes for gravy and taters, plus stuffing and baked apples. Some of my favorite from this time around include super easy vegan fudge, potatoes au gratin and, oh geez...stuffed shells! Whether you're a brand new baby vegan or an old veteran vegan, you've gotta read this, then totally take her up on the vegan challenge!

An excellent first-time resource, round 3 of this super cute zine includes recipes for any time of the day or night. One of the many strengths of this cookzine is how Ashley works with ingredients that are available to folks without access to a fancy health food store. Some highlights include: tons of baked (and no bake) sweets, two soups, a roots'n'greens saute and a dirty rice recipe designed to feed a whole bunch of folks for all you FNB types. I don't know about you, but I can't wait to go home and try the Gringa Tortilla Soup recipe. With simply adorable food-inspired illustrations in the style of "Soy not Oi!," this handy half-size is sure to please...

Yet another excellent issue from Ashley, round 4 of this super cute zine includes recipes that might be handpicked for the winter and early spring. Some highlights include: a bean salad with avocado vinaigrette, a garlicky tofu spread, shepherd's pie, plus a corn chowda recipe that can be easily doubled or tripled for cold cold nights!

Like other issues, she makes sure to cook with ingredients that are available to folks without access to a fancy health food store. This zine is probably most valuable to new cooks or new vegans or new vegan cooks, but old-timers will appreciate Ashley's insight. Packed with the cute illustrations and endearing asides that we've come to expect from this zine, I bet you'll really like it. I do.