The Vegan Chef

This lively, enthusiasts' site is hosted by ambitious chef Beverly Bennett, who specialises in creating low-fat, vegan dishes at Tabor's Thyme in Berea, Ohio. Like many people, she hopes to publish her own book, own her own business, and move to California. The home page takes a while to download, but the site is well-designed, with stylish graphics and some quirky fonts and images. Click on one of the apples at the left of the home page to reach the main sections, or scroll down to read Bev's welcome and her definition of the word vegan, or to sign the guest book. The featured recipes are all on one page, which requires a lot of scrolling.



Special Features



Recipes are all original, and are in US measurements. They are always uncomplicated and seasonal, and are more interesting than the usual vegan fare. Bev puts an enourmous amount of work into her fortnightly updates and on one recent visit she had developed around 15 new dishes. The archive includes tasty delights such as 'brociflower' bisque, florentine fennel salad, broccoli allíaglio, tomato and spinach melt sandwich, garbanzo bean and eggplant ragu, apple-stuffed acorn squash, wild mushroom fettucine, oven-baked bughul pilaf, sun-dried tomato olive bread, baked tofu masala, apple spice cake and almond cake made with tofu, soya milk and maple syrup. Her Thanksgiving menu included, amongst others, warm orange-spice apple cider, apple and acorn squash soup, a maize medley, twice-baked sweet potatoes, roasted shallot and garlic gravy, green onion cornbread, a tart of bourbon, pumkin and spiced pecons and spiced coconut ice.



Other Features



Lots of links are given to related vegan, vegetarian or health-conscious websites, such as Ask Dr Weil, and there is a very American self-penned biography, bless her.