Ryan Splint: Ryan Splint is the author of the Hot Damn & Hell Yeah cookbooks. He lives in Vancouver, BC.
Let's face it, Southern food rocks, but in its traditional preparation, there is little for the vegan to indulge in. The creators of this split cookzine realized the tragedy of this denial and that is why they have done the hard work of veganizing virtually all the classic Southern dishes you know you've been craving (perhaps without even realizing it). [...] this is an attractive book that is sure to quickly gain gravy stains and dog-eared pages in your kitchen. --Sean Stewart, New Pages In DIY you bust your gut and it sometimes feels like you don't get much in return. But there are exceptions to every rule. Hot Damn and Hell Yeah is an indispensable vegan cookbook, especially if you want to cook Mexican style food. There recipes are clear and simple, and avoid overly esoteric ingredients. Points also go to the amazing - and I mean really amazing - cartoons of skeletons on pretty much every page. It's a nice change from the normal clip art carrots and cauliflowers that most of my vegan cookbooks seem to have. - Last Hours Magazine This is a split/flipside cookbook, both featuring recipes for the gluttonous, non-dieting vegan. Hot Damn focuses mostly on Mexican cooking (Mexican being one of the more vegan-friendly cuisines out there), along with some curries, and The Dirty South Cookbook has a lot of down-home, deep-fried southern recipes. Both cookbooks contain a lot of comfort food, which is understandable + if I were a vegan too, the last thing I'd want is a thousand recipes whose main ingredient is carrot sticks or grass or twigs or whatever the hell it is that vegans eat. -ReadJunk This is where I go when I am in the mood for junk food (believe it, baby). Though it is most definitely less important to me than Jae Steele's masterpieces, it is an incredibly fun book to read and cook out of. It is smaller, more like a 'zine (which it originated as) and has lots of original artwork. There are plenty of reviews on the webpage, so take a look. Also it is cheap! Some recipes include cheese sauce, country-style biscuits, mighty chewy brownies, peach turnovers, fried chicken.. . umm yeah. There is actually a recipe for pizza dough which makes 30 pizzas, which is in there just because the authour used to work at a pizza joint (that's why the impractical tag), but that's why I like this book: for its rough and ready and sometimes silly tone. --Integrity of Being, named one of the Top 5 Vegan Cookbooks I love Tex-Mex so I'm all fired up to try the many burrito and enchilada recipes. The Sweet Potato Pie recipe is ridiculously decadent and recipes for homey food like Hush Puppies and Johnny Cakes make me hanker for a sunny day in the south with a bottle of tequila on hand. Staples like Beans and Rice as well as several different chili recipes make it easy to entertain large crowds with relatively little effort. There are recipes in both books for Mushroom Gravy and for several different kinds of BBQ sauce; it's easy to imagine even the most hardcore meat-eater tucking into a tofu sloppy joe smothered in gravy. --Domestic Affair You'll find sauces (including Bourbon Whiskey BBQ Sauce), breads, side dishes, soups and chilies, main dishes, and plenty of desserts. Among the creative recipes that Ryan Splint shares in Hot Damn and Hell Yeah! are Hush Puppies (delicious served with red beans and rice), Cranberry Scones, Vietnamese-Style Curry, Mighty Chewy Brownies, and Apple Enchiladas. Vanessa Doe's creations in The Dirty South Vegan Cookbook include Rosemary Sweet Biscuits, Fake Fried Chicken (made with seitan), Injera (Ethiopian bread) with Ethiopian stews, Blackeye Pea Cakes, and Espresso Cake. --Vegetarian Journal