I came across this softcover while browsing in Barnes and Noble, and thought it looked like an interesting take on cookbooks: it offers vegan options for taco-style dishes, and the ones I peeked at looked pretty tasty!

It's also quite amusing - especially if you read the fine print on the copyright page. "This book contains the opinions and ideas of its authors, plus large quantities of total BS..." {snerk!} The whole concept is something of a pointed parody of the many "cleanse" diets out there - for which there's little if any scientific validity, by the bye - and the authors have a lot of fun with it, from the questionaire on "is the taco cleanse right for you?" ["Do you experience recurring feelings of hunger on a daily basis?"] to the entertaining segment on "what is a taco" - which could make an entertaining topic for the next family gathering. The bit on "taco journaling" made me giggle, though I can also see the amusement value in actually keeping track of one's taco consumption...

Having decided on a definition that allows for the widest possible range of "tacos", the authors dive into the recipes - and lots of these are quite tempting (if occasionally odd). Some are for fillings or side dishes - these could stand alone, tacos not being required; there's a spicy citrus slaw, breaded and baked avocado wedges, lots of tasty bean dishes and salsas, and many more.

One that intrigued me: "Sincere Sriracha-Agave Tenders", in which a base of hummus, wheat gluten and panko bread crumbs is used to form spicy strips that sound pretty good.

Then there's "Soothing Jalapeno Ranch" dressing (mildly spicy), and the "Cilantro-Avocado Tranquility Sauce" (for cooling down too-spicy fillings), the colorful "Full-Spectrum Tacos", the tempting "Churro-Waffle Tacos"... and a recipe for "Horchata Ice Cream Tacos", which I'd happily make as ice cream without the taco part, having tasted the rice-based beverage horchata at a local restaurant.

One of the shortest recipes is for the "collard taco", in which you are instructed to de-stem a collard leaf and then trim it into a taco-sized circle - though, knowing collards, I'd suggest adding a "blanch" step to soften it a bit before use. (Or use a softer leaf to begin with.)

The book doesn't neglect exercise, either - there's a "Taco Yoga" section at the end, with things like the "Avocado Pit" and the "Tostada Pose". And the book finishes up with a somewhat-more-serious section fo references, including a nod to the book Diet Cults as a countermeasure against paying too much heed to things like "cleansing" diets ("other than the Taco Cleanse, of course").

All in all a very entertaining book, with lots of good recipes.

I left this book, bagged against the elements, inside the little covered-bridge walkway at the lake at around 4:15 or so; hope the finder enjoys it!

[See other recent releases in NH here.]

*** Released for the 2017 Wine+Food release challenge. ***