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Susan O’Brien, author of “The Gluten-Free Vegan,” is back with mac n’ cheese, sweet potato biscuits and banana cream pie in “Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food” (Da Capo Press, $18). The book features 125 comfort food recipes that contain no wheat, gluten, dairy or animal products.

If you’re thinking of trying on veganism to see if it fits, this is one of those books that might help you make the transition. O’Brien includes a helpful glossary of ingredients that may be unfamiliar to you, such as teff flour and organic agave cactus nectar, and explains how they are used. You’ll discover that chia seeds make a good egg replacer.

The recipes cover the gamut of American comfort food, including that holiday favorite green bean casserole and a mac ‘n cheese made with coconut milk, Tofutti sour cream and “cheese alternatives.” The banana cream pie is held together with yams and topped with a “whipped cream” made from cashews, almonds and coconut. There are also plenty of tempting recipes – a butternut squash soup, mashed sweet potatoes, guacamole – that can be made with what you already have in your kitchen.

Many people tell Meredith Goad that she has the best job in Maine, and most of the time she agrees. Maine has a crazy appetite for food stories, and it’s Meredith’s job to satisfy those cravings...

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