Customer Reviews

Almost Meatless: Recipes That Are Better for Your Health and the Planet

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

From Caramelized Onion Meatloaf to Shrimp and Slow-Roasted Tomato Risotto; from Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks to Springtime Spaghetti Carbonara, the authors (a former vegan and an unabashed carnivore) aim for more flavor with less meat, pleasing the eye as well as the palate in this attractively designed full-color paperback.

The book is organized by ingredient - fleshly protein ingredient. Boxed cooking tips, storage and shopping advice and occasional variations accompany well-organized recipes.

Most recipes are naturals for meat restraint - Corn and Cod Cakes, Chicken and Biscuit Pot Pie (whole wheat crust), Chili, while a few traditionally meat centered dishes - Philly Cheese Steak, Tofu-Turkey Sloppy Joes - require some veggie adjustment.

The authors include whole grains without belaboring the point and the whole family will greet the meals here with enthusiasm.

The eggplant-chicken stacks on the cover immediately drew me in! Having limited kitchen skills (as I do) is not a problem. Recipes are detailed and easy to follow. Want total vegetarian? Leave out the chicken! Still delicious! Next, I'm on to the Shepherd's Pie.

As someone who is leaning towards the vegetarian side, I love this book! It is truly a pleasure to see the use of meat minimized and the spotlight focused on "healthy" and organic food!

The recipes in this book are both easy and mouthwatering. To be clear, it's NOT a vegetarian cookbook (the title implies that, no?), but a cookbook for those of us who love meat but don't want it to be the centerpiece of our eating. Less meat stretches a buck, and Desmond and Manning introduce us to some great grains that delight and satisfy. A winner!

I am picky about my cookbooks - they should be easy to follow (layout, index, etc.); have beautiful, color pictures; and creative recipes with ingredients that are not hard to find. Almost Meatless has all three. I have been trying one or two recipes each week, and so far they have all turned out wonderfully.

Desmond and Manning have hit the bull's eye with this "test-the-waters' of healthy living suggestion. For those timid about diving into an eccentric, 'hippy'-type vegetarian life style, this book offers conservative steps in gently reducing mammals from one's daily diet. By substituting more healthful staples like "CornCrabCakes", "TheB4(beef,bulgar,blackbean burger),or "Tofu-Turkey Sloppy Joe"s the diner can experience satisfying meals without slaughtering innocents or destroying the earth.

I have become very fond of this cookbook. It is incredibly versatile (ie. vegetarian options, meats in some recipes are interchangeable, and the recipes are flexible), recipes are budget conscious, and the recipes lend themselves to substitutions very well. For example you could make the salsa from scratch, but if your in a hurry go for the jar. Another thing I greatly appreciate is the directions, everything is measured out and spelled out making success easy. I also appreciate the excerpts on organic, sustainable and humane eating. Most importantly the food is delicious. I would recommend this for anyone looking to use less meat, wants to incorporate more whole grains, and is looking for a way to make vegetables taste better.
My only qualms (not worth removing a star because this is the majority of cookbooks) are that there is not a calorie count, nor is there a estimate of time it takes to complete the recipes.

This is one of four cookbooks I bought a couple of weeks ago to try to make some healthy changes in the way we eat - and though Sandra Woodruff's The Good Carb Cookbook : Secrets of Eating Low on the Glycemic Index is probably my favorite - better for suggestions on making changes to our current diet, this book runs a close second. The recipes require some ingredients not available in small-town West Virginia, but nothing so exotic I can't use them in other things (dried porcini mushrooms, tamarind, etc.). These and pretty much anything else I need are available on Amazon, and since I cook gluten-free, I'm used to buying supplies that way (and am probably getting a better deal than I would in most stores - or so other reviewers say). When I've tried substitutes (e.g., for asafetida) I've found by Googling instead of ordering an ingredient, the recipes from this book have still turned out well.

The recipes are easy to follow, with lots of good advice and tips for working with ingredients. I already have shelves and shelves of cookbooks and donate armloads to the public library once or twice a year - so what I'm looking for now is recipes that are a little different without being too spicy-hot or too far out for my husband (who's a fairly adventurous eater) to enjoy. This book's a keeper.

Yeah! Almost Meatless!! Thank you, Manning and Desmond, for providing endless new ideas to my dinner table! My husband and I grew up with family dinners that focused on meat and potatoes. We both live active lifestyles and were always feeling weighed down by our meat heavy meals. These recipes combine the perfect amount of meat with many other great ingredients! Thank you for sharing your recipes! Keep writing!

The cookbook looks great. I received it before the expected date. Looking forward to serving some awesome dishes. Many thanks.