Customer Reviews

Bean Banquets, from Boston to Bombay: 200 International, High-Fiber, Vegetarian Recipes

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was one of the first vegerarian cookbooks that I purchased, and it has remained one of my favorites. Not only are the recipes very tasty (the "Cuban Black Bean Soup" recipe has become a family favorite--even though my parents are meat-eaters!), but the cultural/historical information given about each dish makes for an interesting read.

Before I bought this book I had never cooked with dried beans. However, Patricia Gregory's clear directions (a detailed introduction to working with dried beans is provided) convinced me that using dried beans really is easy (and economical).

Moreover, a good number of the recipes in this book are time-tested...they're classic dishes from around the world (like a wonderful lentils and rice dish from Lebanon [mujaddara] and a recipe for the sweet red bean paste found in lots of asian pastries). There are also "non-traditional" recipes like "Bean and Leek Chowder" and "Creamy Mexican Soup" that will become classics in your kitchen once you taste them.

There are two points to consider before you buy-- All of the recipes in this start with dried beans, and if you want to cook with canned beans, the conversion could be tricky. Also, if you usually use a pressure cooker to cook your dried beans, this book might not be for you (unless you're a whiz at converting standard recipes to pressure-cooker recipes) because the author [EDITED] only provides basic guidelines (about 2 paragraphs) for using pressure cookers. These instructions describe how to cook beans alone, but not how to handle the recipes (ex., how to adjust spices, water content, etc.).

I have an entire bookcase filled with cookbooks, most of which are vegetarian. I keep coming back to Bean Banquets. The recipes are delicious and easy to follow. The Savory Lentil Soup is awesome. I would love to see it back in print and I would buy up several as gifts for friends. Three cheers for the humble bean!

I've made a number of the recipes in this wonderful little gem of a book and they've all been tasty as well as "good for me". I have my whole family eating from these recipes at least once a week. I use my pressure cooker to cook beans most all the time and the preparation couldn't be simpler.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Gregory while I was a student in Syracuse in the mid- 90's(a roommate was a family friend of hers), and she was busy working on another cookbook that was Italian inspired at that time. If it is anything like this one I'll be sure to get it.

The recipes are much more flavorful, and I found the variety interesting as well. The book is broken down into various world regions.Nicely done.

The only way "Easy Beans" beats it is in the nutritional analysis provided. Perhaps I just have an old copy of "Bean Banquets from Boston to Bombay";it's had much use, in a couple of pieces now.

I seriously had this cookbook for a year before I cooked anything from it. It's a completely modest little book, with just typed-out recipes, no photos, and a terrible index (by just title of the recipe, which is entirely unhelpful when you've got a half pound of kidney beans staring at you). But it turns out, once you get past the less than perky packaging, this is a wonderful little cookbook.

I'm always trying to get more beans into our meals, and less processed food, and the unassuming recipes in this cookbook, that don't seem like anything special, are in fact just perfectly spot- on. I still can't understand how the Ethiopian Lentil Salad is so good, with so few ingredients. I've made it with black eyed peas, too, and can't stop eating it, although I would have told you I don't even like black eyed peas much. Black-Eyed Pea Potpouri and Kidney Bean Salad are two other favorites for our family.

As other reviewers noted, this cookbook emphasizes using beans cooked from scratch. Please be open to this urging- once you let this author convert you, you will understand why, and won't ever go back to canned unless it's a dinner emergency, and then you'll be compelled to apologize to your dinner guests because you'll know how much tastier your dinner would have been if you'd planned ahead a smidge.

I spend the whole summer cooking up pounds of beans of various kinds, and then making bean and grain salads for lunch, and this is usually the cookbook I start from to make them.

This is a fantastic cookbook with easy to follow recipes from around the world. The book is divided into chapters by country and covers appetizers, soups, sides, main meals and desserts - all using some type of bean or lentil. I have used this cookbook for over 15 years and have ordered numerous copies to give as gifts.

I love the recipes in "Bean Banquets." The variety of cuisines includes: Caribbean, Indian, Chinese, Italian, American and many more. Most of the recipes are inexpensive and simple to prepare. This cookbook also introduced me to some new spices and helped me to eat a healthy, varied diet with plenty of protein and iron.

I love this book! I bought it as a replacement for a copy that was borrowed and never returned. My family especially loves the Boston Baked Beans and the Refried Beans, but I haven't yet come across a recipe that we didn't like. If you think beans are boring, this book will change your mind! The recipes are vegetarian and could be easily modified for vegans by making appropriate substitutions for dairy products. If you're looking for healthy, tasty and inexpensive meals, buy this book and a bag or two of beans and get cookin'.

The recipes in this book are simple and easy enough to prepare. I'm dissapointed not to find any descriptions of ingredients that give hints as to which kinds of beans can be substituted for which other kinds, and along the same lines, an index of recipes by primary ingredients would be nice.

Also, the emphasis on lima beans is very heavy and I find it difficult to pick out which recipes will have a strong lima bean flavor, and which will not.