The Bold Vegetarian: 150 Inspired International Recipes [Paperback]

B. Kirchner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1995

Filled with more than 150 recipes, this vegetarian cookbook integrates a variety of ethnic influences to provide an exciting array of innovative dishes.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is true fusion cooking, mixing elements of Vietnamese, Portuguese, Turkish, Italian, French, Chinese, Indian, and American cuisines. Italian tortellini is tossed with Thai curry paste and coconut milk. Kale-Apple Soup brings together earthy Chinese and tart American ingredients. Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage seems German, but features an Indian Peanut Sauce. Greek orzo is mixed with raisins, onions, and garlic and stuffed into a New England maple squash.

From Publishers Weekly

Only a stoical (or very full) cook would not be tempted by the recipes here, which kick off with Carmelized Garlic from Spain, Pecan Mushroom Pate from France and Indian-Style Roasted Potatoes redolent of asafetida, mustard oil, cumin and mango powder. While Kirchner (The Healthy Cuisine of India; Indian Inspired) draws heavily on that subcontinent for inspiration, she includes recipes from China, Spain, France, Japan, Mexico, Thailand, Korea, the Middle East and the U.S. She also melds recipes to come up with some truly appetizing new dishes, such as an Asian Pesto that combines the flavors of the Italian original with hints of the lime/peanut/garlic sauces of east Asian cooking. Kirchner is sparing in her use of fat, relying on cooking techniques, spices, flavored oils and judiciously combined textures to create good taste. Her gentle tours through international marketplaces, the extensive "vegetarian pantry" and the descriptions of recipes' evolutions are likely to inspire readers' inventiveness, although the more timid can rely on the generous helping of serving suggestions and listed substitutions.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks; 1 edition (March 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060950560
• ISBN-13: 978-0060950569
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,370,463 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bharti Kirchner is the author of eight books--four critically acclaimed novels and four cookbooks and hundreds of short pieces for magazines and newspapers. Her essays have appeared in nine anthologies, the most recent being Foreign Flavours. Her fifth novel, Tulip Season: A Mitra Basu Mystery is due out in 2012.

Her other novels include Pastries: A Novel of Desserts and Discoveries, Darjeeling, Sharmila's Book, and Shiva Dancing and cookbooks include Indian Inspired and The Bold Vegetarian. Bharti is a Contributing Editor for The Writer. She has written for Food & Wine, Vegetarian Times, Writer's Digest, Fitness Plus, Northwest Travel, and The Seattle Times.

Bharti has won two Seattle Arts Commission literature grants, two Artist Trust literature grants (including one in 2011), and has twice been a Fellow of Jack Straw Productions. She has been honored as a Living Pioneer Asian American Author. She is a popular speaker at writer's conferences nationwide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Cookbook, January 3, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bold Vegetarian: 150 Inspired International Recipes (Paperback)

This cookbook is for people who want to mix and match food from around the world. It will guide people who are interested in experimentation but need some guidance for what foods to combine. My family's favorites are the German-Thai peanut cabbage, the baked couscous with saffron, the Iranian tofu stew, and the kale-apple soup (among others). I would highly recommend it to vegetarians (especially those who are bored with the same old same old) and to anyone who is interested in truly international food.

The recipes are clear and well written, and will add another level of creativity to your cooking--even when not making a recipe from the book. One thing I appreciate most is the variations at the end of each recipe; there are both vegan and meat-eating suggestions. She also does a good job suggesting menus, if you need help deciding which dishes to combine. Best of all, most of the recipes are very healthy and will help work protein, fiber, and veggies into your food.

This is my favorite cookbook in terms of innovation and ideas. It will change the way you cook.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite cook-book, August 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bold Vegetarian: 150 Inspired International Recipes (Paperback)

I use this cookbook everyday. It is hands down my favorite. Interesing yummy recepies, low fat.. everything I want in a cook book. I'd give it 6 stars if you had them!

marie

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Cookbook!, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bold Vegetarian: 150 Inspired International Recipes (Paperback)

This is a fascinating cookbook! Bharti Kirchner has very eclectic tastes, and draws on influences from throughout the world to create her own unique dishes. All of the recipes I have tried from this book have been wonderful. My only caveat: Ms. Kirchner is from India, and she uses some exotic spices in her recipes that may not be available at your corner grocery. If you want to cook her recipes as written, plan on making a trip to an Indian grocery to pick up ingredients like asafetida and garam masala.