Customer Reviews

Essential Vegetarian Cookbook (Essential Cookbook)

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

 

 

It's perfect for the carnivore who has no clue as to what else to cook besides meat and a boiled vegetable but wants to learn how to cook healthy and varied. It's very easy to read an understand the concepts of vegetarianism so you can apply them and avoid nutrient deficiencies. Very varied in terms of recipes, very very different as to what you are used to find on other cookbooks. Also it is not divided by courses but by occasions, for example one section is party food. I didn't give it a 5 star because I think it should have had a little bit more material on the philosophy part. Oh, and the photos of the food, there's one for every recipe so you know how it's going to look when you do it.

the reciepes in this book are quick & easy. & delicious - i love it

I'm actually vegan, but I had found this at a bookstore for 5.99, so I bought it anyways. Actually a lot of the recipes are vegan, but the ones that aren't you can easily substitute vegan ingredients. I like how simple the recipes are and love the combination of ethnic foods. Really is just a great cookbook to have around.

`The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook' is a pretty good first port of call for those new to vegetarianism and vegetarian cooking. The first 33 pages cover what food groups you need to incorporate into your diet so that it is nutritionally balanced. This is an area overlooked by other cookbooks and essential information for those thinking about making the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle. It has a revised food pyramid, information about suitability for children's dietary needs, so called `hero' foods and preparing vegetarian menus. The rest of the book features the recipes with beautiful photography that really do entice you to try the recipes on offer. The book is divided into soups and starters, snacks and party food, pies, flans and pizzas, pancakes, fritters and omelettes, pasta and noodles, grains and pulses, casseroles and bakes, salads, side dishes, stir-fries, bread, sauces, desserts, cakes and pastries and finally drinks. As you can see, pretty comprehensive. The recipes are easy to follow and show how long for preparation, cooking and how many people it serves (you'd think this would be standard info but it is surprising how many cookbooks neglect to put down preparation times). I've tried quite a few recipes from this book and most have turned out well, with some minor tweaking for personal tastes recommended. I can't wait to work my through this book and if you're looking for a first vegetarian cookbook then this is a good place to start your search. I also recommend `Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Meals in Minutes'.

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