Fast Vegetarian Feasts [Paperback]

Martha Rose Shulman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 14, 1986

A diverse, very popular vegetarian cookbook,  revised and updated to offer an even wider variety of  meatless fare, with a special chapter of fish  recipes.

"An outstanding collection of healthy,  delicious, inexpensive vegetarian meals." --  Gannett Newspapers

Editorial Reviews

Review

An outstanding collection of healthy, delicious, inexpensive vegetarian meals. -- Gannett Newspapers

From the Publisher

"A diverse, very popular vegetarian cookbook, revised and updated to offer an even wider variety of meatless fare, with a special chapter of fish recipes.

"An outstanding collection of healthy, delicious, inexpensive vegetarian meals." -- Gannett Newspapers

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (October 14, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385233302
• ISBN-13: 978-0385233309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #504,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For over 30 years I have been writing cookbooks devoted to eating well. A pioneer in vegetarian cooking, I began my career in 1973 at the age of 23. This was long before well-educated people from upper middle class backgrounds fantasized about becoming the next Food Network star or owning a successful restaurant. I was then a student at The University of Texas at Austin. I changed my major every semester, but my passion for cooking and for giving dinner parties was unwavering. I also had an interest in health, and combined the two in my approach to food, drawing upon many of the world's cuisines to create vegetarian dishes that were much better than the standard brown rice fare of the early 1970s. Culturally I was very much a product of my era, but as far as my cooking was concerned, I have always been way ahead of my time.
Once I'd had my epiphany about my calling, I developed a series of vegetarian cooking classes that I taught through the University of Texas Extension, and I opened a private "supper club" in my home. Every Thursday for two years I prepared a sit-down 3-course dinner for 30 people. My cozy "home restaurant" allowed me all the fun and few of the headaches of running a public restaurant, and at the same time gave me a place to experiment and develop a repertoire of dishes to showcase. I also learned to cook for a crowd. Soon I had a vegetarian catering service; I catered everything from breakfasts in bed and dinners for two to wedding receptions and conferences for two hundred.
I had also been, all along, a writer in search of a subject. I knew that I would write a cookbook, and when The Vegetarian Feast came out in 1979, my career had evolved from cook/caterer to food writer and cookbook author. The Vegetarian Feast won a 1979 Tastemaker Award (a precursor of the prestigious James Beard Awards) for Best Book, Health and Special Diets category, and remains in print.
I was never doctrinaire about vegetarian cooking; I just felt that I'd had my quota of meat by the time I reached the age of 21. I admired all good cooks, especially Julia Child, with whom I corresponded. In my first letter to her, a fan letter dated September 2, 1976 in which I described my cooking classes and my supper club, my catering service and the book I was trying to get published, I told her I was "trying to shed a new light on vegetarianism, to present it as an unmysterious, classical, and memorable cuisine. The art of cooking with an emphasis on nutrition as well as flavor is my interest, and because I am a vegetarian my cuisine is a meatless one."
Two years after the publication of The Vegetarian Feast I moved to Paris, where I continued to write cookbooks and articles, revived my Supper Club, and became a much better cook. During the twelve years I lived in France I traveled extensively in the Mediterranean to research its many cuisines. My book Mediterranean Light was published in 1989, just as the benefits of the Mediterranean diet were coming to light in the United States. The region continues to be my richest source of culinary inspiration.
To date, I have 27 cookbooks to my name. My work has been of a piece; not all of my books are vegetarian, but they all have a healthy focus. Several of my books have been nominated for cookbook awards and three have won them. In addition to the 1979 Tastemaker Award for The Vegetarian Feast, I've received the following nominations and prizes for my work:
*2001: International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), The Best Vegetarian Recipes, Nominee, Single Subject category
*1995 James Beard Awards, Great Breads, Nominee, Bread and Pastry category
*1994 Bertolli Olive Oil Award, Provençal Light, First Prize, Health and Special Diets category, Julia Child Awards
*1991 International Association of Culinary Professionals, Entertaining Light, First Prize, Health and Diet category
*1991 James Beard Awards, Entertaining Light, Nominee, Entertaining category
*1989 Tastemaker, Mediterranean Light, Nominee, Health and Special Diets category
*1988 Tastemaker, Supper Club chez Martha Rose, Nominee, Entertaining category

My cooking continues to evolve, as I hone and simplify my recipes to make them accessible to a wide range of cooks. I feel that I have played a role in improving the eating habits of many Americans, particularly since I began writing a daily recipe feature called Recipes for Health for the health section of The New York Times on the Web, in 2008. Its purpose is to empower people to cook healthy meals every day by giving them straightforward, delicious recipes. Each week's column is themed around a fresh ingredient from the market, a pantry item or a type of dish, with a new recipe posted every day. The reader response has been enthusiastic; my recipes regularly appear in the "10 Most Emailed" list on the health page. It has been extremely satisfying to know that I am reaching so many people and having an impact on their cooking.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is my most used cookbook-see why, May 19, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fast Vegetarian Feasts (Paperback)

I love this cookbook. When I was a college student, I could putter around with Moosewood recipes for hours and feel great accomplishment. Now, I work, and have three daughters, so there's not much extra time. The recipes in this book are tasty, and QUICK! The seasonal menu ideas are very helpful too. There are also guidelines for lowering fat/salt contents of many recipes. A great cook book!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TRY IT !! YOU'LL LOVE IT !!, August 5, 1998

By 

josaysso "josaysso" (Tenn.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fast Vegetarian Feasts (Paperback)

IF you don't know how to vegetarian cook.... IF you know veggie cooking is good for you, but...... IF you need a short note on "what it is!!" on each recipe... IF you need somebody to lead you around the grocery store... IF you need complete meal recipes... AND you don't have a lot of time! GET THIS COOKBOOK !! After you use it, you will discover that you have the best veggie cookbook you'll ever see.... I wish you could see mine - it is almost in shreads from use. I'll be into my second print soon.

This woman loves her job!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars oh no, not out of print!, February 27, 2002

By 

frugal shopper (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fast Vegetarian Feasts (Paperback)

This is a truly outstanding cookbook, the one that I have relied on the most for a decade. I feel lucky to have bought it. The recipes for the most part, don't call for a lot of exotic expensive ingredients. The recipes are doable for everyday meals but very well crafted, having just enough of a gourmet touch that the food tastes superb, you feel like a great cook and you won't feel embarrassed to serve them to guests.

It's the kind of book that has lots of recipes that you'll make more than once because they're tasty, not too difficult and when you eat the results, you feel really nourished and cared for. Martha Rose Shulman's presentation style and storytelling is masterful as well, making the cookbook interesting and pleasurable to read.

I'm so sad that this book is out of print. My paperback copy is falling apart and I'd love a spiral bound replacement. I can still use mine, but I was hoping to order two or three copies for friends who liked the food I made using this cookbook.