Customer Reviews

The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook

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This book is great for learning about Jewish traditions. But I was disappointed by the selection of recipes. If you take away the Jewish recipe names, it is mostly just a standard collection of vegan recipes. I wanted to learn how to make vegetarian matzoh ball soup, tzimmes, noodle pudding and rugelach. Instead I found recipes for ratatouille, spicy peanut pasta, tamales and baklava. Which would have been fine for an international cookbook, but not what I was looking for in a Jewish cookbook. I ended up returning the book.

see the review in the Chicago Jewish Star, Jan. 15-28, 1999, page 8, by Ethel G. Hofman. an excerpt: "The appetizing menus and recipes offered for holidays and lifecycle events will tempt everyone who loves good food. Recipes for the most part are uncomplicated, well within the range of beginner cooks, and I like the fact that time-saving tiems, such as frozen vegetables and flavorins like teriyaki and tamarind sauces, are used."

In The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook, Roberta Kalechofsky collaborates with Rosa Raisel to combine Jewish tradition with innovative, meat-free recipes. Of special interest is the practical and "user friendly" advice on where to find vegetarian pareve products, how to make tofu into palate pleasing dishes, and how to properly store and cook beans and grains. Informative cultural commentary showcases original recipes that range from Golden Glow Shabbat Soup, to Syrian-Jewish Wheat Pudding. The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook is a welcome and welcoming addition to any personal or family cookbook collection!

you know, i am a book *seller*, not a buyer (nevermind a punkrock 22year vegetarian, thank you) & i was planning on selling this book, especially after reading the initial review of it, where the reader says there are no traditional recipes w/in etc & etc.
but i think that is kind of inaccurate. i really like this book & plan to keep it. a lot of these recipes are ethnic crossovers, it's true, but if traditional (esp eastern-euro-cum-to-america traditional) types are what you are looking for, theyre in here too. i - maybe i am alone in this but i doubt it - for 1, have never seen a vegetarian kishke recipe before. vegan/pareve no less. & youve got yr latkes, yr borscht (beet), 3 kinds of knishes, mock chopped liver, eggless challah..... right beside yr colcannon & tamale pie. here in california we call that making the whole family happy.
i guess there is a more israeli/sephardic bent/cant (whatever) to these recipes than might be initially expected - & i think that makes this book more unusual & more interesting rather than less. recipes like sharon fruit gratin (aka fuyus), galia melon halves w/ port, uppuma, or tofu in walnut pomegranate sauce are unlikely to be found elsewhere. & yes, while the authors do cull some recipes from other book sources, they are primarily from books that would be as easy to find in the states...
& hey, some of us 3d (or 4th or 5th.....) generation freethinkers have never even **seen** these blessings & that, particularly combined w/ the rad recipes, is pretty cool too.

This is a wonderful book. It not only talks about religious reasons to be a vegan, but it also gives menus, prayers and recipes for each Holiday through the year. Tips about which recipes can be made and kept warm are invaluable. There are renditions of all the Jewish classics such as Matzo ball soup and knishes plus some more exotic recipes. Many recipes could stand more seasonings, but it's nothing an everyday cook can't figure out.