Customer Reviews

The Real Food Daily Cookbook: Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A passionate home cook that has been honing her cooking skills for the last 25 years, concentrating on Italian cooking for the last 10 years, writes this review. My favorite cookbooks are "The Professional Chef" by the Culinary Institute and "Culinary Artistry". With more than 500 cookbooks in my collection I am usually disappointed in my recent cookbook acquisitions. As a very recent convert to the vegan lifestyle (94 days) I have been feverously adding books to my vegan cookbook collection. This book is the best addition to my vegan cookbook collection so far.

I love the fact that the author does not rely heavily on white sugar and wheat flour to make vegan substitutes for old favorites. I did see a few recipes with white flour, but they are definitely in the minority.

The recipe section is subdivided as follows:
Starters and small plates
Salsas, sauces and gravies
Soups
Salads and dressings
Breads and spreads
Sandwiches
Side dishes
Daily spring entrees
Daily summer entrees
Daily autumn entrees
Daily winter entrees
RFD meal
Desserts

The directions provided for the recipes are very clearly written and easy to follow. I also like the beautiful photographs of many of the finished dishes.

As a recent vegan, the food that I miss the most has to be cheese. I was thrilled to see a number of cheese recipes included in this book. The author provides recipes for cashew and tofu cheddar as well as tofu ricotta.

The Bolivian samosa recipe that does not have a pastry outer wrapper fascinates me. This recipe is more a filled potato gnocchi, but is still good. This concept opens up a lot of possibilities for additional fillings. I also appreciate that it is baked, and not fried like a traditional Indian samosa.

Having recipes for pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies makes a vegan lifestyle much more palatable. Also, I will be trying both the carrot cake and cheesecake for the next celebratory occasion.

I have one minor criticism of the book. Locating some of the more unusual ingredients is easy in a major metropolitan area, however in more rural settings this could prove to be a problem. It would have been nice if the author had provided substitutes for some of these items. Some of the more unusual ingredients that the book relies on are as follows: Agar, Kombu, Nutritional Yeast, and Umeboshi. If you don't live near a Whole Foods, or Wegman's I would confirm that you have a source for these products before picking up this book. I would suggest trying Amazon's gourmet food area. I have found some very unusual food items there.

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to serve healthy meals to their family, be it everyday or just occasionally.

Ok, I am NOT a vegan, nor a vegetarian, nor macrobiotic. I dont particularly like vegetables. In traveling to LA, I had the good fortune to eat at ann gentry's restaurant in santa monica, real food daily, where this cookbook was on sale... Never, have I eaten food that literally ten minutes after eating do I feel stronger, healthier or invigorated. Based upon the great food at the restaurant, I purchased the cookbook, simply to make my dish from the menu, soba noodle surprise. At home, the effect was the same as the restaurant, so, I made a few more dishes. I am hooked! EVERY dish in this book is flavorful, rich, visually appealing and DELICIOUS. I have not gone wrong with ANY recipe. Ms. Gentry is a true master of this interesting cuisine. This book can be used by vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. I made the acorn squash with savory brown rice stuffing and golden gravy and brought it to a dinner party for 8. by the end of dinner, they all went online and bought this book. For my mom's garden club meeting, I made udon noodles with thai rice croquettes... again, by the fruition of the evening, I sold ten more copies of the book. Per week, I prepare at least 50% of my meals now from this one cook book. AMAZING - Stelle

You know a vegetarian restaurant is good when celebrity sightings are a regular occurrence. Real Food Daily has seen the likes of famous veggies such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Tobey Maguire, and Moby, just to mention a few. Located in Southern California, owner Ann Gentry steered away from the "granola" image of health food and created instead two hip, sophisticated and very successful restaurants, one in West Hollywood and the other in Santa Monica.

Comfort is the key word to this food. This beautiful cookbook with magazine styled food pics, is a joy to thumb through. I am one of those people who likes to see what the finished product will look like, so this is a bonus for me. I also love to read cookbooks, so I appreciate when they have good introductions. This one meets all my requirements.

The book opens with Gentry's story, a Real Food Daily Profile, and information on eating organically and with the seasons. There's also a useful Guide to Real Food, which tells you step by step how create a fabulous atmosphere and an unforgettable meal and lists all the tools you'll need to do it. Then, if you don't have much experience cooking with whole foods, there's a section on preparing grains, legumes, soy foods and more. Wouldn't you like to know the "top twenty real foods to always have in your kitchen"? I can't list them all here, but the list includes maple syrup, quinoa, and root vegetables just to give you an idea of the variety (and peak your curiosity, of course).

Finally, the recipes. Oh, the recipes. I started with guacamole. I figured if they could make it special, then they'd have me hooked. The intro boasts that their guac is "so rich and sinful tasting that people never believe we make it without sour cream." First, I was horrified to think that I'd unknowingly eaten sour cream with my last Mexican meal, then my interest was piqued. Honestly, this is the best guacamole recipe I've ever made, and I've made many a bowl in my time.

There are raw recipes sprinkled throughout the book, and I loved how the entrees were divided into four sections corresponding to the seasons. Real Food Daily is closed every Thanksgiving, but they provide a long list of loyal customers a complete ready-made Thanksgiving take-out meal, and yes, the recipes are included here. We were traveling this past Thanksgiving and didn't celebrate it for the first time in my life, so these dishes will grace my Christmas dinner table, and
I can hardly wait to see the looks on my guest's faces!

This beautiful book has become one of the most treasured in my collection, and it would make a great gift for that special someone - veg or not - on your list.--Melanie Wilson

I recently moved to Austin, TX from Los Angeles, CA. While my husband and I have managed to find some very good restaurants here, we've yet to find a vegetarian restaurant we love as much as Real Food Daily. Imagine our delight at discovering Ann Gentry had written a cookbook!
The recipes in her cookbook are excellent! We've made the Lentil Walnut Pate, Hummus, Miso Soup, the Chocolate Chip cookies, the Double layer chocolate cake, and the Double layer Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting and they all came out just as delicious as the restaurant's versions. We've also made the Creamy Broccoli Soup with Red Pepper Cream, the Turkish Lentil Soup, the Thai Rice Croquettes with Udon Noodles and Peanut Sauce, the Tofu Quiche with leeks and Asparagus, the lasagna, Barbequed Tofu and finally tonight we enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Tempeh with Vegetables served with Basmati Rice Pilaf with Roasted Peanuts and Cilantro.
I am bragging about having made all these dishes in order to point out how "do-able" they are. Not one of these recipes disappointed us, and they were all easy to make. Some require a little more planning and prep time than others, but there are several that are super simple. If we have any criticism it would be about the enormous amount of food each recipe makes! Perfect for dinner parties, but for two or three people you may want to consider cutting the recipes in half.
My two-year-old son also approves of these recipes! He especially loves the Lentil Pate served with rice crackers and of course he loves the cookies!!.
I must also point out that my husband is a meat-eater and loves these recipes. He is always fully satisfied after eating one of these meals (and usually gets to the left-overs before I do!)
I've never cooked so many recipes from one cookbook before!
Thank you Ann for finally sharing your great recipes with the rest of us!

This cookbook has been a wonderful addition to my collection. The recipe for the Cashew Cheddar is unbelieveably good and may cause me to give up dairy cheese. The consistency is perfect! The Ceaser salad with blackened tempeh is one of the best dishes I have made at home. I am a vegetarian, moving towards veganism with a husband who eats meat. He has loved these recipes as well.

This book definitely has multiple steps, and is more complicated that a basic book (you won't make these when you are in a hurry for dinner in 20 minutes) but the results are delicious and unique. Some of the ingredients are unusual, but I live in a larger city and have not had a problem finding them. I have enjoyed learning about these new ingredients. This book has definitely helped take my cooking up a notch. A worthy investment!

Just to update - favorite recipes so far are: sweet and sour tempeh, thai rice croquettes, ying yang salad with soba noodles, mexicali chop, mac and cheese, and the blackened tempeh ceaser.

Real Food Daily is a superb all-purpose vegan cookbook. Ms. Gentry's recipes are delicious, wholesome, attractive, and inspiring.

I most appreciate her enormous contribution to making vegan food choices tasty and exciting.

Be assured that you will receive value many times the price of this cookbook.

Some of my favorite recipes are: Hummus, Guacamole, Pico de gallo, Carrot Salsa, Cucumber Raita, Golden Gravy, Black Bean Soup, Tortilla Soup, Corn & Black Bean Salad, Southern Corn Bread, Pear & Apple Compote, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, Cranberry Relish, and Carrot Cake.

How impressive that Ms. Gentry shares her discoveries and culinary wisdom with the owners of this fantastic book. She is truly a pioneer/leader for all of us who eat a whole-foods-plant-based diet.

Rebecca Wolfe
Monroe, NC

If you want to prepare vegetarian food that's incredibly delicious, the secrets are in this book. I have served this food to family, friends, neighbors, and taken dishes to parties to share. Everyone always loves it! I am so happy to share with others the fact that you can have vegetarian food that is satisfying and scrumptious. Ann Gentry's recipes are brilliant. I always feel so good after eating this food.

While it takes time for some of the recipes, you can just make a bottle of one of the dressings and pour some over brown rice and cooked greens, sprinkle on some toasted sesame seeds and voila; it is so simple and fast and healthy.

Changing the way you eat takes some dedication to familiarize yourself with some new ingredients and flavors. This book is a short cut to learning vegetarian cooking. The directions are clear and the results are excellent.

I was in Santa Monica for a month and dicovered RFD. Being vegetarian led me to the restaurant and the incedible food there, led me to purchasing the cookbook. I felt so lucky to be able to take home the secrets behind this wonderful food. One taste of any of the dishes will have you wanting more! I don't know how to explain it, but the food this book helps you to create will make you want to share it with everyone. This is a cookbook filled with recipes not only vegetarians, but for people who who just love good wholesome comfort food.

Very few cookbooks have kept my attention for so long. Anne Gentry's book is full of vegan delights that are so flavorful. The barbequed tofu is fantastic and will please the staunchest tofu-sceptic. Seitan recipe is wonderful and versatile. I really appreciate her bent towards whole grains as well because that is how we eat.
There are a lot of spices to add and veggies to chop for some of the recipes- like the tacos which take hours to prepare but for a special meal for guests your payback comes when people start digging in. I learned a lot from this cookbook and intend to try every recipe-including the desserts because I have loved everything I have tried.

More than ten years ago, Ann Gentry opened her first Real Food Daily restaurant in Santa Monica, California. She served a unique mix of California cuisine and southern comfort foods that were all vegan and organic. The restaurant was so popular that she has since opened additional locations in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood. If you're not lucky enough to live near a Real Food Daily, don't despair. The Real Food Daily Cookbook is a collection of 150 of the restaurants' most popular dishes.

The book begins with a Guide to Real Foods where ingredients, methods, and equipment are explained. Then it's on to recipes. Starter dishes include Phyllo Triangles with Spinach and Tofu Cheese (a delicious, vegan version of spanakopita) and Better Than Cheddar Nachos. The large selection of soups include Quinoa Vegetable Soup, Asparagus and Cilantro Soup, and Curried Yellow Split Pea Soup.

The cookbook includes lots of salads including Asian Slaw with Wasabi Vinaigrette and Caesar Salad with Blackened Tempeh. There are sandwiches such as the RFD Burger, which was named one of the Top Five Burgers in LA by Citysearch.

Gentry's macrobiotic influence is apparent from the way the entr?e sections are presented - by season. Spring Entrees include Seitan Enchiladas with Salsa Verde and Tofu Quiche with Leeks and Asparagus. Summer Entrees include Red Bean Chili with Butternut Squash and Okra and Sweet and Sour Tempeh with Vegetables. For autumn dinners, try Baked Spelt Macaroni with Cashew Cheddar Cheese or Faux Turkey Breasts made from tempeh. Winter Entrees include some real comfort foods like Salisbury Seitan and Creole Tempeh Gumbo.

To accompany your entr?e, there are plenty of side dishes like Spanish rice and garlicky greens. You'll also want to try the breads and spreads such as Multi-Grain Quick Bread and Tahini-Miso Spread.

The dessert section features treats like Pecan Pie and Double Chocolate Layer Cake. Many of the desserts are wheat-free (though not gluten-free). My children particularly liked the Peanut Butter and Jam Cookies.

All the recipes I tried came out very nicely. Most are not exactly quick meals but the recipes are much less complicated than many restaurant cookbooks that I have tried. For the most part, the recipes are very family friendly. I would love to be able to go to one of Gentry's restaurants and have these dishes cooked for me and my family - but having this cookbook is definitely the next best thing to being there.

Since writing this initial review I made Gentry's homemade seitan and used it to make salisbury steak. It was incredible and best of all easy. My family raved!