Customer Reviews

New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant

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

 

 

Anyone who searched in the 80's for vegetarian recipes found a consistent diet of macrobiotics, imitation meatloaves and pasta recipes. Even the original (wonderful) Molly Katzen books were lacking in the divine. "New Recipes from Moosewood" seemed a true breakthrough to me. Try their salad dressings, try their tofu burgers and tofu falafel. Above all, try the bulgar wheat casserole with feta, zucchini and tomato, the Japanese eggplant and tempeh and YOU MUST NOT MISS THE EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH CURRIED POTATOES AND VEGETABLES. In most, if not all, recipes, double the spices. Even visitors to the restaurant have described the food as somewhat bland. For instance, for tofu burgers (baked, freezable, and miles above any other "veggy" burger I've run into, use all the spices and half the tofu. And MAKE THEIR PITA BREAD!!

They would have done well to omit the dessert section. Common recipes, tending toward the heavy and sweet(Honey Cake, pound cake, fruit cobblers, and so on.).

Leans heavily on cheeses (which a creative chef can substitute out, especially with the low fat cheeses available now, 12 years after the book was written) and is light on vegan. But you can't go truly meatless and maintain the sensuality of food without this book.

i've had this book for something like thirteen years now, it's a classic of course and my copy is falling apart it's so well-used. all the recipes i've tried have been well-conceived, well-explained and really good, though i should mention that a few of the dishes sound so dull i haven't even tried them. but only a few, and that's true of any cookbook. but all that is beside the point, since this book is worth FAR more than $16.95 for one recipe alone: the spinach lasagna bechamel. it's just ridiculously good, and you will make it over and over, whether you're veggie or not (i am not). if only for that recipe, you can not miss with this cookbook and i highly recommend it.

The Moosewood cookbooks have some very creative, elegant and not too difficult recipes that are worthwhile even if you aren't vegetarian. Some of my favorite recipes are in this book, and it's really useful for dinner parties, especially if some of the guests don't eat meat. The Moosewood Collective is a hold-over from the late 60's and early 70's. It's a restaurant near the Cornell University campus, run by a "collective" or communal group of owners who share the restaurant proceeds equally while doing any of the jobs, such as cooking or washing dishes. The Moosewood New Recipes are international in flavor, ranging from Middle Eastern dishes like Baba Ganoush and Hummus (eggplant and chickpea dips) to French soups, Asian noodle dishes and Hispanic, Greek, and Italian dishes as well. There are some "gourmet" creations like Chilled Cantaloupe-Amarretto Soup and also some earthy ones like Creole Beans and Rice. My particular favorite is the Tempeh Reuben Sandwich. Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake that scares off all but the most dedicated vegetarians. But here, tempeh becomes a delicious substitute for corned beef. In fact, I prefer Tempeh Reubens to the classic ones--more flavor, less fat. Frankly, the book is worth the price for this recipe alone. Now, this book isn't 100% vegetarian (because fish is included, and they were part of the animal kingdom last time I checked.) And cheese is used, so vegans will find the recipes limiting. But if you want to jazz up your cooking and use more vegetables, this book is a real find. In particular, the appendix section on cooking dried beans is particularly helpful if you want to make inexpensive but delicious dishes like rice and beans (black beans or Creole red are both included here, as well as a navy bean soup.)

I have been a vegetarian for roughly 20 years and have managed to accumulate about 150 vegetarian cookbooks over the course of my veggie existence. For anyone who is an avid vegetarian cook, Moosewood cookbooks will sooner or later rear their head - mainly because there are quite a few raving reviews. As such, I have owned three Moosewood cookbooks for quite a few years - none of them make it out of my bottom-ten worst cookbooks - and that includes this one. I bought one, hated the recipes, thought I must be crazy because there were so many great reviews, and bought another one only to be disappointed again.

Obviously, expectations vary widely as do individual palates - and this particular book falls flat on it's face. The recipes are little more than outdated versions of an "let's-find-a-substitute-for-that-meat-centerpiece" approach to vegetarian cooking. Sure, some of the approaches used within this book sound rather appetizing (Buddha's Jewels on p. 83) come to mind - and yet, they cannot live up to their promises. Results are consistently bland and consistency can easily be a turn-off as well.

I simply cannot recommend this book - not while other, much better books are available. Instead, opt for Jack Bishop or Carol Gelles - who rarely disappoint. If you want a restaurant cookbook, look for Green's - but be prepared for long recipe lists...

For me, Moosewood is more a brand-name than actual substance. I'd stay away but perhaps Moosewood cooking is simply not for me - if you are unsure, buy one book and try it out. If you hate it, you've only lost a few bucks, if you love it (like most others), you will have many more cookbooks to choose from in the future.

I've had this book since 1994 and is falling apart as well. This is my most favorite cookbook I must say for every recipe I've tried comes out perfectly delicious. Obviously not for the veggier-than-thou. But if you love vegetables and are looking for different ways to prepare them this is a wonderful book.

It's hard not eating meat, and I succumb often, usually with delicious fish dishes, always on Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I just love sitting down to a big turkey dinner with family and friends. But most of the time I try to stay away from meat, even though I quiver when I drive by a Mickey D's and smell that aroma. Yes, it's alright, I believe, to admit that you like going to McDonald's on occasion.

Anyway, I'm rambling when I should be focusing my attention on this wonderful cookbook, this gem from the Moosewood Restaurant people that is chucky-jam-crammed full of tasty vegetarian fare. If you have a spouse who screams for his steak, meatballs or pork chops, try serving him up Japanese Braised Eggplant or the Moroccan Stew Moosewood Restaurant style, you'll have his mouth watering, have him begging for more. In fact, I'd say if you want to be a vegetarian, you can throw all your other cookbooks away and just use this one. That's my opinion anyway and I'm sticking to it.

This is not one of the better cookbooks in the Moosewood cook book selections. The recipes take a little to prepare and just aren't as flavorable as recipes from the other books. It's sort of a remake of other recipes in the other books. I would recommend the 30 minutes or less book over this one.

Fans of vegetarian cooking will find New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant an inviting guide which packs in new recipes from the Moosewood collective's restaurant. From main course vegetarian dishes to spicy casseroles and vegetable side dishes, this is filled with fresh new ideas for dishes for the entire meal.