Regina's Vegetarian Table : Over 200 Full-Flavored and Easy-To-Prepare Recipes [Hardcover]

Regina Campbell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 1998

Regina Campbell's philosophy of dining is simple: Enjoy!

For over eight years she has been developing her recipes with one goal in mind: to make vegetarian cooking a pleasurable and practical reality for everyone to enjoy.

So she set out to create recipes that explode the myth that vegetarian cooking is a time-consuming hassle. By combining fresh ingredients with perfectly acceptable frozen and other convenient substitutes, she has perfected a 'real world' vegetarian cuisine that anyone can follow.

But here is the real surprise. These recipes are incredibly delicious! Regina is a wizard in the kitchen, and her recipes, while short on hassle, are long on flavor. Discover her magic touch on such dishes as Chilled Lemon-Rice Soup, Portabello Parasols, Cajun Cauliflower and Potatoes, and Thai Garlic Dip.

In addition to great recipes, Regina has filled her book with nutritional tables, culinary facts, and fascinating historical anecdotes.

About the Author

Regina Campbell is a cook, columnist, television producer, writer, and on-air personality who lives in Sacramento with her son, Stuart, and her bichon freise, Genie. Regina became a vegetarian in 1985 and began her culinary media career in 1992, writing "Vegetarian in the Kitchen," a weekly column for the Sacramento Bee. Her highly acclaimed cooking demonstrations on public television led to her own PBS television series, Regina's Vegetarian Table. The series is based on recipes from this book. She is currently writing a second volume, Regina's Vegetarian Table II: Great Vegetarian Cuisine of the World.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Regina Campbell has taken the 90s to heart and opted for a multimedia assault on vegetarian cuisine. Her new cookbook, Regina's Vegetarian Table, follows on the heels of the acclaimed PBS show of the same name, and of "Vegetarian in the Kitchen," her weekly column for the Sacramento Bee. While the new book is not an official companion volume to the television show (posing the classic chicken or egg conundrum, but in a vegetarian sense), the series is based on recipes from the book. Campbell's approach to her book is based on her own simple and self-proclaimed philosophy: "Enjoy!" and "Simplicity is the key." The result is a cookbook with enough diversity to appeal to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Instead of the tofu, tempeh and soy milk recipes that seem to dominate many vegetarian cookbooks, Campbell opts for refreshing and unique diversity. Try the Smoked Mushroom Medley Lasagna, or the Orange Carrot Souffle for exciting new twists on old themes. For sometime vegetarians who like at least the thought of meat in their cooking, the chapter on soy cooking will prime the imagination. The Not-so-sloppy Joes and Tempeh Tacos are a healthy and delicious alternative to the original dishes. All the recipes are designed with the home chef in mind. The book opens with a short primer on common ingredients in vegetarian cooking, along with advice on cooking oils and recommended cooking methods. Throughout the book, shortcuts are offered wherever possible and many recipes contain notes on ingredients and possible substitutions for hard-to-find vegetarian items. In a delightful added feature, Campbell has wine expert David E. Berkley offer suggestions with each recipe, offering an excellent blend of good wine and great food. --Mark O. Howerton

Review

Vegetarian Cooking for Real People!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Prima Lifestyles (March 4, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761506977
• ISBN-13: 978-0761506973
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,609,025 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good but not perfect, November 19, 2001

By 

Kim D (Chicago IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Regina's Vegetarian Table : Over 200 Full-Flavored and Easy-To-Prepare Recipes (Hardcover)

This book is pretty good - there are a decent number of recipes that are delicious and have become a staple in my diet.

Standouts incode New England Risotto, Polenta Mexicana, Gumbo Stew (vegan) and Stuffed Zucchini Provencal.

However, there are a few problems:
1. too much dairy: I am not vegan, but after eating a few recipes from this book, I feel cheesed out. Many of the recipes are quite heavy. The Smoked Mushroom Lasagna, which many people rave about, was too greasy, cheesy, and rich for me.

2. Butter: Regina wrote this book during brief period in which people thought butter was healthier than margarine. Therefore margarine is never mentioned, only butter. Do I really need to use so much butter?

3. Instruction problems/omissions/vagueness: Sometimes, Regina forgets to mention where a certain ingredient comes in - it's in the list, but never mentioned in the text. So you have to guess. Also, she says "add seasoning to taste" often. I wish she would provide a range, since I have no idea.

4. Recipes take more time than one would expect: The blurb on the jacket implies this is a good book for busy people ("She has found wonderful shortcuts" "without going to time-consuming extremes"), however, most of the recipes take plenty of time to make. I mostly use this book for weekend cooking.

This book would be more useful if there were estimated preparation times for each recipe.

5. There is no vegan recipe index, although I've seen this in several other cookbooks.

Faults aside, this is still a good book to have, as long as you are not vegan.

Another nice aspect is the huge variety of cheeses used in the recipes. If you are curious about what other cheeses taste like and what they are used for, this cookbook will help you explore them - Gruyere, Edam, Smoked Gouda, Provolone, etc. You'll wonder why so many people limit themselves to American, Cheddar and Mozarella.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best cookbook I own! Fabulous!, April 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Regina's Vegetarian Table : Over 200 Full-Flavored and Easy-To-Prepare Recipes (Hardcover)

I saw Regina Campbell on her PBS cooking show, "Regina's Vegetarian Table," and loved her cooking style, philosophy, and recipes so much that I had to buy the book. What a worthwhile purchase! This book has given me the best recipes out of all of the cookbooks I own. Some of my favorites are the mushroom pasta provencale, banana bread, and fresh peach cobbler. All the recipes are easy to prepare, but use fresh & easily accessible ingredients. My meat-eating husband loves the dishes I have prepared from this book. Regina has done a wonderful job adapting her recipes to taste like they contain much more fat & oil than they actually do. I especially love her technique of sauteing in water or vegetable broth, and adding oil afterwards (this technique is explained in the book). I can't wait for her new cookbook to come out. You won't be disappointed with this one!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take it from Chris, that guy next to Regina, December 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Regina's Vegetarian Table : Over 200 Full-Flavored and Easy-To-Prepare Recipes (Hardcover)

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This cookbook isn't just for vegetarians (I'm not one). It's for anyone who likes good food. If you are an omnivore, this is the perfect book to provide great meals many times every week. You won't miss a thing. If you're a vegan, just substitute non-dairy alternatives. It can move you into new cuisines with ease, fill you up, keep you light, provide wide variety, and most are fun to prepare. I ate it while we taped it. I use the book constantly at home. This book takes vegetarian eating out of bland or boring and into great tasting, filling and fun.