Customer Reviews

Regina's Vegetarian Table: Your Invitation to Flavor, Freshness, and Health

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

This book is really a good one. The recipes are all easy to follow and the photos are all done very well. Prima Publishing did an outstanding job on this one.

I highly recommend this cookbook. The recipes are quite simple to make and soooooo delicious. My two favorite things about this book is the recipes do not call for exotic ingredients, so I'm constantly referring to this for my daily cooking. And, I love the wine suggestions following each entree. I can hardly wait for her next book to come out. I own too many cookbooks, but this is the one I am constantly using on a daily basis. I can't live without it.

This is from Chris, the sometimes sous chef/helper/foil for Regina on her TV series. This is the softcover version of Regina's first book, with all the same great recipes. 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.

After trying Regina's Herbed Ravioli Soup for the first time, I was floored at how good vegetarian could be. If this was vegetarian, I could easily convert. Well, I didn't convert, but I still grab Regina's book off the shelf from time to time, and I've never once been disappointed by a single recipe. Even my father, a devout carnivore, afraid to try new things, has always been pleased with Regina's fare. I can't wait for her second book to arrive! In the meantime, I highly recommend this book to anyone! You WON'T be disappointed!

This is a super cookbook! The recipes are very doable, with few special or hard-to-find ingredients. We're not totally vegetarian, except during Lent, but I still turn to this book at least once/week. For more great vegetarian recipes, check out Jeanne Lemlin's books too.