The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook [Paperback]

Louise Hagler (Editor), Dorothy R. Bates (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1989

A classic book of soy-based recipes from some of the best cooks on "The Farm," an intentional community in rural Tennessee. Features over 250 cholesterol-free recipes for family favorites. Also included are detailed instructions for making tofu and other soyfoods at home, plus comprehensive nutritional information for a vegan diet.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Louise Hagler is one of the pioneers of soyfoods cuisine and has been creating vegetarian recipes since 1969. She is a member of the International Assoc. of Culinary Professionals, and does research and recipe development from her home in rural Tennessee. She is also the author of Tofu Cookery, Soyfoods Cookery, Meatless Burgers, and Tofu Quick and Easy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN); Revised edition (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913990604
• ISBN-13: 978-0913990605
• Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 4 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #72,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars hippie goodness September 3, 2007

By j.r.

Format:Paperback

There are two main categories of vegan food, I think -- well, surely there are more, but there's two common in western pop culture. There's the vegan food you like to eat with your non-vegetarian friends, to change their minds: veggie burgers that look like meat, salad dressings where you'd never suspect the cream was tofu, and classy, restaurant-ready fare that seems so 'normal' your friends say things like "I guess the days of lentil loaf and bean sprouts are over!" And then there's this stuff.

And this is the truly good stuff. The people on The Farm, I don't know how they did it... a great mail-order business, Ina May's pioneering work in midwifery (Ina May's Guide to Childbirth), and a cookbook that helped push forward the vegan movement way back in 1975. These people had a huge cultural effect for one little hippy commune. Anyway, on to the food:

If you read the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook from cover to cover (which, unlike most cookbooks, you can) you'll learn how to:
- prepare beans
- make TVP meatballs
- make tortillas, bake bread, pizza dough
- sprout seeds
- make knishes
- make gluten
- prepare soymilk
- skim yuba from cooking soymilk
- make tempeh from scratch (fascinating; looks very difficult)

The food prep instructions and recipes in the New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook make up a vegan 101 I wouldn't have been willing to read and absorb until fairly recently. It'll be popular with you if you're (1) already health-minded, (2) value non-processed foods enough to do the work, (3) organized food-wise, and willing to do things like leave the beans to soak the night before.... There are some quick recipes, but if you're more of a ten-minute cook I'd recommend instead you get How It All Vegan! or (even simpler) the Soy, Not Oi! cook-zine.

Recipes in the Farm book include Soysage, Tofu Onion Quiche, Gluten Roast, Tempeh Sauerbraten, Millet And Peas, Granola and many other hippie classics plus lots of other great soups, spreads, main dishes, desserts, breads, and a small section about pregnancy and having kids as a vegan.

I just made their macaroni and 'cheese' made with nutritional yeast (Nutritional Yeast, Shaker (Red Star), 5 oz._; a product I've never used much of before but which features in this book prominently. It was much, much better than the OK (but more convenient) boxed stuff Roads End Organics sells: Road's End Organics Dairy-Free Pasta Shells & Chreese, Cheddar Style, 6.5-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12). I was glad the recipe worked out because I'd been kind of daunted by nutritional yeast for awhile.

After the utility of this book I think I most appreciate the earnestness. Lentil loaf is good. Do not be ashamed! The Farm cooks also understand you don't want to support the corporate food giants, get your B12 from a pill or fortified anything, or buy a soy product you can't describe the manufacture of. If How It All Vegan is high school, the Farm Cookbook is college. The photograps of commune cooks stirring the baked beans in their mumus are also great.

One more point -- if you were to wholeheartedly adopt these recipes and food lifestyle as the book lays out, you would save a lot of money. (You can tell the Farm folks cooked for economy when they warn you to watch out for added mercury if you buy your soybeans at an animal-feed supply store.) The way most vegans and vegetarians in the west eat today doesn't represent much in the way of savings, because our processed foods, even if they're made of cheap ingredients, cost quite a bit. (Think of Yves slices, or commercial fake parmesan.) These people made awesome food at home from the cheapest, most straightforward and whole foods available. That's cool. Thank you hippies. Read more ›

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Vegan Bible March 18, 2002

By K. GRIFFIN

Format:Paperback

I must admit that just 6 months ago there was no way I could fathom the thought of eating vegan meals on a daily basis, until I tasted a recipe out of this book. Not only was I astounded but I was also insulted. Insulted because one of my own famous recipes that I had made for years (with meat), was "up-staged" by the vegan recipe I had tasted in the New Farm Cookbook. And to add insult to injury, it took only a fraction of the time to make it! One of the main things I like about the book is that the recipes are absolutely delicious, simple, and most of the ingrediants can be found in just about anybodies cupboard. From gluten roast to non-dairy cheesecake you just can't beat it. Anyone who wants to change their diet and are skeptical would do themselves a tremendous service to get this book. I have since bought another one in case something happens to my first one. It has changed my life and I can honestly say that it is truly worth its weight in gold. This is why I call it my Vegan Bible.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Staple cookbook January 8, 2005

By kaelen

Format:Paperback

I love this cookbook. i've been a vegan for almost five years and have had this since day one.

i recommend this book to all vegans just starting out. the recipes are very simple to prepare, and they are basic foods that everyone loves. this is the only cookbook where i've cooked almost everything in the book and liked it all. many vegans starting out may be intimidated and think they don't have many meal options. with these recipes, there are always leftovers that they can be munched on all week long. aside from the simplicity of the meals, the portions are large. i always make the TVP gravy and Sloppy Joes. there is minimal cooking involved and i always have leftovers.

for the experienced vegan, there are great recipes like alfredo sauce and meals with nutritional yeast (an acquired taste - i didn't eat it for a LONG time) that never get old. Janie's good biscuits are a classic!

another plus is that since the book was written in the 70's, there aren't any "special" ingredients needed. no extravagant gourmet meals here, you won't have to drive around town looking for kelp powder or mushrooms you've never heard of. highly recommended.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great veggie classic! June 18, 2004

By Fanshawe VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fist of all, skimming through this book is really a trip...I love the sort of "70's hippie layout" and hope they never change this!
As far as content, I have to echo others...a great book, chock full of great, simple recipes! My version is a little older, but I think that little has been changed over the years. It's a bit of a time capsule. It's just a wealth of great, basic vegetarian info. How to make your own tofu, tempeh, etc. In fact, you can still buy tempeh starter from the Mail Order Catalog (based at the Farm), follow the recipe here and you can't go wrong.
Most of the recipes are for family friendly, down home kinds of meals, just adapted to the veggie palate. One really gets the impression that many of the Farm folks, having presumably grown up on a sort of 50's homestyle cooking, reworked a lot of this into real family-type, comfort foods. My personal favorite recipe is the Soft Sandwich buns!
Speaking of family, there is a great deal of info here about vegetarian nutrition for pregnant and nursing women, and children.
The Farm has been around for decades, and is still going...they must be doing something right!