Customer Reviews

Vegetarian Classics: 300 Essential and Easy Recipes for Every Meal

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

 

 

Using mostly kitchen shelf ingredients, Ms. Lemlin's book has provided our family with wonderful breakfast lunch and dinner recipes. Honestly, there is not one bad recipe in the bunch. I first took this book out of the library, paid lots of late fines and eventually, reluctantly, took the book back. My daughter bought it for me, and now I am buying her and her sister a copy of the book. The techniques are simple, the ingredients easily available and the outcome is consistent every time. I highly recommend this for either vegetarians or those who simply enjoy wonderful interesting food.

I've been collecting vegetarian cookbooks for years. Some I seldom use except for a favorite recipe or two. But Jeanne Lemlin's cookbooks are on my favorites list and I use them often. Her recipes are delicious, easy to prepare and satisfying to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. I own all of her cookbooks and would rejoice if she were to publish another one.

I am a huge fan of all of Jeanne Lemlin cookbooks, and this is just another addition to my collection. I am not a vegetarian, but don't eat much meat. I like simple recipes, easy to find ingredients, a good balance of nutrition, and most of all, delicious recipes. Oh, and I really like it when just one dish fulfills all these needs and you don't need side dishes (keeping it simple). Jeanne Lemlin cookbooks all meet my criteria. Some of my favorite recipes from this particular book are: Braised White Beans with Tomatoes, Zucchini, and Garlic; Classic Vegetarian Enchiladas (actually, those are in the oven right now), cooked tomato-chipotle salsa, and the Mock Meatloaf (I made this for Christmas, along with the mushroom gravy and some mashed potatoes- I made meatloaf sandwiches with the leftovers and my husband raved. The funny thing is, I HATE meatloaf made with real meat). There are many others I love, and many I haven't tried yet.

I try recipes from a lot of vegetarian cookbooks, and this one is consistently awesome. I actually bought this one (normally I borrow them from the library) so I could have it for quick reference.

Excellent, delicious recipes with clear directions and layout. I probably use it at least once a week but more if you count the recipes I've memorized. :) My only criticism is the frustrating index in the back of the book which makes it next to impossible to quickly find something you remember.

There's a section at the front of the book that explains most of the ingredients - where to buy, how to store and use - great for people who are a little shy about using new ingredients. It's a good book for beginners or people who are experimenting with adding more vegetarian options to their diet. There is a section on planning meals at the back that lets you put together a menu of complementary items and makes it easy to ensure good and balanced nutrition.

Directions are clear and interesting information is given about food and its uses, as well as easy-to-follow instructions for creating some kitchen basics so you don't have to succumb to store-bought preparations.

Only criticism is, I wish it was spiral bound or had one of those lay-flat bindings to keep it open on the countertop.

Highly recommended.

I made three recipes in this book before giving up in frustration. If the flavors weren't uninteresting and one-dimensional, the technique described was a failure. I much prefer Deborah Madison's books, as well as Molly Katzen's.

This cookbook is a superior value, especially for casual cooks who wish to increase the number of vegetarian meals in their diet. It presents an excellent variety of dishes which avoid the preconceptions of a vegetarian regimen by presenting a wide variety of vegetable, grain, bean, and pasta dishes, avoiding a heavy concentration on the expected vegetable proteins. Herein lies the irony of the book's title. By successfully including a very wide variety of recipes and by having no reservations about using dairy and egg products in the recipes, Ms. Lemlin probably ends up with a volume where `classic' vegetarian dishes are very much in the minority. I think a major hint that the title was given simply for marketing effect is the fact that Jeanne at no time gives a definition of what she considers a `classic' vegetarian dish. I certainly don't know what that definition may be. That said, let me repeat that this is a very good cookbook.

When I began reading this cookbook in order to review it, I set out with the deliberate intention of finding things which would justify fewer than five (5) stars, since I seem to be giving a lot of five star reviews lately. I am happy to say I did not find any egregious errors aside from the inappropriateness of the title. I will not hold that against the book. I will only warn you again, dear reader, that the title may be misleading.

The only issue of substance I have with the book is it's treatment of rice dishes. There is not a single risotto recipe in the whole book. And, what, I ask you, may be a more classic meatless dish than mushroom risotto made with a vegetable stock. Otherwise, the treatment of rice is also a bit skimpy. The author relies on the conventional wisdom of two parts water to one part rice for cooking white rice. Even a cursory glance at the back of the Uncle Ben's box shows this is not strictly true. Many sources concur that a less than two to one ratio is always better, and the relative amount of water should decrease as the amount of rice increases. Fortunately, there are numerous books specializing in rice cookery which I recommend you consult. An especially good discussion of plain rice cookery can be found in John Thorne's book `A Pot on the Fire'. Another minor rice gaff is when Ms. Lemlin says arborio rice is very short grained. I believe it is actually a medium length rice. Still very good for risotto of course.

As this book has some 300 recipes and can be bought for less than $12 dollars, I consider this a great bargain, considering the quality of the recipes. For the hard cover at $30, I would give it only 4 stars. For the paperback, I give it the full five!