Very Vegetarian [Hardcover]

Jannequin Bennett (Author), Carl Lewis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 8, 2001

The number of people choosing meatless meals is on the increase. And a vegan vegetarian diet -- one without any animal products -- is an unusually healthy one because it is high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and very nutritious. "Too many vegan recipes have relied on exotic and difficult-to-find ingredients or tedious, time-consuming techniques," says Jannequin Bennett, executive chef of a restaurant in a AAA Five Diamond, Mobile Five Star hotel. "But Very Vegetarian has recipes made with common foodstuffs that are uncommonly delicious."

Very Vegetarian is presented by and introduced by 9-time Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis, who says that a vegan diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole complex carbohydrates, high quality proteins, and natural fats is the best way to ensure a person's health and longevity.

In addition to a wide range of more than 250 mouth-watering recipes, Very Vegetarian includes a helpful introduction about eating vegan and 16 pages of beautiful four-color photographs. The book will help the person who is beginning to choose meatless meals by providing nutritional information and recipes featuring familiar foods and techniques. For those who have more experience with a plant-based diet, the book offers recipes that will broaden their culinary horizons.

Endorsed by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine.

 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Indulgence is hardly the first word that comes to mind when one thinks of a vegan diet, but in Very Vegetarian, chef Jannequin Bennett proves that the two concepts are more closely related than one might think. After all, she explains, vegans "regularly partake of the very best foods--the most nutritious, appealing and tasty--that nature has to offer."

With more than 250 recipes, Bennett proves that you don't need animal products to eat delicious and satisfying foods. Soups, like Chunky Polish Borscht and Harvest Vegetable, are as hearty as any Grandma used to make. Appetizers like Spicy Corn Blini with Red Peppers and Shitakes and Artichoke and Spinach Phyllo Triangles will delight guests, and none will miss the traditional additions of meat and cheese. Entrées--from pastas and risottos to vegetable casseroles and baked, barbecued, and seared tofu dishes--are surprisingly appealing. With dishes like White Bean Ravioli with Caramelized Onion Sauce and Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Winter Fruits, Bennett brings a sophisticated culinary approach to this oft-maligned way of cooking and eating. Some of the desserts suffer from the use of vegan margarine and the lack of eggs, but Bennett hits the right note with those that rely on fresh fruit for flavor and texture, such as Pear Betty and Watermelon Ice.

Useful advice on how to ensure that you get the nutrition you need, how to continue to enjoy dining out, where to shop, and much more make this book a boon to vegans who aren't willing to give up flavorful meals for their health concerns or ethical beliefs. --Robin Donovan

From Publishers Weekly

Very Vegetarian by chef Jannequin Bennett, introduced by Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis, covers the basics of veganism and advises how to begin, what to stock in a vegan kitchen and how to guarantee sufficient nutrition. From snacks and sauces to main courses and desserts, delicious and satisfying concoctions such as Caponata, Arugula and Mushrooms with Pine Nuts, Sun-Dried Tomato and Lentil Burgers, Carl Lewis's Savory Black-Eyed Peas and Chocolate Raspberry Torte will assure happy healthy practitioners.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 8, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558539522
• ISBN-13: 978-1558539525
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #655,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm going to make every recipe!, February 4, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Very Vegetarian (Hardcover)

I am not vegan, but I got this cookbook 6 weeks ago and have been making nothing but its recipes ever since. So far, in the appetizers section, I've made the spinach and mushroom quesadillas (excellent, flavorful and beany) and the bruschetta with sun-dried tomato pesto and portobello mushrooms (beautiful presentation). The mushroom stock smelled great the whole time cooking. The miso soup was easy and quick, as were the potato and lentil soups. I've been delighted with how much flavor is in each dish. My friends have loved the basic, mustard-sherry and sesame-soy vinaigrettes. The potato salad was simple and tasty, although I did use real mayonnaise. Roasted red pepper coulis - I never would have thought of that on my own. The black bean burgers didn't hold together well, but the portobello mushroom burgers (cook in red wine) were AMAZING. Possibly my favorite so far. The spaghetti lentil sauce is delicious, and the sweet and sour eggplant stew was quickly eaten up in my house. The lemon zucchini risotto is summery and surprisingly light. I recommend soaking sun-dried tomatoes in hot water first, and then the farfalle with sun-dried tomatoes and portobellos is delightful. Macaroni and cheez - you have to enjoy the taste of yeast. I didn't care for it, but my housemates ate it up in one night. The apples in the curried couscous are a perfect pairing. The broccolli rabe dish was the best way I've ever had broccoli rabe before, although I omit the pine nuts because they're expensive. The acorn squash stuffed with wild rice and dried fruits is a perfect cold winter night dish - and it looked so pretty! The glazed tofu was amazingly flavorful considering how easy it is. No sheep's sheperd's pie has a delightful thyme flavor - I fed it to a true vegan who thorougly approved. You'd never believe there was tofu in the tofu banana bread. The pumpkin bread is great for sandwiches - not sweet, but savory. The whole wheat quick bread really is fast and easy - a great way to have fresh bread around without all the trouble. I decided pizza crust is too much of a hassle for me, but fresh pizza sauce is really not hard and wakes up your taste buds. The scrambled tofu and hash browns together make a great meal. Congee, a rice breakfast with pickled vegetables, was a new experience for me and I really liked it! The buckwheat cakes are great with the spiced apple maple sauce. I think of the muffins, I liked the good morning muffins best, but my house loved the blueberry bran and the polka dot muffins are good enough to be desert. Two of my vegan friends ate an entire pan of brownies in one sitting, and I brought the sugar cookies to a party and returned with an empty plate. The chocolate pudding was a bit too soy for me, but the pear betty was syrupy sweetness! That's all I've made so far, but it's inspired me to try so many new things, and the techniques just keep getting easier. It's making each meal time special. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to experiment with their cuisine in healthy, fulfilling ways. I would recommend a set of good knives, a food processor, and a fresh herbs budget to fully appreciate this book.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star vegan dining, July 24, 2002

By 

"error101" (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Very Vegetarian (Hardcover)

No doubt about it, this cookbook has some fantastic, delicious recipes that are great for adding some excitement to your daily vegan food rut.

The author puts forth an effort to incorporate both simple comfort dishes (seitan sausage and macaroni and "cheeze", for example) and complicated, fancy works of meatless art (chilled soba noodles on painted plates...), perfect for presenting as an elegant entree. The dishes are all very flavorful and are ideal for entertaining non-vegan guests. Rest assured, they will be very impressed!

However, be warned... many of the recipes have lengthy ingredient lists that may require a quick trip to the store to pick up a few things, including a wide variety of vegetables that you might not have at the time. But don't let that stop you, because once you get a feel for the dishes, you realize that they are very versatile and you can "play" with the ingredients, switching a vegetable here and there, using a different oil than is called for, or adding whatever you have leftover from the night before.

One of my favorite dishes has become the curried cous-cous, which is easy to make, low in fat, and it tastes amazing with the addition of apples and/or raisins! Also, I recently made the Everyday Chocolate Cake, paring it with a layer of raspberry preserves, the thick chocolate ganache to hold the layers together, and the chocolate glaze to top it, and it was absolutely the BEST chocolate cake I (or any of my guests) have EVER tasted. It was gone in about 15 minutes, and no one knew that there wasn't a single dairy product in the entire cake (which really cuts down on the saturated fat level)! The pear betty is another fabulous dessert... super easy to make, and really delicious in the summer (or any time for that matter).

In any case, this is a great cookbook with quite a few dinner ideas to set off that lightbulb in your head and get you cooking really delicious meatless, dairyless, meals.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book for entertaining, January 21, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Very Vegetarian (Hardcover)

I started with the Company Chocolate Cake which was absolutely fabulous! I'm not usually very good at making desserts, but I've already tried the Apple Cranberry Pie and the Gingerbread which turned out great (and were nice to look at too!) These are definitely desserts that you would never guess were dairy and egg free.
There are so many good recipes like the White Bean Ravioli with Caramelized Onion Sauce or the Artichoke and Arugula Salad. This is the vegan cookbook I will turn to from now on when company is coming. I can't wait to try more of the dishes!