The PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook: 240 Healthy and Easy No-Prep Recipes for Busy Cooks (Paperback)

by Donna Klein (Author) "Awaken your guests' appetites, and say "welcome" at the same time, with any one of this chapter's tasty appetizers..." (more)
Key Phrases: frozen chopped green bell pepper, soy cheese substitutes, nondairy sour cream, Cook's Tip, Monterey Jack, Middle Eastern (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
More than 240 healthy and easy no-prep recipes for creating delicious meals-in 30 minutes or less.

No chopping, peeling, slicing, coring, seeding, whipping, or blending required!

From appetizing hors d'oeuvres to impressive desserts, from casual weeknight suppers or elegant dinner parties, The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook is bursting with great-tasting recipes that eliminate the prep work by taking clever advantage of the best new convenience foods and innovative time-saving techniques.

The PDQ promise:

- More than 240 nutritious recipes for appetizers, soups, salads, sandwiches, main courses, side dishes, brunch, and desserts
- No cutlery, graters, juicers, electric mixers, blenders, or food processors required
- Tips on using convenience foods like ready-washed salad greens, pre-cut fruits and vegetables, jarred sauces, and ready-made crusts
- Most dishes ready in 30 minutes-with minimal kitchen clean-up
- Nutritional analysis of calories, protein, total fat, cholesterol, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and sodium for every recipe
- More than 100 egg-free, dairy-free vegan recipes with no tofu or other substitutes needed

About the Author
Donna Klein has contributed to the Washington Post, Vegetarian Gourmet, Veggie Life, Herb Companion, Body and Soul, and Yoga Journal. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and is the author of The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: HP Trade (December 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557884382
• ISBN-13: 978-1557884381
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #123,894 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Cookbook for Busy Cooks, July 28, 2005

By	Rae Atkinson (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This is a really good cookbook for busy cooks and mothers. It has a simple list of ingredients that most people will have on hand in their pantry. It is full of quick, easy recipes that are no-frills. Granted, they are not fancy, but when you have a hungry family and a life, fancy is not necessary. Sometimes I altar the ingredients a bit and add fresh herbs and veggies.

What I love about this cookbook is that there is so many vegan recipes. Although my family and I are not strict vegans, we mostly are. The vegan recipes are fantastic and sure to please any family. I also like how recipes are noted to be dairy free, egg free, lacto-ovo with vegan option, etc. It leaves a lot of room to improvise or change a few things. The recipes are also extremely kid friendly. Kids do not like fancy recipes. They like burritos, dips, pastas, etc. with no frills. My daughter will eat about anything I make out of this cookbook.

Unlike some vegetarian cookbooks, this one has yummy desserts. My daughter loves sweets and its hard to find good desserts that taste sweet and are fairly healthy. The Rasberries with Amaretto Cream is really good. There are quite a few vegan desserts in this cookbook that are quite tasty.

This is a good cookbook that belongs in any busy families cookbook collection. Most of these can be thrown together and made in 30 minutes or less which is great when its late and the kids are screaming they are hungry. The only thing I do not like is that there are no pictures. I like to view pictures of the food I am making to see what it looks like. But, its just a personal preference. Great Cookbook. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Grateful for this cookbook!, February 5, 2005

By	Amber (Gold Canyon, AZ) - See all my reviews

I bought this book because I have a 7 month old baby, and don't have the time or interest in spending an hour in the kitchen making meals. I need to get lunch and dinner on the table fast, and get on with it! Problem was, I was grabbing unhealthy stuff in a hurry and packing on some pounds. So when this book came out, I thought it would be the perfect solution--I could make quick, healthy meals that are flavorful and satisfying.

I have tried several recipes--the Chunky Tomato Rice soup, Hearty Black Bean Soup (so good, so easy), Veggie-Hummus Wraps (try those on a sun-dried tomato tortilla--MMMM!!) the Spanish Rice, English Muffin Pizzas, and the Crunchy Granola Peach Gratin. My husband, who is what I call a "Tag-Along Vegetarian", (not an official vegetarian, but I'm the cook, so that's how he eats) has gobbled up all these meals and asked for seconds.

Look, this is not a "gourmet" vegetarian cookbook. If you turn up your nose at "resorting" to bagged salad greens or frozen vegetables or tomatoes or beans out of a can, then this isn't for you. I have the Millennium cookbooks sitting on my bookshelf, and Deborah Madison, and Peter Berley, and they're all beautiful cookbooks that make for some wonderful food. But right now I need simple, fast recipes, and if that means some help from pre-washed spinach, so be it! And if you feel it's easier to modify a recipe by using an appliance, well duh! Go ahead! This cookbook is all about making vegetarian cooking work for you in your busy life.

The only reason I don't give it five stars is because I wish it was longer and in hardcover!

By the way, since joining the gym and cooking from this book, I've lost 8 pounds. Thank you Donna Klein!!!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "must have" addition to any vegetarian cookbook collection, January 6, 2005

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

PDQ stands for "pretty darn quick" and vegetarian veteran Donna Klein's The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook is specifically designed to showcase 240 nutritious, delicious, palate pleasing, "no-prep" recipes for today's time-stressed kitchen cooks seeking meatless menus for themselves and their families. Including more than 100 vegan dishes, the recipes comprising this "must have" addition to any vegetarian cookbook collection ranges from Easy Appetizer Burritos; Smoked Provolone and Roasted Red Pepper Panini; Asian-Style Coleslaw; and Mushroom Stroganoff Noodles; to Stir-Fried Cinnamon-Curried Rice with Peas, Dried Fruit, and Coconut; Creamy Polenta with Parmesan; Roasted Carrots with Chutney; and Blueberries in Cassis over Lemon Sorbet. No cutlery, graters, juicers, electric mixers, blenders, or food processors are required. Enhanced with tips on using convenience foods and with comprehensive nutritional analysis for each individual, "30-minutes or less" recipe, The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook is a "must" for working spouses and parents with a vegetarian life style.