Vegetarian Books

This is a solid cookbook for vegans or anyone who would like to venture a little bit out of their "ingredients comfort zone." What I clearly did not like about this cookbook was that the recipes were very time consuming! Sometimes you even had to prepare some ingredients, like for example, Tofu Whip (another two-page, two-hour recipe), in order to make a small snack. While I love to cook even if it takes effort and time this book pushed me a bit over the edge.
One final thing I thought was quite amusing was that the author claims in the introduction, that organic produce contains more vitamins than regular produce. While that might (or might not) be true it is slightly beside the point. I choose to eat organic food because of the things it DOES NOT contain (pesticides and the like) and because it saves our environment.
Anyway, I would not recommend this book unless you don't mind spending hours on preparing these dishes.

Book was delivered in excellent time and in the condition specified. Packaging was neat and professional.

Delicious, beautiful vegan, vegetarian recipes. Makes me happy I am changing my lifestyle. Recipes are very easy to follow.

full of delicious recipes that always work. Make sure to try the Pecan Pie, both the chocolate (wheat-free) and carrot cakes, the chocolate chip cookies (also wheat-free), the hummus (not innovative, but somehow the best ever), seitan "chicken fingers", ranch dressing, "sour cream"...oh, so many good ones! One of my favorie vegan cookbooks.

So far, I have enjoyed everything I have made from this book. Some of the recipes are rather long and I have had to search for some of the ingredients but I am not disappointed in the quality of the food or the flavor.
I make it a point to eat at RFD every time I am in LA and now I can enjoy their wonderful meals at home! Everything from Country Style Miso to BBQ tofu to Salisbury Seitan. I have a new love for simply steamed Collard Greens and Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips.
The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is because of the complexity of the recipes.

For the price, this book isn't bad. It uses a ton of very natural and healthy ingredients and the recipes themselves are all very tasty. They are all very "light" which makes them great diet food or summer fare.

My problem is that there is very little variation. There are soups... and pasta / rice /starch... and beans. And that's about it. Of course then there are beans with pasta... pasta with soup... soup with beans... and so on. But after awhile there's only so much you can do with these categories of food before you get really bored. The flavor variations in this book didn't strike me as very unique, and it's easy to get tired of making the same recipes over and over, even though they're very tasty. The ones that are unique and original -- where the author tries to combine flavors from different ethnic cuisines into one meal -- weren't quite as good as the rest of the recipes. And none of the meals kept me full for very long -- I was hungry within an hour or two of eating. Of course this isn't a problem if you're able to eat frequently, but for someone who works, goes to school, and generally isn't home often and only stops for food two or three times a day, being hungry constantly gets annoying fast.

These are also really not kid-friendly recipes (not that it was advertised as such; just a warning).

I still keep this book around for the few recipes that are winter favorites, like the mushroom barley soup, but I don't think I'd recommend it.

These recipes are fairly simple, but may not be detailed enough if you're brand new to the kitchen. The ingredients are common and easy to find. This simplifies your shopping, but does lead to some repetition among the recipes. The dishes I have tried have been tasty and satisfying. Unfortunately, there is no nutrition information given.
A cookbook I use a lot more is "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen" by Donna Klein.

Lots of interesting recipes, and they are not too intimidating for beginners like myself.

I am not a vegan, but I am nursing my 7-month-old who is allergic to dairy, soy, eggs and nuts. This cookbook is full of nutricious, tasty and exciting meals I can actually eat. I would recommend this book to anyone--independent of their dietary needs.

I've had this cookbook for four years and I love it. The recipes are all very good and aren't missing anything by not having meat or dairy. They're very creative, restaurant-worthy recipes that non-vegans such as myself will love as well. I like that the author didn't try to copy recipes with meat and dairy like "macaroni and cheeze", which never taste like what they're trying to imitate although they might be good if you don't think of it as mac and cheese. I especially enjoy the soup and chili recipes!

This book is excellent. She covers all the basics and has a supern nutrition section at the back which provides information about the nutritional values of all kinds of different foods. If you have a vitamin deficiency you can just look at the back and see which foods to add.

Very pleased with the book. In excellent condition. The first order was lost by the Post Office and Amazon kindly and immediately sent another one, which was received expeditiously. Thank you very much.

I own dozens of vegetarian cookbooks, old and new, but I find myself returning to this one again and again. I consider it my "vegetarian comfort food cookbook". Published long before we all developed fat phobia, this book contains rich, flavorful foods. Lots of dairy, so not the best for vegans, but meat lovers won't miss the meat.

I own one of the first Laurel's Kitchen Cook books. I have given this book to many friends who love to cook and enjoy reading about food. I think every Vegetarian would want this on their book shelf. A great book!

This was my first cookbook, bought when it was hot off the press, and even though I now own dozens of books, I go back to this one time and again. But it really was ahead of its time, with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates that's still hard to find. I think it deserves to be updated (ingredients that were were rare in the 80's can now be found in almost any supermarket, and much more is known about nutrition), new recipes added, and marketed for a wider audience than vegetarians.

When this book arrived I read it through immediately. I was hoping for a book of soups that I can use for weight control while not feeling cheated. However, there is an overwhelming quantity of recipes with cream in them. That makes this book not helpful for people with allergies, dairy intolerance, vegetarian leanings, cholesterol problems, or weight issues. I'm disappointed. Nevertheless, I'm heartened by the reviews of the recipes here, so I will try the ones that are suited to my diet needs and hope for the best.

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups
I bought this book to help with my column in my Master Gardener newsletter. My recipes are chosen to utilized the bounty from our gardens. This book does this well, I use it often, always giving credit to the Monks. While reading this book I can almost feel the Monks next to me. It is a lovely feeling any time I use it. Each month they feature a recipe using the produce that is in season, Squash soup for November and so on. If you love soup this book is one you will enjoy. You will also lake some of the comments at the bottom of the page for each month.

I bought this originally just wanting another soup cookbook, as I tend to live off soups. While other soup cookbooks seem to thrive off 20 different competing flavors, these soups thrive on their very simplicity. It makes both eating and making the soup like a meditation. You'll be amazed how a soup so simple can taste so good. You dont need tons of spices and different steps to appreciate the basic(and yummy!) taste of the vegetables.

I bought this book for my mother, who has loved it for the last 7 years. She has systematically made every soup in the book. Aside from the beer soup... they were all delicious.
Have fun!

'Twelve Months of Monastery Soups' is my second-favorite cookbook, by virtue of the copies I've given to other cooks. (Bernard Clayton's 'Complete Book of Soups and Stews' is #1) Complete Book of Soups and Stews

In my many years of cooking, I've enjoyed soupmaking because:
1. It doesn't take a lot of work to make a soup,
2. It is pretty hard to ruin the dish if you follow the recipe; and
3. You can make a good recipe even greater with a little ingredient experimentation and fine-tuning.
4. The more you do it, the more confident you get with your skill.

In 'Twelve Months...', Brother Victor raises the soup cooking consciousness by providing a fine variety of seasonal selections presented in a very readable recipe format.

Here are my reasons for recommending this fine soup cookbook:

Recipe Simplicity: I loathe the `Joy of Cooking' because of the cryptic recipe language it is written in. Brother Victor lays it out plain and simple here, making the construction easy for the new or challenged cook. Anyone can make one of these fine soups.

Seasonalness: The soups are arranged by month when the vegetable ingredients are most readily available and fresh. For not-too-adventuresome cooks, the combination of ingredient seasonality and recipe simplicity tempts you to try new things you'd probably never try before.

Recipe Selection: The mix of recipes is very good. Even though the selection leans heavily toward the Vegan side, there is something here for everyone. Try Clayton's book if you seek more meaty varieties.

One last thing. Several Amazon reviewers were critical of the `blandness' of the recipes. Pshaw, I say! If there isn't enough garlic, salt, pepper or spice in the recipe, I add more (and make a note of it in my cookbook.) Soup recipes should not be blindly followed, but spiced by the cook's good taste!

This is just a good, basic vegetarian cookbook with lots of variety. One may not use every recipe in it, but I rarely use every recipe in any cookbook, so I don't think that is unusual. And, it IS 1001 recipes to work with. A nice addition to vegetarian cooking, and really nice to have. It is not a how to be vegetarian book, I would recommend Becoming Vegetarian for that, or The Vegetarian Way.

I'm not even vegetarian and this is one of my most used books, especially in the summer when fresh fruits and vegtables are abundant. Very tasty and adaptable recipes.

I bought this because my friend has this and made so many great recipies from here. It's huge with many great recipies that I use very often. My only complaint would be it's no frills without photos. Everything I've made is great... hard to believe it's all healthy!

I've had this cookbook for six months or so, and I've made somewhere around 40 of the recipes. Every one has been a huge success! Sue Spitler understands that vegetarian doesn't have to be boring. I've fed non-vegetarians meals made from these recipes and have had rave reviews! If you're new to vegetarianism, or if you want to bring excitement to your meals, you have to own this cookbook!

Having gone veggie a few years ago, this was my first non-introductory style vegetarian cookbook, and although I commend Spitler and company for the sheer quantity of recipes here, I've found the recipes to be very hit or miss. I think this is partly due to the often non-intuitive combinations of ingredients found in many of the recipes. While sometimes these out-of-place ingredients are genius (i.e. the black -not adzuki- beans in the egg rolls, or the more than liberal use of celery seed in the bleu cheese dressing), sometimes these combinations can turn what seemed like a tasty dinner into something even my dog looks askance at (like the orange juice and zest in the hummus or the cream cheese and cranberries in the savory wontons). The dishes err more on the sweet side of the palate than on the spicy side. That said, all of the dessert type foods I have tried so far have been solidly good, while the majority of the entrees required a healthy dose of crushed red pepper. My suspicion is that these recipes were generated by a crew less than adequately familiar with vegetarianism, as many of the recipes attempt to make use of meat substitutes (i.e. Mexi "meatball" soup, rigatoni with italian "sausage" and fennel pesto, "burgers" provencal, swedish "meatball" and dilled potato cassarole, etc, etc)with less than appetizing results. There are a least two problems here: first, there are plenty of amazing veggie dishes that don't try to imitate the "meat and potato" style meal (there are almost NO Indian entrees in this book), and second, nothing makes one miss the real thing more than a poor substitute. Yes, those tvp crumbles look innocent enough in the grocery aisle and are easy enough to throw into the pasta sauce, but unless you want to spend you're evening sobbing over your half eaten plate of "sausage" lasagna for your momma's home cooking, then PLEASE skip the phoneys and throw in some chopped baby bellas instead. To summarize, this book is like the bargain basement of vegetarian recipes: over-stuffed with so-so items, but amidst the bland and the out-and-out bad, there are a few gems that make this book deserving of a place on your shelf.

As a bonus for those tracking diet information: each recipe is tagged as vegan, lacto-ovo, lacto, or ovo, to make finding appropriate recipes easy, and all recipes come with calorie counts, basic nutrition information, and the exchange listings for the ADA.

I just re-ordered this book since the one I bought in 1972 is, sadly, falling apart. Some of my favorite recipes ever come from this book. Try the Leniwi Perogis (probably spelling it incorrectly, but it means "Lazy Dumplings"). In great demand from all my kids friends in the neighborhood. Also the quiche recipe is great!

You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy this wonderful food.

This always was and always will be my favorite vegetarian cookbook!
Easy to make recipes that never fail.

This is just a great cookbook. Recipes are rich, colorful, and flavorful. Not just for vegetarians, all good cooks will enjoy this classic.

I had a copy of this cookbook years ago and couldn't find it after we moved. I remembered some recipes as favorites of mine and as some requested by friends and family for "bring your own" occassions. I was delighted when Amazon found it for me again. And the recipes are as good as I remembered, especially the eggplant and tomato casserole,the gazpacho and the mushrooms Berkeley. The format is easy to see; the directions specific and clear and the results, excellent.
For me, some of the recipes have too many ingredients and are too complicated to be bothered with but that's because I'm not vegetarian and I'm using them, mostly, as part of a meal, not the whole meal.

I bought this book for the second time, I wore out the first one. I have never tried a recipe from Anna Thomas' Vegetarian cookbooks that I didn't like! Some I loved more than others, of course, but none that I didn't like at all!

Title say Gourmet... The author is really flattering herself by calling this gourmet. If you know how to take salad out of the bag and put aminos on it, you indeed are gourmet chef like her!
Recipes are so primitive and not tasty at all. It is all just pretty pictures with no substance whatsoever.
This is not book, it is some sort of magazine format, cheap, cheap. However it is priced as book. I would like to give this away to somebody, too bad I did not return it immediately. Be aware. This is for somebody who is just discovering fresh produce in supermarket.

This book is good for the pics. I have not tried any recipes yet. The equipment is way too expensive and out of my budget for the next few months. They look good though!
Shannon is very light on the science. All the raw food books in the bookstore (Barnes and Noble, Borders) make the claim that 'we need enzymes to help digest food' (page 3). The human stomach contains an acid that aids in digestion. This acid would render the live enzymes inactive therefore defeating the purpose of eating raw food for the enzymes! I agree that incorporating more foods in their natural state is beneficial, but this raw food movement needs to have a registerd dietician write a book, then I will believe all the hocus pocus.

Excellant book for those new and learning about raw foods and nutrition. Excellent resource with information about food combining, Tools, Basics, Sprouting, Storage, etc. The recipes require a little more than handful of ingredients but that is what the "Gourmet" title suggests. If you don't care for the elaborate recipes, get it for the wealth of infomation it contains as a raw food resource.

This book has really good recipes and also some valuable information about sprouting and digestion times.
I use this book all the time. Nice pictures too!

Nomi Shannon, one of the first "seerers" to embrace wholly the raw foods, living foods lifestyle, after attending a session at the Hippocrates Health Institute, and then working and educating there, has gifted us all with one of the best living foods recipe books ever written.

"The Raw Gourmet" is the standard by which all else are measured, in my opinion, still.

Easy to follow, with recipes that not only delight the palate, but the purse and time allowance, and offer incredible images so one can actually see how splendid the meal will look as well, Nomi has captured the beauty and ease of raw, living foods for us.

A well-known proponent of natural health and healing, as well as a certified Hippocrates Health Educator, Nomi is an expert upon whom I have relied much over the last ten years of my own living foods lifestyle. I always highly recommend "The Raw Gourmet" to my clients as well.

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I first got this cookbook when I was in college back in the early 90's in Rochester, NY. I made several recipes for my roommates and they loved them! I have never made anything from this book that turned out less than delicious. I seldom post reviews on anything, but I think this cookbook warrants my review. My favorites are the Cape Verde Vegetable Soup, Groundnut Stew, Moroccan Stew and the Rusks (with a cup of chocolate chips thrown in). I have a whole legion of rusk followers now who have asked for the recipe : ). I just called one of my old roommates and she told me that she wanted to make a batch of choc. chip rusks so bad last year and she lost the xerox, that she went to her public library and found the book in the stacks and made a new xerox! That's love : )

I've used this book so many times that the binding is cracked. There are post-it notes sticking up from too many pages to count. And the book automatically opens to my favorite recipe, Pasta e Fagioli. It is my idea of the ultimate comfort food, and I cannot count how many times we've enjoyed it.

This book is a classic. Really good food that is also really good for you.

Sundays at Moosewood is divided into chapters, each dedicated to a culinary taste. Its a bit overwhelming to read it straight through and then select a few recipes to make into a meal - however, they help you with a section in the back that mixes and matches recipes from different chapters. I think that is one of the book's best features.

I'm not a vegetarian, but a lot of my dinner guests are - and Moosewood guarantees a truly interesting dining experience without the addition of meat. Like other reviewers, I sometimes grill fish, chicken or steak to serve with the veggie-centered recipes.

This cookbook is INCREDIBLE! I got it for my birthday 10 years ago and have tried at least half of the recipes in it -- and my copy is battered enough to prove it. I especially recommend the Tapenade, Turkish Spinach & Lentil Soup, Sayra's Greens, Pasta e Fagioli, Pepperpot Soup, Mocha Pecan Pie, Galletas de Nueces, Polvorones de Canela, Mexican Hot Chocolate, Pulla, Ukrainian Almond Crescents (OK, so I have a sweet tooth). The best gift I've ever gotten!!

I purchased this cookbook about 15 years ago - - a little while before I moved out on my own. I purchased "The Joy of Cooking" and "The Silver Palate" at the same time. This is an excellent cookbook.

-Every single recipe turns out well and as it should. A rarity in any cookbook.

-It is well laid-out. One recipe per page, ingredients separate from method, limited cross referencing required, easy measurements.

-simple techniques.

-informs you ahead what can be made in advance.

-excellent index; a necessity in a cookbook so often overlooked.

I now own about 40 cookbooks or so, am married with children and have entertained many guests. This book taught me how to cook gently and easily. I highly recommend it to anyone just starting out whether they are vegetarian or not. I still use it and (although you may not believe me) some of the recipes are much, much better than those in fancier cookbooks for the same items. And easier too. Oh and did I mention? Everything made from it tastes good.

As a polarity practitioner encompassing Ayurveda nutrition and yoga, this book both educates anyone on Ayurveda and its healing philosophy in a clear, fun way! So exciting! I have used this book in my practice with clients, friends, and family whom have all enjoyed understanding their dosha type and then trying the foods that support them. A powerful way for people to understand and use Ayurveda in there everyday life. A gift of vitality! The dishes are fabulous, lively tastes and full of colors! Thank you to Thomas Yarema, MD, Daniel Rhoda and Chef Johnny Brannigan!

This is a beautifully crafted, comprehensive guide to the ancient science of ayurveda. You can tell that a lot of care went into the creation of this book. It makes a perfect introduction to those new to Ayurveda, and a great resource for those already immersed. It explains, in an easy to understand format, all you need to know to determine your ayurvedic constitution and what foods/ recipes are best for you. The recipes are great, with many vegan and gluten free variations possible. The food photography is world class and stunning. I highly recommend this book.

I am usually not so easily impressed, but this Ayurvedic cookbook is simply the best! Beautiful to look at with a very well-written easy to understand Ayurvedic theory part, the recipes are mouthwatering and simply delicious using only the healthiest ingredients. New and unusual combinations make this book a must-have not only for people on an Ayurvedic regimen, but for anyone who loves healthy gourmet food! I own probably every Ayurvedic cookbook out there, since I am an Ayurvedic practitioner myself, and I find most other Ayurvedic cookbooks boring, but not this one!

The first recipe I made from this cookbook was awful. I mean downright inedible. After trying it twice, I determined that there must be two typos. I amended the recipe and it is edible but not great. I tried a few others and they also left me quite underwhelmed. Makes me not all that excited to try any more recipes and this cookbook has been relegated to the St. Vinny's basket. There are so many great cookbooks out there that this one seems a waste of time. The Ayervedic information in the front of the book is easily gotten elsewhere (it was nothing new).

I get the feeling that this book gives you a good start in regards to Ayurveda. This book has a lot of information and great recipes that are broken down into Vata, Pitta & Kapha. If you're looking at a recipe for Pitta and you're a Kapha, it tells you at the end of the recipe what you can substitute OR if you should avoid it. This book also gives you Dual-Dosha recommendations.

It's easy to read and the beginning gives you a good overview of what you should know. I tend to be easily overwhelmed by too much information when starting something new. This book doesn't have that effect on me. I also like pictures in my cookbooks. I like to know how it should look if I've not made it before. I'm starting off with this book knowing there's a lot more to get into if I want.

Food writer, food stylist, and traveling culinary teacher Louise Hagler now offers her classic Tofu Cookery in a revised 25th anniversary edition; all recipes are updated for modern nutritional standards, with reduced quantities of more healthful fats and less salt. New recipes have been added to complement old favorites. From Walnut-Olive Dip to Barbecued Tofu, Focaccia with Tofu, Chinese Sweet-and-Sour Balls, and much more, these tofu dishes are undeniably appetizing - just seeing the full-color photography is enough to make one's mouth water! Highly recommended for tofu connoisseurs everywhere.

This is a great cookbook. I have all of Louise Hagler's cookbooks and she never lets us down. I do recommend that you buy the previous edition as well as this edition. This edition has some new recipes, but the previous version has nutritional information for each recipe. Also, the pictures in this version are smaller than in the previous version. Both books are purchases that you will not regret.

I am a vegetarian and this is the perfect book for anyone else who is. It's more veggie friendly rather than vegan friendly, but I'm sure you can substitute a lot of the ingredients. This is a great cookbook that has resulted in numerous wonderful meals for me. I would say that there was only one recipe in this book that I tried and didn't love.

The ingredients and instructions are presented in a clear and concise manner. This book may be a bit older, but I've used several cookbooks and this is the one that I always keep coming back to. I only wish that it would indicate difficulty level and prep time amounts.

This is a great American tofu cookbook, though that is not to say that there are only tofu recipes. A lot of vegetarian cookbooks require weird, hard to find ingredients. The weirdest thing in here is wheat germ. It is true that her recipes are somewhat bland, but they are easy to spice up and i think it is better that way so they can be personalized. Everything I've made has been a huge hit with my family. The servings are appropriate and the recipes are very easy and mostly quick. It is easy to read and well-organized. Although she doesn't advertise this (and should), ALL the recipes are VEGAN!! You really won't miss the dairy or eggs in most recipes. Although the meatloaf, meatballs, and potato pancakes require eggs to really stick, it's not necessary. And these vegan recipes do NOT taste vegan (speaking as a former vegan). The comfort food is great as is the asian and mexican food.

I HIGHLY recommend this cook book. It is the most used of all in my repertoire including both Vegetarian Epicures, Moosewood, Julia Child, Joy of Cooking, and several other vegetarian cookbooks.

I have been exploring tofu and other meat alternatives since my gastric bypass surgery over a year ago. I still have not been able to stomach meat. I bought several tofu books and vegetarian books and this was by far the superior one I've purchased. What I like about the book:
1. The large easy to read fonts.

2. Each recipe is layed out in steps for preparing the meal.

3. I love that the nutritional values per serving are given!!! There are so many books that do not include that information and its extrememly helpful for persons who are trying to track what they eat.

4. The recipes are appealing and simple and so far all have been mmm! mmm! good to grrreat!!

5. The recipes are broken up into segments like Dips & Spreads; Soups; Side dishes: etc. Then at the begining of each segment is an alphebetical list of the recipes in that section. So you don't always have to go to the index in the back of the book. You can turn to the segment and glance down the list of recipes to find the one you are looking for.

Because I know I will be using the book often, I took it to Fed-ExKinko's and had it spiral bound. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed in this book. Remember its a tofu cookbook, not necessarily a vegetarian cookbook although most recipes in it are vegetarian or can easily be adjusted to fit the vegetarian fare.