How to Cook Everything Vegetarian: Simple Meatless Recipes for Great Food

I am an avid cook, but also a busy person concerned with heart healthy dishes for myself and vegetarian dishes for my so-inclined 5 year old son. This is by far the very best vegetarian cookbook I've ever come across. I'd go even further and say that it is one of the best cookbooks in my (extensive) collection. My problem with most vegetarian cookbooks is that most recipies are the "same old, same old." This one however, gives plenty of fresh ideas. I have been working with this cookbook since it was first published --about a year and a half now-- and use it a few times a week. The recipies are simple (for the most part) which fits the bill for the average busy person. Best of all everything I've made from it, with one possible exception of an olive oil cake, was truly tasty. Even my husband who is not particularly inclined to vegetarian fare loves this book. I especially like the huge selection of soy-based dishes. Bittman's approach to providing a main recipie with several variations works well because his variations are truly different enough from the basic recipe to be good. The true test of the quality and accessibility of this book is that my sister, who is not an avid cook is enthusiastic about it. I have a couple of Bittman's other books, but this one is especially inspired.

Having raved about this book here are my two peeves with it--- nothing's perfect after all. First, some people are "cooks" and some people are "bakers." I am the former and I think Bittman is too. His baking recipes just don't have the same top quality (although they're not bad). Second, he does have some recipes with white flour. If you are concerned about health, the white flour has just got to go--so has the unbleached stuff. Bittman never purports to have created a heart-health book, however, and I just do a lot of substituting. He does has a great section on using different flours (spelt, soy, etc) which is useful.

This book is one of my main shelf cookbooks. It will keep any cook engaged and interested for a very long time. It's a great one for getting the creative juices flowing.

I love Mark Bittman, and this book is really a good resource for someone trying to cook more vegetarian dishes, and spice up vegetable side-dishes. I didn't think it was a perfect vegetarian cookbook, which I might say about the Moosewood series, because the flavor combos are still quite basic. But, the recipes are simple and easy, for the most part, and they are, of course, tasty.

I think this book is a great addition to my culinary library. I was genuinely impressed with the way it was written and the wealth of information the book contains. While in my opinion, some of the recipes are a bit on the bland side.. I just season to my taste. For what you get, this book is a bargain!!!

Excellent book for vegetarians. Last year I stopped eatting meat but struggled daily to find ways to prepare meals. I quickly became bored with my food and easily frustrated around dinner time; making the same stuff over and over for months was a true nightmare. However, after reading this book, I found loads of new knowledge at my fingertips for coming up with tasty dishes each day. This book is a must have for newly transitioning vegetarians.

I am firmly convinced that Mark Bittman invents all his recipes without actually making them. Not one of them has ever turned out well. Examples:

- "Mashed cauliflower with cheese." More like cauliflower sauce. I had to serve it in bowls and eat it with a spoon.

- "Baked pinto beans and sweet potatoes, enchilada style." Tastes fine, but the potato cubes were still hard after 40 minutes in the oven.

- "Millet mash." Millet does *not* burst after 30 minutes of simmering. It's edible, but it sure isn't mashable.

- "Roasted quinoa with potatoes and cheese." Interesting, but 5 minutes of boiling isn't enough for the quinoa to then finish cooking in the oven. And there's no need to jump-start the potatoes either.

- "Bean and cheese empanadas." The dough is impossible to roll out - it's way too tender and dry. And the texture ends up throat-catchingly grainy after baking.

- "Lentils and potatoes with curry." This was actually disgusting. Too much dry spice. And of course the potatoes disintegrated before the lentils were soft.

I'll go ahead and give the book two stars because there's a *lot* of stuff in it, and some of the recipes might be worth tweaking. But I don't recommend buying it, especially if you get discouraged easily.