Home_Birther's Full Review: Jeanne Lemlin - Quick Vegetarian Pleasures
When my husband and I became Vegetarians over 10 years ago, we discovered that one of the biggest drawbacks to an all or even partial Vegetarian diet, was the long preparation time needed to prepare often complex dishes. After spending long days in the office, we would arrive home tired and unwilling to cook an elaborate meal. By default, dinner frequently consisted of endless types of pasta or food better suited to rabbits than humans. Even more discouraging, pizza and other fat laden egg or cheese based dishes became standard fare...defeating the purpose of our new “health conscious” diet.
For several years I struggled with the time constraints of a meatless diet until I discovered a must have cook book for Vegetarians or anyone who wants to prepare quick and healthy meatless dishes...Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. Quick Vegetarian Pleasures is a soft covered, 250 page cookbook filled with over 175 meatless recipes. While the preparation time varies, most can be prepared in 30 minutes or less (although additional cooking time may be required) and the primary focus is on one dish cooking. A few recipes can even be prepared in less than 10 minutes. That’s less time than it takes to get into a car and drive over to your local fast food establishment. Time is no longer an excuse to eating healthy and meatless.
The cookbook is separated into sections by food type: Appetizer, Soups, Breads, Salads and Dressings, Sandwiches and Spreads, Entrees, Side Dishes, The Vegetarian Barbecue and that necessity of life...Desserts. Sprinkled throughout the book are helpful hints and definitions of uncommon ingredients often used in Vegetarian cooking such as Tempeh and Miso.
Recipes draw on many different cultures and cuisines and are easy to follow. Basic cooking skills are all that is needed to prepare the tasty and simple recipes. Nothing is too elaborate or intimidating. Most ingredients can be readily purchased at any well stocked urban supermarket. To ease meal preparation, the last chapter of the cookbook also includes a suggested menu list incorporating the individual recipes.
I have tried many of the dishes and with few exceptions, my family has enjoyed them all. One of my favorites is the Polenta with Spicy Eggplant Sauce. This dish can be prepared and ready to serve in less than a half hour. Serve it with a loaf of crunchy bread and a nice salad and you have a dish that both Vegetarians and Omnivores can enjoy together. Other favorites include the Tempeh Heroes (perfect for picnics in the park) and Baked Couscous with Spinach and Pine Nuts.
Quick Vegetarian Pleasures is suitable for both Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians (those that consume both dairy and egg products) and Vegans (those that consume no animal products whatsoever). There are enough recipes for both types of Vegetarians and those that do contain egg or dairy products can easily be adapted to suit a Vegan diet.
The suggested retail price of the cookbook is $15.00. It is published only in soft cover and is not the most attractive cookbook on the market. Another drawback is that it does not include photographs or drawings. You will need to imagine what the final result will look like, however, since the purpose of the cookbook is quick, one dish type meal preparation, it is a minor complaint.
Although I am no longer a strict Ovo-lacto Vegetarian (due to both personal and financial reasons, I recently added poultry and fish back into my family's weekly diet), I still plan many meatless menus and refer to this cookbook frequently. Quick Vegetarian Pleasures is a cookbook for both Vegetarians and Nonvegetarians alike. The pleasures contained within this simple yet satisfying cookbook, is for anyone who enjoys eating delicious, healthy, quickly prepared food.
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