Kitchen

[Yuban3]

I'm hoping that you fine ladies can help me. I've tried posting this in a couple of forums, but so far haven't gotten much in responses.

I'd like to stick my toe in to vegetarian cooking. I'm looking for a cookbook that has simple, easy recipes.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[qvcaddition]

I had to answer this. In 1958 I was 22 years old. I met my children's father, to be. and invited him to my apartment for a big steak dinner,. I grew up in a meat eating household, that grew their own fresh vegetables. Well, he kept saying, no, it's OK, we'll go to a movie. He finally had to tell me he was raised a vegetarian. His Mother was one since her pet rabbit was killed. They were not vegans, but no animal was killed to make her clothes. In those days, people were considered odd if they were vegetarians. Even my family thought he was odd. My Grandmother made Minnastrone soup and strained the meat in it, and he got sick, his system was not use to the fat in the meat.

At 22 and starting out, no cookbooks on the subject, you used your imagination. I would make stuffed zucchini. Artichokes au gratin, nut patties, turnip patties, stuffed bell peppers. You used rice, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, tomatoes, onions, garlic, whatever you wanted. Eggs and bread crumbs, Italian bread crumbs, and cheese held things together. Also, the 7th day Advent, a religious group, put out fake meat products, made of vegetables or soy. Today you have so much to choose from. We could not go to restaurants much, except Mexican, where he could get a cheese enchilada. Thank god at that time he wasn't vegan. Now, because of so much cheese and rich foods, I feel that is why he and his mom both died of colon cancer.

I just took recipes and left out the meat products. I grew up in an Italian family and the cooking and food so great, but I left out the meat. So if you can't find a cookbook, use your creative powers. Good luck

[sablesong]

Deborah Madison "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" and for vegan, "Veganomicon" and "Vegan with A Vengence"

Any of the Moosewood books, maybe "Simple Suppers" ?

[Tigriss]

The Vegetarian Times website and their cookbooks. They are a different mix of all the types of vegetarian cooking. I get their magazine and emails. I love them! It started when I wanted to cook a larger variety of veggie dishes more so than those regular dishes found in cookbooks.

[jackthebear]

Moosewood books are great

I would also search for a blog on veg. cooking there must be tons of them.

Better than a cookbook since you can get feedback so quickly.

I just did a google search

http://www.google.com/webhp?nord=1#nord=1&q=vegetarian+cooking+blogs&safe=off&spell=1

[jackthebear]

Moosewood books are great

I would also search for a blog on veg. cooking there must be tons of them.

Better than a cookbook since you can get feedback so quickly.

I just did a google search

http://www.google.com/webhp?nord=1#nord=1&q=vegetarian+cooking+blogs&safe=off&spell=1

[ocgal3]

Loved all the Moosewood cookbooks. You can probably find them in the library and take a look at them first. Wasn't thrilled with Vegetarian Times stuff--it was hit or miss.

[redtabby]

Most of my recipes now come from vegetarian and vegan bloggers. My first vegetarian cookbook was Diet for a Small Planet, one of the first to run with the theory (now discounted) that we needed to combine proteins. Then I got The Vegetarian Epicure, a fun cookbook that was designed to appeal to mainstream cooks, as opposed to the commune living hippies that so many of the vegetarians were assumed to be in the early 1970s.

I do have Deborah Madison's Green's Cookbook and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, both good choices. Happy Herbivore has pretty basic recipes, she has 3 or 4 books out now.

My suggestions would be to go the library and just look at every veggie cookbook to see if any appeal to you. Check out a few to play with at home before making the purchase commitment. Also, on create tv (part of pbs) there are a few vegetarian cooks. Jazzy Vegetarian, Christina, and b organic with Michele. Check createtv.com for their schedule. I find watching someone cook something is helpful. There are tons of bloggers that are vegetarian or vegan. I tend to do a search when I want to cook something specific, like Chana Masala or pineapple salsa.

b organic with Michele Beschen

b organic with Michele Beschen

[sidsmom]

Get a cookbook about beans & lentils...and you should be good to go! As entering the vegetarian world, don't make the mistake we all did....substitute meat for high fat items like nuts, dairy, oils...or lots & lots of sugar based items. A high fat vegetarian diet is just as...maybe worse...than a diet high in meat & animal products. Have to keep everything low in fat. Good luck!!

[IamDoodles]

I have all the Moosewoods as well as Deborah Madison's Greens Cookbook. They are all great. Others that I can recommend are Vegetarian Epicure books by Anna Thomas.