Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of the Vegetarian Epicure

This is a great cookbook! So far, I have tried four recipes and they were all delicious and winners with the family. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. I'm just beginning to cook more wholesome and healthy foods and these recipes were not intimidating. It is a keeper for me.

I recently purchased LOVE SOUP after it caught my eye on the table at a local book purveyor's. Ages ago, a dear friend had gifted me (complete with inscription with doodly bugs and googly eyeballs) with Anna Thomas's THE VEGETARIAN EPICURE. It remains a favorite. But LOVE SOUP, if you love the soup, and who does not love soup?, is da bomb. Seriously, in less than a week I have made three of her recipes (Carol's Finnish Pea Soup with Apples, Red Lentil and Squash Soup & Roasted Kabocha Squash and Celery Root Soup) and each one has been a joy to prepare and divine to eat/slurp. Serving sizes are generous so luckily we have lots of leftovers to freeze and enjoy later. Even if someone is not a vegetarian they would be hard pressed to not be wowed by the delicious flavors and heartiness (particularly regarding the colder weather soups). I look forward to making my way through all of them, very ambitious I know, as thus far I have yet to read one that does not appeal to me. Another aspect of this cookbook is the fact that in addition to stating how many, the user is offered the weight. Medium to me may be another size to someone else and I have been off eyeballing it but because a weight is also offered I am saved. My kitchen scale get quite the workout when I prepare one of these recipes. Thanks Anna for the great tasties!!!

I am not a vegetarian! My family loves meat. Yet, I know that I need to offer meat-free meals at least twice a week that are satisfying and filling. This cookbook has those meat-free satisfying meals in the form of soup. My family and friends could not believe that I didn't put heavy cream in the "Winter Squash, Yam, and Poblano Pepper" soup that I made. It was that filling. Only roasted veggies and vegetable broth was used. Every soup has a little story behind it. I really enjoy that aspect of the book. You can't go wrong buying this book. Next up for this family: The Original Green Soup. Just a little side note. My daughter does not like veggies, but when they are pureed in these soups, she will eat them. A healthy bonus for us.

I have lots of cookbooks sitting on the shelf gathering dust - but not this one. I've already used it 3 times in as many weeks, and as the weather gets colder I anticipate trying more recipes. There's a whole chapter on "green soups" that use those dark leafy greens the nutritionists are always urging us to eat (unsuccessfully in my case). In my first attempt vast quantities of kale and spinach almost overflowed the soup pot, but after being cooked down and pureed with seasonings the greens were transformed into a delicious soup that was creamy without the need for butter or cream. It was so good I made it two weeks in a row. Next I made the zucchini basil soup which uses a full 2 cups of basil to 2 pounds of zucchini - easy and delicious.

A follow-up to "The Vegetarian Epicure", Love Soup is a compendium of delectable vegetarian broths, soups, gumbos, and more, from "Pea Pod Broth" to "Creamy Potato and Roasted Garlic Soup", "Green Soup with Ginger", "Winter Squash and Yam Soup with Poblano Peppers", "Cauliflower Bisque", "Three- Bean Vegetable Chili", and even holiday-themed treats like "Chestnut Soup". Many of the proffered soups have a theme or flavor meant for the different seasons of the year. Featuring easy-to-prepare vegetarian (and many vegan!) soups for almost every occasion, "Love Soup" is enthusiastically recommended for vegetarian and vegan cooks everywhere.