Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites: Flavorful Recipes for Healthful Meals

Moosewood Low Fat Favorites is simply the best cookbook I own. The recipes are vegetarian (not vegan) but you definetly do not have to be a vegetarian to enjoy these wonderful, delicious recipes. I am a mother of four children ranging from ages 16-5 years and I usually look for easy to prepare, visually appealing, great tasting meals and this book delivers on all fronts. Here are just a few of my families favorites; Spanish Pepper Frittata, Middle Eastern Chickpeas with Spinach, Lighter Lasagna, Stuffed Manicotti Verde and Eggplant Parmesan. We have a garden that overflows with vegetables and last night I made the Cucumbers Vinagrette a simple dish that was completely gone by the end of the meal. Broiled Zucchini with Herbs is a fantastic way to use up this over abundant veggie. Each recipe is accompanied by the serivng analysis which includes; calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber as well as others items. The back of the book has a Glossary of Cooking Techniques and Terms which is helpful if you are unfamiliar with preparing some of the items in the recipes such as tofu, tempeh, bulgur etc. A Guide to Ingredients section gives a detailed description of ingredients that may be unfamiliar including; asian fish sauce, berbere, cornichons and fenugreek seeds to name a few. One of the best details is that each recipe has menu suggestions listed under it, for example, Seasoned Steamed Artichokes menu suggestions include; "Try them drizzled with Yogurt Tahini Dressing before Middle Eastern Chickpeas with Spinach or with Tabouli Salad with greens." It takes the guesswork out of meal planning. This is a great cookbook!

I have several Moosewood cookbooks, but have sometimes found that the recipes can be complicated and time-consuming, and can involve ingredients that are not always easy to find. This book, however, contains good recipes that are not only healthy, but also relatively easy and quick to make. From soups to salads to entrees, I haven't tried anything that I haven't liked, and I really appreciate the effort that was made to make the dishes low fat. Low fat or not, the recipes included here are for food that is both flavorful and hearty. A must-try for the vegetarian or even the meat eater who wants to try to include some vegetarian meals in his/her diet. I find myself turning to this book when I want to make a meal for friends who are not necessarily vegetarian, and they are always pleasantly surprised and ask for the recipe! These meals would encourage even the hard core carnivores to take a break and eat some veggies!

OK, I admit it. I'm one of those people who buy cookbooks, but rarely get to the making the recipes stage. This is one of the few cookbooks I own, that I actually *use*. Why? Everything that I've made has been easy (no funky ingredients, no bizarre food appliances required), quick, and tasty. Although everything is vegetarian and low-fat--the food just tastes good. You don't feel like you're eating healthfully, you just acknowledge the goodness of the food (if that makes sense). Two of my favorite recipes are the pasta w/tomatoes and chickpeas (sounds bizarre, but very good) and the low-fat chocolate pudding. As somebody who has always bought Jell-O instant pudding, it was a revelation to realize I could make homemade low-fat chocolate pudding that was just as easy as opening up a box of Jell-O and 10x better in taste!

This is an incredible vegetarian cookbook as well as an incredible low-fat cookbook. I have several Moosewood cookbooks that I love but this is now my ultimate favorite. I love the white bean and roasted pepper dip, I make a new batch every week to bring for my lunch with carrots. The pasta and green bean dish with sun dried tomatoes is so easy and delicious. I am going to try all the recipes recommended in the other reviews! The low-fat cooking tips at the beginning of the book are so helpful and having the full nutrient break down for each dish is wonderful too. What a great book. You really don't feel like you are missing anything. I recommend it to all my friends and family.

Simply outstanding. This lavish collection of recipes, from nibbles to desserts, is a cornucopia of delicious dinner ideas. Everything I've made has been delicious, from their cassoulet to Chinese orzo pasta salad. Fish may not belong in a vegetarian collection, but it's nice to see it here in various tasty guises--the Thai-style fish cakes are superb. Although this is not billed as a "quick and easy" book the way that Moosewood Cooks at Home is, most of the recipes involve minimal fussing. I find the collective's estimates of cooking time pretty accurate, and the hints for dishes which pair well together often send me hop-scotching through the book considering new meals. Take the serving sizes with a grain of salt--if they say it feeds four, it probably feeds six; if they say it feeds 6-8, invite the neighborhood over to help you finish the leftovers! But for delicious, healthy, imaginative food, I've found few books to equal this one. I expect to happily cooking my way through Moosewood Low-Fat for years to come.