New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, REV

It's hard not eating meat, and I succumb often, usually with delicious fish dishes, always on Thanksgiving and Christmas, because I just love sitting down to a big turkey dinner with family and friends. But most of the time I try to stay away from meat, even though I quiver when I drive by a Mickey D's and smell that aroma. Yes, it's alright, I believe, to admit that you like going to McDonald's on occasion. Anyway, I'm rambling when I should be focusing my attention on this wonderful cookbook, this gem from the Moosewood Restaurant people that is chucky-jam-crammed full of tasty vegetarian fare. If you have a spouse who screams for his steak, meatballs or pork chops, try serving him up Japanise Braised Eggpland or the Moroccan Stew Moosewood Restaurant style, you'll have his mouth watering, have him begging for more. In fact, I'd say if you want to be a vegitarian, you can throw all your other cookbooks away and just use this one. That's my opinion anyway and I'm sticking to it. Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

The Moosewood cookbooks have some very creative, elegant and not too difficult recipes that are worthwhile even if you aren't vegetarian. Some of my favorite recipes are in this book, and it's really useful for dinner parties, especially if some of the guests don't eat meat. The Moosewood Collective is a hold-over from the late 60's and early 70's. It's a restaurant near the Cornell University campus, run by a "collective" or communal group of owners who share the restaurant proceeds equally while doing any of the jobs, such as cooking or washing dishes. The Moosewood New Recipes are international in flavor, ranging from Middle Eastern dishes like Baba Ganoush and Hummus (eggplant and chickpea dips) to French soups, Asian noodle dishes and Hispanic, Greek, and Italian dishes as well. There are some "gourmet" creations like Chilled Cantaloupe-Amarretto Soup and also some earthy ones like Creole Beans and Rice. My particular favorite is the Tempeh Reuben Sandwich. Tempeh is a fermented soybean cake that scares off all but the most dedicated vegetarians. But here, tempeh becomes a delicious substitute for corned beef. In fact, I prefer Tempeh Reubens to the classic ones--more flavor, less fat. Frankly, the book is worth the price for this recipe alone. Now, this book isn't 100% vegetarian (because fish is included, and they were part of the animal kingdom last time I checked.) And cheese is used, so vegans will find the recipes limiting. But if you want to jazz up your cooking and use more vegetables, this book is a real find. In particular, the appendix section on cooking dried beans is particularly helpful if you want to make inexpensive but delicious dishes like rice and beans (black beans or Creole red are both included here, as well as a navy bean soup.)

i've had this book for something like thirteen years now, it's a classic of course and my copy is falling apart it's so well-used. all the recipes i've tried have been well-conceived, well-explained and really good, though i should mention that a few of the dishes sound so dull i haven't even tried them. but only a few, and that's true of any cookbook. but all that is beside the point, since this book is worth FAR more than $16.95 for one recipe alone: the spinach lasagna bechamel. it's just ridiculously good, and you will make it over and over, whether you're veggie or not (i am not). if only for that recipe, you can not miss with this cookbook and i highly recommend it.

Fans of vegetarian cooking will find New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant an inviting guide which packs in new recipes from the Moosewood collective's restaurant. From main course vegetarian dishes to spicy casseroles and vegetable side dishes, this is filled with fresh new ideas for dishes for the entire meal.

Anyone who searched in the 80's for vegetarian recipes found a consistent diet of macrobiotics, imitation meatloaves and pasta recipes. Even the original (wonderful) Molly Katzen books were lacking in the divine. "New Recipes from Moosewood" seemed a true breakthrough to me. Try their salad dressings, try their tofu burgers and tofu falafel. Above all, try the bulgar wheat casserole with feta, zucchini and tomato, the Japanese eggplant and tempeh and YOU MUST NOT MISS THE EGGPLANT STUFFED WITH CURRIED POTATOES AND VEGETABLES. In most, if not all, recipes, double the spices. Even visitors to the restaurant have described the food as somewhat bland. For instance, for tofu burgers (baked, freezable, and miles above any other "veggy" burger I've run into, use all the spices and half the tofu. And MAKE THEIR PITA BREAD!!They would have done well to omit the dessert section. Common recipes, tending toward the heavy and sweet(Honey Cake, pound cake, fruit cobblers, and so on.). Leans heavily on cheeses (which a creative chef can substitute out, especially with the low fat cheeses available now, 12 years after the book was written) and is light on vegan. But you can't go truly meatless and maintain the sensuality of food without this book.