The Vegetarian Lunchbasket: Over 225 Easy, Low-Fat, Nutritious Recipes for the Quality-Conscious Family on the Go

I am always looking for great vegetarian ideas. So many of the cookbooks that I've read are filled with dozens of ways to cook tofu but it's my experience that if you don't like tofu you just can't disguise it. I have a non-vegetarian family who is willing to eat my vegetarian meals so long as they taste good and they don't contain tofu. Hence, my never ending search. I was pleasantly surprised by The Vegetarian Lunchbasket. First off, it has over 225 recipes. Many contain tofu but there's also a lot of variety. There are plenty of snacks and full meals that I can serve and no one feels cheated or hungry afterwards. Often it seems that vegetarian cooking is synonymous with a good deal of preparation time. That's great when I think about meals in advance but far too often life catches up to me and I need to make something quick. Here again, The Vegetarian Lunchbasket provides recipes that I can throw together from ingredients I already have stocked and put something healthy and tasty on the table. I particularly liked the lunch menu items.

I've been a vegetarian for over nine years, but this book has given me LOTS of new ideas- including foods my 15-month old daughter likes. I really like how the recipes are unconventional- I had run out of ideas for eating tofu, but this book has encouraged me to eat it more regularly... Also- if you are into the Zone Diet, this book has many recipes that are fairly compatible (at least low in unfavorable carbohydrates)

A vegetarian for over twenty years and mother of three children, Linda Haynes has lots of experience in preparing vegetarian lunches. She shares her expertise in The Vegetarian Lunchbasket, a collection of over 225 mouth-watering recipes. Her book was first published in 1990, and updated in 1994 and 1999 to reflect changes in nutritional information and availability of products. Haynes developed most of her recipes through experimentation. That enables her to advise readers which ingredients may be replaced with substitutes to accommodate different tastes and budgets. She also shares stories of her experiences, like learning that there is a difference between baking yeast and brewer's yeast when it comes to making bread. At all times, she emphasizes the practical, both in ingredients and techniques. The first chapter provides an amazing variety of recipes for breads and sandwich wrappers. A simple one is lightly steamed cabbage leaves. The next chapter is full of even more suggestions for fillings and spreads. Many of the soups and thermos foods are designed to be made the night before, to provide a delicious evening meal, with leftovers heated for the next day's lunches. The salad and salad dressing recipes allow you to leave wilted lettuce drenched in runny dressing behind forever. Main dishes like "Tofu Telephones" or "Somewhat Knishes" also work well for a meal the night before with leftovers going into the next day's lunch boxes or on a family picnic. The condiments and snacks chapter includes items like nut milk and yogurt chips (both incredibly simple to make!). As does most writers of cookbooks, Haynes ends with a chapter on desserts. She maintains the richness, but makes her desserts a bit more healthy with tricks like a tofu substitute for eggs, and pureed vegetables for liquids. Although nutritious and healthy, the recipes are all tasty. Practicing vegetarians and those curious about what vegetarians can eat other than lettuce and carrot sticks will find a wealth of practical and easy recipes in The Vegetarian Lunchbasket. Although some recipes include dairy products, many are suitable for vegans. And don't be fooled by the title--most of the recipes makes equally tasty main meals! Paper, 205 pp. -- Sandra I. Smith, Reviewer

This book is chock full of fun ideas to get your toddler to eat! The author has compiled 225 easy and nutritious recipes for families on the go. Haynes, a mother of three vegetarian kids, offers creative ideas for packing lunches and combining foods. Despite her clever ways to eat on the go, I have found her recipes to be quite helpful in getting a fussy toddler to eat at home. He loves to eat recipes such as Tofu Telephones and Turtle in the Mud salad. Haynes also offers recipes for sandwich spreads, condiments, sauces and snacks as well as desserts. She finds new ways to serve left-overs. Even, meat-eaters will find her meals quite delicious. What I like about this book is that the ingredients are listed in the margins, so they are easy to find. Best of all most of the ingredients are found in my cupboard. It is certain to become a well-worn friend in the kitchen.

I have found many useful recipes in this book ranging from simple to slightly complex. As an active canoeist and hiker, many of these recipes have become standards for my lunches on the go