Notes about Recipes in this book

• Winter fig and pear salad

  • Nancith on January 28, 2014

    I used dried figs, soaked to soften a bit, rather than fresh, and a fig balsamic vinegar in the dressing, which worked very nicely. This salad was a big hit with my bookclub.

• Primavera salad

  • Nancith on June 08, 2016

    This salad was just OK. My son thought the combination of ingredients was strange. I didn't mind that so much as the bland dressing. I would have preferred a brighter taste with a vinaigrette, rather than one based on sour cream. It was certainly filling, though.

• Corn custard

  • Nancith on August 06, 2014

    This was a flavorful recipe, but it could have used more eggs & milk proportionately to make a more custard-y dish. As it was, the custard was barely enough to hold the dish together. Will make it again with more liquid ingredients.

• Moroccan tofu tagine with jeweled couscous

  • Wlow on February 10, 2024

    Have clipping from original veg times article ca1995. Tried 2/2024 quite good. Kids liked, husband tried. Served with olives. Needs side salads—Moroccan carrot etc.

• Navy beans in gypsy sauce

  • Nancith on March 10, 2015

    This seemed rather bland. Next time I make the sauce. Maybe my jarred roasted pepper didn't help. Next time I'll try punching it up with a fresh roasted pepper & more vinegar.

• Creamy spinach soup

  • deboChicago on December 13, 2019

    This is a good basic recipe but I made a lot of variations. Most importantly, added the juice of a lemon to brighten it up.

• Vegetable stew with tofu

  • Nancith on February 11, 2014

    This has possibilities, but as my son said, it just seemed like a bunch of random vegetables cooked together in liquid. Definitely needs some herbs &/or seasonings to liven it up, and something done to enhance the nondescript cooking broth.

• Polenta with fennel and rapini

  • Nancith on May 19, 2015

    This was definitely quick to prepare. Unfortunately did not have fennel on hand, but the dish still turned out well, very tasty. Recipe says 4 servings, but must be as a side dish. It was enough for me as a main, hubby as a side, and a little for lunch the next day.

• Linguine one-pot strata

  • Nancith on March 15, 2018

    This was surprisingly delicious. I was a little bit uncertain about the combination of ingredients, but they worked together well. Bitter broccoli rabe, sweet pasta sauce, piquant artichokes, smooth ricotta, all made for a pleasing combination. Seems like it would be easy to expand this recipe for more people. It was simple to use real meatballs in part of it for the omnivores in the family. Strangely, no seasoning is indicated, not even salt & pepper which it definitely needs. I may try adding some basil &/or oregano for a deeper flavor next time.

• "Tort" and cheese

  • Nancith on September 20, 2018

    This is a rather unusual way to serve broccoli rabe, but it actually tasted quite good. A couple of issues detracted from the dish, however. Directions say to steam rabe, but that resulted in tough chewy leaves; I think brief boiling is better for tender leaves. The cheese sauce also was thicker than I would like, not easy to pour, kind of gloppy, but very nice taste. This dish is described as something kids would like, but not many kids I know will eat regular broccoli, let alone rabe! But there might be some adventurous young eaters out there.

• Mashed potato cakes

  • Nancith on October 22, 2016

    Great use for leftover mashed potatoes!-- it would be simple to substitute other chopped or grated veggies for the peas & carrots, or use other cheese like Parmesan or Jarlsberg. It was easier to turn the potato cakes when I left them thicker rather than too flat.

• Brazilian black bean stew

  • Nancith on September 28, 2014

    Very tasty! Good dish for fall or winter. Would probably taste nice over some rice as well. A hit with the family.

• Winter pear salad in raspberry vinaigrette

  • Nancith on January 02, 2019

    An interesting salad that went over well. I changed it up a little by using more radicchio, chopped (although shredded would have been better) & less pear than called for. Used the alternate selection of feta rather than Gorgonzola cheese, & bottled raspberry vinaigrette which worked, but probably freshly made vinaigrette would have been better. Definitely will keep in the repertoire & continue tweaking.