• gcottraux on February 01, 2010

  I used to use this cookbook a lot more. It seems dated now, but the ethnic/regional slant makes it useful still. Vegetarian cooking has come a long way in terms of bright fresh flavors and presentation.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tomato, lime, and tortilla soup (Sopa de lima)

  • louie734 on August 03, 2014

    This recipe appears, very slightly tweaked, in the new Moosewood Restaurant Favorites cookbook. Changes include the addition of some ground coriander and oregano with the cumin, and the helpful notes that water can be substituted for vegetable stock if using summertime fresh tomatoes, and 28oz canned tomatoes can be used when fresh aren't available or very good. When using canned tomatoes, decrease the amount of water/stock by 1 cup.

• Eggplant, red pepper, and spinach curry

  • wester on May 20, 2011

    This was OK, nice but unspectacular. The colors were very nice. I did not think the eggplant was very noticeable in this one, I might just leave it out next time. Also, the sauce was a bit thin, so I will also leave out most or all of the added water.

  • MMarlean on August 12, 2010

    The eggplant cubes soaked up too much of the spices. Although I loved the spice combination, the intensity in the eggplant was too much. Would like to try the recipe again either cooking the eggplant before adding to mixture or substituting zucchini for the eggplant.

• Five-spice tofu

  • wester on February 25, 2011

    This was a nice tofu variation, with a good aniseed flavor. Still, next time I think I will make the marinade a bit more concentrated. Make sure the pan/dish you use for marinating is quite snug, as it's only a cup of liquid and otherwise the liquid level can get very low. Note to Dutchies, Indonesians, and people with extremely well-stocked cupboards: If you use Ketjap Manis, you can do without the molasses.

• Bosnian "meatballs" in yogurt sauce (Bosanske ćufte)

  • wester on July 18, 2011

    This was very nice, with a distinctly "Slavic" flavor. The "meat" browned nicely and the yogurt sauce (basically a yogurt custard with dill) was a real finishing touch. The sauce did take some time, but it was worth it. The recipe made a lot: The amount given easily fed five adults and five kids aged 1-5, with a bit of rice and a tomato salad. I did not bother forming the mixture into balls, but just spread it out over the baking sheet. This worked out fine. I also left out the breadcrumbs, used slivered almonds instead of ground, and replaced the carrots with one yellow and one red pepper.

• Flounder rolls with tomatoes, almonds, and cilantro (Pompano tampico)

  • wester on October 02, 2011

    As lovely as the ingredients suggest, but not much more. I thought the dried tomatoes were a bit overpowering, I would have liked to taste more of the almonds instead.

• Indonesian squash and spinach soup

  • wester on December 12, 2010

    A nice thick soup (or light vegetable stew) with a distinct Indonesian flavor.

• Indonesian egg or tofu curry (Sambal goreng telor atau taubu)

  • wester on September 23, 2013

    Very tasty, but it needs two things not in the recipe: the juice of half a lime to improve the acid balance, and a pinch of turmeric to correct the unappetizing beige color. The six people this recipe should feed would be as one of many dishes - with rice and a salad this serves about two as a main dish.

• Pasta e fagioli

  • BPfahnl on June 14, 2010

    I can't count the number of times I've made this over the years. It is probably my favorite all time comfort food! I make it with Barilla Plus penne pasta and Muir Glen canned tomatoes. I even make it in the winter.

• Cape Verde vegetable soup

  • ajs on July 04, 2010

    Delicious and very easy. I add more chile than suggested to make it really spicy.

  • Westy2 on October 13, 2013

    Wonderful. Easy and different

• Baked fish Nicosia

  • Vanessa on June 10, 2011

    I made this with mahi-mahi. Boy, was it every good, and EASY! The seasoned breadcrumbs were delicious and something I will do again (they go great over pasta, too.) Many thanks to Eat Your Books, because I would *never* have found this recipe if I was just browsing through my books looking for something to do with a slab of fish.

• West African peanut soup

  • TippyCanoe on September 23, 2013

    I have been making this soup for years and it still gets rave reviews from family and friends. I love the mix of peanuts, sweet potatoes, carrots and cayenne. I often substitute canned tomatoes or tomato sauce for the tomato juice as I don't tend to have tomato juice on hand. I have even tossed in good organic tomato soup. Any of these work well.

  • TrishaCP on December 20, 2016

    This made for a delicious dinner on a very cold night. I made my own peanut butter by blitzing peanuts in the food processor, and then added a can of tomatoes and blitzed them too (as a sub for the juice). I made the vegetable stock from the book to use in this recipe, and I wouldn't bother doing that again because it added nothing. Since I am not vegetarian, I would probably choose chicken stock for more depth of flavor.

  • eliza on February 20, 2021

    We really enjoyed this soup. Made a few changes due to our pandemic supplies, omitting the celery and using powdered ginger. I also decreased the peanut due to personal taste, and used my home made chicken stock for the water. The soup was delicious and makes a very nutritious meal. The soup kept well in the fridge and tasted great reheated; made with the cornbread from River Cottage Every Day. Definitely will repeat this one.

  • jhallen on December 01, 2022

    This was great - very tasty. I used the veg broth from the book, which used an apple so had a touch of sweetness.

• Beet and horseradish salad (Punajuurisalaatti)

  • eve_kloepper on October 29, 2011

    add some finely minced red onion. this improves an already very good dish.

  • Rutabaga on December 18, 2018

    I really liked this way of serving beets, perhaps because I appreciate horseradish. For the dressing, I used a mix of sour cream and Greek yogurt, and the tang of the yogurt and pungency of the horseradish nicely balance the sweetness of the beets. It's also very simple to make if you take the time to boil the beets well in advance. The only unfortunate thing is that the children do not like them.

• Spinach with pine nuts and raisins (Spinaci alla Romana)

  • eve_kloepper on May 26, 2013

    needs a little butter

• Macedonian cottage cheese croquettes (Kroketi od sira-skute)

  • Krisage on November 11, 2011

    These were super yummy, if calorific. We just grabbed various condiments that we had on hand (thai chili sauce, harissa, marinara) and all were tasty atop the croquettes. We made just one small alteration; to try and minimize the caloric impact, we used only 2 T oil to pan fry the entire batch. Still, we calculated nearly 1800 calories for the recipe before adding our toppings of choice. So, next time we'll have a couple on the side with a main-course salad as opposed to 6 each for dinner. ; )

• Zucchini-avocado salad (Ensalada Esmeralda)

  • Nancith on March 02, 2015

    This was very refreshing, & enjoyed by all. I was a bit skeptical because of the combination of ingredients, but it's definitely a winner. Since I had excess lime juice to use, that replaced the lemon juice. This Mexican recipe would be great alongside tacos or quesadillas.

• Risotto with asparagus

  • Wlow on August 13, 2017

    7/92 Very good. Added asparagus pieces and tops a bit later than recipe called for.

• Split pea and rice soup

  • Wlow on August 03, 2022

    Wonderful this time around, on a cool evening in summer. J particularly loved. Pressure-cooked split peas so almost puréed. Leftover calrose white rice. Only ingredient missing was parsley. Served with Moroccan carrot salad, olives, cut up tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, plus baguette and chicken sausages (apple and sweet Italian from Trader Joe’s). Better than Bouillon was fine for the veg broth.

• Bean and kale minestra (Incavolata)

  • Wlow on March 25, 2019

    3/00 meaty, excellent (with cranberry beans?), G liked; 1/12 cannellini & kale, no cornmeal, G/T/N didn’t like. Note that beet greens also good, but not whether family liked. Also noted good with and without cornmeal and lemon juice.

• Winter stew (Oden)

  • Wlow on March 25, 2019

    2/94 Wonderful comfort food; 1/01 stock (dashi) rather weak, substituted Asian red mustard and mizuna for watercress and delicata squash for carrots

• Yellow split pea soup (Hernerakkaa)

  • Wlow on July 08, 2020

    Good, but rich and a little sweet (even without the heavy cream)

• Spicy chick peas

  • Wlow on September 15, 2019

    Original note: Wow! Used dry chiles and lovely ripe homegrown tomatoes, canned chickpeas, no tamarind. 11/2019: Canned fire roasted tomatoes and canned chickpeas made this quick but too strong of tomatoes so N added gochuchang and eggplant pickle (brinjal) which added sweet spicy notes.

• Abidjan cabbage salad

  • Wlow on August 13, 2017

    Good, refreshing

• Lebanese vegetable soup

  • Wlow on August 13, 2017

    10/92 very good. 12/18 amazingly good with frozen artichoke hearts, home cooked chickpeas, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, Aleppo pepper, Trader Joe’s vegetable broth. Hard to stop eating it!

• East African sweet pea soup

  • Wlow on August 13, 2017

    9/93: Good—has potential 8/98: Wow! Very good w/o last addition of water, served as a stew (not puréed)

• Egyptian bean and vegetable soup (Ful nabed)

  • Westy2 on October 10, 2013

    This is a wonderful soup. Very fast and easy. Make it a meal and serve alongside a loaf of French bread.

  • life2great on January 21, 2014

    This was wonderful! I made this soup in the pressure cooker after doing a fast soak of mixed market beans which I substituted for the fava. I cooked it on high for approximately 12 minutes and did a quick release to relieve the steam. Served with Southern corn bread it was wonderful on a cold, snowy, winter night!

• Tortilla casserole

  • Rutabaga on October 07, 2014

    This recipe lends itself well to improvisation. I have substituted all or part of the cream for sour cream, used flour tortillas, cheddar cheese, and canned or pureed tomatoes. Often, I'll add beans or ground taco spiced meat to increase the protein and make it more of a main dish. Use it as a starting point to use up extra tortillas and taco fillings. It can easily be prepared in advance, and is a crowd pleaser.

• Potato-leek vinaigrette

  • Rutabaga on May 29, 2017

    This was a surprisingly delightful version of potato salad, made on a whim when I was looking for a dish that used both leeks and red peppers, and possibly dill (thanks, Eat Your Books!). I used red potatoes, Tuscan olive oil, and Espelt white wine vinegar, and the salad was fresh and zingy, just right for an early summer evening. It's quite easy to put together, and, like most vinegar-based potato salads, I imagine the flavor will deepen overnight. The leeks are wonderful here - sweet and silky, with a gentle onion perfume.

• Whole braised garlic (Ail braisé)

  • Rutabaga on November 26, 2014

    This was the first recipe I used to roast garlic, and the low heat really helps the cloves caramelize into golden, buttery goodness. However, I find it takes longer than the recipe suggests by 15 to 30 minutes. You could decrease the cooking time by increasing the over temperature to 325. Also, the type of dish you use (I use Pyrex) may affect the braising time.

• Rumpledethumps

  • Rutabaga on March 27, 2017

    This is a good dish for using up vegetable odds and ends. You really can't go wrong mixing them in with mashed potatoes and topping with cheese. I think this works best with broccoli (as written) or cauliflower, but I have also made it using primarily white cabbage. It's not as flavorful as the broccoli version (nor does my five-year-old appreciate it), but it's an easy way to incorporate cabbage into a warm, filling meal.

• Yellowman's banana lime bread

  • Rutabaga on August 17, 2014

    This is a nice banana bread, but not the best; I would probably prefer a regular banana bread recipe with added coconut. The odd thing was the glaze was very tart. If I were to make it again, I would cut the lime juice in half.

• Spicy Bulgarian tomato dumpling soup (Domatene supa)

  • Rutabaga on November 23, 2015

    This soup is made a little heartier than the typical tomato soup by the addition of couscous dumplings. The dumplings, while tasty, have come out a little dense for me. Maybe a little more milk would help. I used canned tomatoes, setting aside the juice, along with a little extra water, to use in place of vegetable broth. This makes for an intensely tomato-flavored dish, more so, I think, than if you were to make the soup with fresh tomatoes.

• Romanian carrots with sour cream (Morcov mode taranesc)

  • Rutabaga on November 19, 2015

    This is an easy, pleasing way to dress up common carrots. We ate it warm, but I think it would work well as a cold dish, too.

• Blueberry yogurt pie (Mustikkapiiras)

  • Rutabaga on July 30, 2015

    This pie is simple to make, and the lightly sweetened blueberry and tangy yogurt custard make for a lovely summer dessert. This style of crust is also very forgiving.

  • MsMonsoon on August 27, 2020

    Pretty easy to make. I'm not experienced in pie making and I think I failed to pat the dough thin enough to get it to stretch all the way up the sides of the pie plate, so the crust came out a bit too thick. This pie is not very sweet and feels somewhat healthy. I almost want to add more sugar to the filling, but my sweet tooth may be on overdrive right now!

• Fettuccini with creamy Gorgonzola sauce (Fettuccini al Gorgonzola)

  • Rutabaga on February 12, 2015

    It may not be authentically Italian, but this is a wonderful easy pasta dish, and very adaptable. The cream cheese tempers the gorgonzola, making it a dish that even those who don't prefer blue cheese may enjoy.

• Creamy corn soup (Crema de elote)

  • Rutabaga on September 18, 2017

    It's a blessing when I find a healthful dish that everyone in the family happily eats, and this soup fit the bill. As with most soups, it's easy to make in advance. With some good bread on the side, it can stand in as a light supper. I added some chopped rotisserie chicken to give it some protein.

• Creamy Hungarian bean soup (Bab leves)

  • Marilyne on January 08, 2020

    This is a wonderful recipe & well loved by everyone I serve it to. Please take note that this recipes produces a big batch!

• Syrian salad

  • Meags on February 07, 2023

    Really great salad! The dressing is not strong, but when you get a bite with red onion or kalamata olives, it is a perfect blend. I didn't have cucumber, radish or tomato. I subbed kalamata for black olives. I was out of feta, so I used cotija instead.

• Philippine-style fish steaks in a clear hot sour broth (Sinigang na isda)

  • Meags on May 01, 2021

    This is a delicious and very easy dish. Great flavor. I upped the chile and used mahi mahi for the fish.