• Laura on January 02, 2011

  I have owned this book for years and have made a lot of recipes out of it. Unfortunately, most of the recipes I've made have been very average, often bland. I don't know why I keep cooking from this book, except that whenever I search for an ingredient, recipes from this book always turn up. Certainly the recipes are healthy and fairly easy, so that's a plus. But I have yet to find something that wowed me or that I would rush to make again.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Broiled eggplant Thai style

  • Meags on October 26, 2022

    Yum!

• Watercress omelet

  • Wlow on January 12, 2017

    Didn't turn out well but cast-iron pan was a little too hot so over-browned and used dried dill (1t)-- fresh would've been much better. EYB ingredient list said dried dill so hadn't bought fresh. Used 4 whole eggs, full-fat cottage cheese, scallions. Neither flavor nor texture very appealing.

• Banana muffins

  • Meags on October 26, 2022

    Yum!! I didn't beat the egg white and I used 6 oz vanilla yogurt, skipped raisins because - yuck.

• Pumpkin oat muffins

  • Soveh on August 03, 2010

    These are excellent. I usually sub soy milk for the evaporated milk and they turn out just fine.

• Chilled beet and buttermilk soup

  • Wlow on July 29, 2016

    Lovely, refreshing 7/2004

• Minestrone genoa

  • Meags on October 06, 2022

    Great!! I didn't use green beans. I also used chickpeas and navy beans. I added very little salt since I'm trying to eat low sodium and topped my bowl with a little parmesan.

• Korean vegetable noodle soup

  • Laura on May 15, 2010

    5/15/10: This was surprisingly good! I was afraid it would taste too fishy (used the bonito flakes in the broth), but it was not fishy at all. The noodles pretty much disappear. I'd make this again.

• Cream of cauliflower soup

  • vickster on April 01, 2013

    This is a simple but deliciously healthy recipe. The dill really complements the cauliflower, and the tang of the buttermilks enhances the flavor. (But my husband wouldn't eat it because of the dill, so I have a lot of soup to finish!)

  • MsMonsoon on November 08, 2021

    The flavors are good but a little mild for me. I may increase the spices even more next time. The only fat in this soup comes from the buttermilk -- the veggies are not sautéed or anything -- so it's very healthy. I made 1.5x the recipe and it filled my 5.5L dutch oven. With its light golden color and grainy appearance, it looks a little like polenta.

• Creamy potato kale soup

  • foolcontrol on June 08, 2018

    This was really good. My boys aren't big on vegetables but we ate the whole pot in one sitting. Next time I will not puree all of the potatoes. It will give it a bit more texture.

• Golden split pea soup

  • Laura on December 16, 2010

    While I have made plenty of soups with green split peas, I'd never cooked with yellow split peas before. So, I'm not familar with how fast they're supposed to cook. The recipe says to cook for 40 minutes until the peas are tender. Well, twice that amount of time and the peas were still not particularly tender. I don't know if there was something wrong with the split peas I used, or if the directions are really off. I know that when I've made green split pea soups I usually cook them for 3 hours. So, I'm guessing that this recipe is just wrong. Anyway, I finally decided they were tender 'enough' and pureed the soup in my Cuisinart. Even so, there was still a crunch from the not-so-tender peas. And frankly, the flavor was nothing special. I wouldn't bother with this again.

• Dried mushroom soup with barley

  • Cathyschuh on January 18, 2022

    excellent recipe and freezes well. My dried mushrooms were very clean so after a rinse I just cooked them with the rest. Letting them soak and cook in the pot. Makes a good breakfast, adding tuna in for protein.

• Curried carrot parsnip soup

  • Laura on April 17, 2010

    4/14/10: I was pleasantly surprised by this soup. I was a bit leery to start simply because I've not had great luck with recipes from this book. I was also afraid that the orange juice might be a bit overpowering, but it blended well. The soup was quite flavorful. Served it hot and added the yogurt. Overall, it was a refreshing, light meal. Enjoyed it the next morning for breakfast as well.

• Southwestern corn and potato soup

  • lvaillancourt on December 04, 2019

    Recipe is great as is. I have added a can of pinto beans and it was still delicious.

• Basque white bean soup

  • Laura on May 12, 2010

    11/17/09: Bland, but healthy. Needs more beans and spices.

• Savannah beans and greens soup

  • Laura on April 27, 2010

    4/27/10: This is a very healthy dish, but it is really bland! Even with the Tabasco, which I added liberally. Ended up adding a lot of Sriracha sauce just to get some zip. This is really more of a rice dish than a soup -- the broth completely disappears. It's not bad, just pretty flavorless.

• Almost fat-free cornbread

  • Cathyschuh on March 11, 2023

    Pretty great for a fat free recipe. dense texture chew to the outside. Made in a cast iron skillet

• Brown bread

  • Meags on February 20, 2022

    The flavor is good. Mine didn't rise very much. As a result, the texture is okay. Not bad, but not as good as it should be. I do think my bread pan was a little bigger than the recipe called for, but it still seems like it should have risen higher.

• Homemade biscuits

  • Wlow on November 20, 2017

    Husband hated these. Seemed undercooked and oddly sweet. Lacked satisfying biscuit texture and browning from fat.

• Asian tofu salad

  • Wlow on August 28, 2017

    5/2006 very good

• Ira's lunch

  • lajaxon on June 13, 2016

    A great healthy lunch option. Instead of Tofu-kan I used baked tofu, teriyaki flavor. Overall a very flavorful mixture featuring mostly ingredients you probably already have in the kitchen. Works great in a pita. Add lettuce to prevent the pita from getting soggy, some avocado and you're good to go!

  • clancotter on April 26, 2014

    No spinach in my recipe

• Middle Eastern cannellini patties

  • mike245 on October 21, 2012

    The patties were very easy to make and came out okay, but they were bit under-seasoned. Next time, I plan some cayenne and additional cumin and lemon juice, and maybe replace the parsley with cilantro.

  • Wlow on September 10, 2017

    2/2013 G: "transcendent"; mixture was too wet for patties though. Was great in pita with vegetables and Yogurt Tahini Dressing as suggested

• Cabbage salad

  • Laura on May 12, 2010

    This was truly terrible. The cumin overwhelmed the dish and I like cumin.

• Mango coconut cucumber salad

  • Nancith on May 01, 2023

    Lively flavors with contrasting textures makes this salad a winner! DIdn't have a chile so I sprinkled in some cayenne pepper. This was so yummy I could eat if for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

• Baked sweet potato salad

  • mel412 on February 14, 2010

    I made this with the mango curry yogurt dressing and it was delicious. Even my four year old at without complaints.

  • CRCarroll6 on December 11, 2010

    Sounds fantastic... I am going to add this to the list of recipes to try.

• Quinoa black bean salad

  • Nancith on July 01, 2019

    This was a decent salad, although I should have upped the amount of cumin & coriander since they were barely detectable. Didn't have cilantro on hand which would have helped quite a bit to up the flavor quotient. Also didn't have a green chile, but I didn't miss that. Did add some thawed frozen corn which provided a little visual contrast & some added flavor.

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great! I served it over romaine and didn't have tomatoes on hand -- fine w/o them.

• Mediterranean couscous salad

  • Meags on May 03, 2022

    This was really good! I took mharriman's advice and cut the recipe to 1/3 for two. Great flexibility in the recipe. I didn't have zucchini or tomatoes, so I just added extra celery and peppers. I am allergic to sun-dried tomatoes, so I added kalamata and mild green olives. I also didn't realize it needed an hour to chill. We had it after about 30-40 minutes. Fantastic!

  • mharriman on March 13, 2022

    My husband and I loved this salad. I cut the entire recipe to 1/3 of the ingredients since I was making it for two people. Even with 1/2 cup of dry couscous and the reduced amount of vegetables, there was enough for three people as a side dish. Definitely will repeat. I used Trader Joe’s whole wheat couscous.

• Sushi rice salad

  • Wlow on September 08, 2015

    My older son (9) especially loved this, wanted leftovers for lunch at school. Avocado garnish, little or no wasabi in dish.

  • Wlow on September 10, 2017

    2/2016 too warm when freshly made; 8/2017 served chilled but wasabi ruined for kids

• Wild rice waldorf salad

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great! I used green onions because I didn't have red.

• Festive black bean chili

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Very good!

  • Wlow on January 19, 2023

    Very good with 1 C canned fire-roasted tomatoes (1/3 amount called for). Red bell peppers, frozen corn. G really liked. Served with cilantro garnish (and avocado, Greek yogurt and La Paloma mild chile sauce for myself).

• Black bean chilaquile

  • shamby on September 13, 2013

    p. 164

  • LaurenHansen on August 26, 2011

    This recipe is one of my go-to dinners. I make a few changes: I use rainbow chard, and corn or wheat tortillas (cut into triangles) in the place of chips. Fresh tomatoes and corn make a world of difference too.

  • CRCarroll6 on July 08, 2012

    I made this years ago, before going vegan... it is a fantastic basic recipe to open up the possibilities. I just added in whatever vegetables or beans I had on hand that seemed to make sense. It was a great warm and cozy meal when I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska.

  • Laura on November 06, 2010

    This was quite good, but with modifications. In an effort to make it healthier, I substituted pinto beans for the corn, doubled the Swiss Chard, and eliminated the crushed tortilla chips. Overall, it was quite tasty.

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Can't beat that!

• Fat Tuesday's skinny red beans

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Meh.

• Lentil sambar

  • Laura on October 29, 2009

    This really wasn't very good and it wasn't very pretty either. Very brown. It was saved by the Mango Peach Chutney ( pg 362).

• Tuscan beans with sage

  • Couture911 on September 19, 2010

    Simple dish. Fast enough for a weeknight dinner if you have canned beans on hand. I have made this one countless times. Navy beans can easily be substituted for cannellini here.

  • Meags on October 20, 2021

    Delicious! Fast and simple - great as a main dish, a side dish or on top of some spinach and cheese tortellini.

  • cookyourheroes on January 25, 2022

    I adore this recipe. Quick, easy, healthy, delicious. It can be cooked very simply using canned beans and canned tomatoes. Just make sure you use fresh sage. I usually eat it on toast and add greens like arugula or spinach if I have some that need to be used up.

• Middle Eastern chickpeas with spinach

  • benitamehta on February 25, 2022

    Super easy and relatively quick weeknight meal. I add a little more spice as we like things spicy but the base recipe is great. I've subbed various veggies and greens to success as well.

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Fantastic! The sauce is great!

• Garlicky black-eyed peas 'n' greens

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Very good - with soy sauce or more spice

• Sweet potato and black bean burrito

  • Moo7 on August 02, 2021

    Excellent flavors and consistency. Huge hot and feeds a crowd.

• Chili burgers

  • Wlow on September 09, 2017

    Quite good using pintos and tomato paste. Cook dried beans til soft and mash while still warm.

  • Hawley on January 19, 2014

    Tasty, but a bit dry and the burgers didn't hold together very well. I made 11 small burgers rather than the 5-6 stated in recipe.

  • Dcampos on August 02, 2020

    Really delicious and easy to make. I substituted 1/4 cup of the oatmeal for ground flaxseed hoping it would help with binding. The burger held together well. My husband stated it was the best healthy vegan burger I've made so far and requested I make it again.

• Bulgur with savory greens

  • Laura on May 03, 2010

    5/2/10: Chose this as a way to use some beautiful braising greens from the farmers market. It was pretty good, although next time I would cook the bulgur and greens separately and then mix them together in the end. The cook time for the bulgur was just too long for the greens -- I prefer my greens to still be recognizable and have a bit of crunch. Next time I would also 'remember' to add the chickpeas! The mint was a nice touch -- don't leave that out.

  • chriscooks on March 16, 2019

    Made this with TJ's 10-min farro instead of bulgur; softened the chard stems with the onions. Worked well but I pre-cooked the farro, which made it a bit mushy by the time the dish came together. Can easily vary the ratio of carbs to greens. It looks good because of the contrast of the dark greens with the lighter grain.

• Curried couscous pilaf

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Good, not great. Not compelled to make again.

• Five-spice rice

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Adults liked it - the kids did not. I didn't have 5 spice powder. I used a little cinnamon, cloves, basil, maple syrup and salt.

• Fragrant jasmine rice

  • babyfork on February 12, 2018

    I didn't add the chile. This was okay, but nothing special.

• Midsummer risotto

  • twarner on August 17, 2018

    The recipe should be considered a suggestion. I put whatever was growing in my garden today, corn, zucchini, basil, and some leftover rice. Good stuff.

• Macaroni and cheese

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Excellent!

• Pasta primavera

  • mharriman on May 27, 2023

    I made this using the exact vegetables suggested and followed the prescribed directions. The outcome was fresh-tasting pasta. It was pretty basic but we wanted something light and fresh and this hit the spot. Cooking was a snap after doing all the mise en place. Nice warm weather entree.

• Zucchini saffron pasta

  • twarner on August 17, 2014

    This is without a doubt the highest and best use for summer zucchini. Somehow it turns out tasting sweet!

• Pasta, lentils, and artichoke hearts

  • jaelsne on October 25, 2013

    Loved the taste of this sauce. It has the flavor of an Indian dal with the added kick of lemon juice and artichoke hearts. Tasted great over pasta. I'll be sure to make this again, because I usually have all of the ingredients in my pantry. It's a bit of a colorless dish, so I would serve it along with greens or something else to add color to your plate.

• Pasta with chickpeas

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum! Great with crushed red pepper too.

• Penne with creamy walnut sauce

  • Laura on November 06, 2010

    This was a complete waste of time and calories.

  • twarner on February 23, 2014

    I have to disagree with Laura - I've been making this stuff for years. It's healthy and delicious and it got my kids to eat spinach when they were little. It's practically a salad!

• Curried rice noodles

  • Wlow on September 10, 2017

    2/2013 delicious, exotic, kids liked, but needs a couple plainer dishes with it

  • Nancith on May 01, 2023

    I thought this was a little boring, but I did cut back somewhat on the spices bc my hubby is not overly fond of curry powder. He actually thought it was pretty good, especially after adding some cayenne pepper to his portion. Not interesting enough to make again for me.

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Good with Sriracha

• Roasted vegetables with italian dressing

  • Meags on October 26, 2022

    Delicious!

• Roasted vegetables with Caribbean dressing

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum!!!

• Curried sweet potato roti

  • TheGingerCook on May 18, 2011

    Delicious and easy to make. Nice way to do a health samosa.

• Vegetable-filled pancakes

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Excellent! Cashews on side. I skipped tofu and rice wine. Added shredded carrots and cabbage.

• Mushroom polenta pie

  • susankay on June 16, 2022

    Delicious! It tastes like my spinach lasagna with hardly any fat. I served it with the suggested tomato wine sauce. My husband raved!

• Eggplant Parmesan

  • ajs on September 18, 2010

    good, but a bit dry.

• Middle Eastern tofu-stuffed peppers

  • Michele on November 30, 2020

    This was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever made, and I cook a lot. I’m not even vegetarian, but I’m putting this into my top 10 recipes. The combination of spices is just right and much more than the sum of its parts.

• Stuffed baked potatoes

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Broccoli stuffing - just okay.

• Fresh spring rolls

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great!

• Giambotta

  • Nancith on January 14, 2017

    Quite a nice vegetable stew--in future I might add more olive oil for more richness (although it is a lowfat recipe). I used canned fire-roasted tomatoes & added a splash of the red wine we were having. Also added some Parmesan for extra flavor. Went well with meatballs for hubby--any other Italian-style meat would pair nicely.

• Caribbean stew

  • Wlow on September 10, 2017

    3/2005 Very good, G liked

  • Laura on November 06, 2010

    This was just ok. Definitely needs more spice.

• Thai vegetable curry

  • Laura on May 12, 2010

    4/27/10: This was yummy and easy.

• Ukrainian beet and bean stew

  • Laura on November 06, 2010

    This was yummy. I recommend doubling the amount of beans.

  • jaelsne on April 14, 2014

    I made this recipe to use up the vegetables from my crisper, and was very happy with the results. I think that the addition of scallions and yogurt at the end is essential. I think a previous reviewer had a good idea. Double the beans and you'll have a satisfying one pot meal.

• Armenian stew with pilaf

  • Laura on May 12, 2010

    5/12/10: This is easy, tasty, and healthy, but nothing special. Made it without the pilaf. Used chickpeas in place of favas. Added basil and mint (both fresh, not dried) at the end of cooking to preserve flavors.

• Creole stew

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Adults loved it! Oldest kid did not. Younger thought it was "good."

• Baked fish with mustard marinade

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great! Made with tilapia. Half the sauce is fine.

• Fish with herbs and lime

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Very good!

  • Laura on May 03, 2010

    5/3/10: Made this with halibut steaks and also omitted the rosemary -- just didn't think it would go well with the remaining ingredients. The result was just ok, nothing special. An easy, fast way to cook fish on a weeknight when pressed for time.

• Fish steaks with fennel

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Not good

• Fish tagine with chermoulla

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum!

• Southeast Asian fish rolls

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum yummy! Eric would like half the cilantro.

• Baked flounder rolls

  • Meags on March 07, 2023

    Great dish! I made it with rockfish and put the rolls on top of zucchini and spinach

• Herbed fish in a packet

  • Margaretsmall on November 16, 2013

    This is a very simple dish, but delicious. I served with rice and home grown asparagus.

• Breaded garlic dill fish

  • mharriman on March 22, 2022

    Okay but nothing special. I prefer ATK version.

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum! Kids thought it was "eh."

• Honey mustard fish

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    I thought okay to good. Husband liked a lot!

• Gingered shrimp and soba

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Very good!

• Citrus-dressed asparagus

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Good

  • mharriman on March 22, 2022

    The dressing was a simple way to jazz up asparagus and was a nice early spring vegetable side dish to pair with fish. Would go well with most any protein.

• Gingered broccoli

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Fantastic!!!

• Mustard carrots

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Yum!!

• Cauliflower with curry sauce

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great!

• Sweet sweet potatoes

  • MsMonsoon on December 11, 2016

    Recipe calls for unsweetened apple juice (or pear or orange juice), not actual apples.

• Scalloped potatoes and carrots

  • Nancith on January 12, 2017

    Very nice dish--a good main for me & a great side for hubby along with chicken. Combination of potatoes & carrots, along with sauteed onions, was very flavorful. Had to use a prepared lemon-herb blend in lieu of the thyme & nutmeg, since that's all that was available.

• Oven "fries"

  • mharriman on March 22, 2022

    Healthy as well as tasty and interesting twist on oven fries with the paprika and cumin seasoning. I think the time given is way too long - at least in my oven it was. Mine were fully cooked at 20 minutes and at 25 I took them out because they were getting very dark and tasting and looking to soon be over cooked. They were still good but next time, I’ll do a taste test at 15, then 20 minutes, and take them out while insides are still soft ( my preference).

• Potato cakes

  • Meags on August 24, 2022

    Okay - not very flavorful. I used two scallions. Might be good with a bunch of spices (paprika, chili powder, etc).

• Broiled zucchini with herbs

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Good

• Southeast Asian coconut zucchini

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Okay

• Zucchini with cilantro sauce

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Great! Too much cilantro for husband. Oldest kid said the sauce "actually made zucchini good."

• Creamy dill dressing

  • Vanessa on May 22, 2011

    This is a terrific dressing. It is also really good mixed with cooked pasta (wagon wheel or similar shapes), chopped ham, and green peas for a quick pasta dish to feed a crowd.

  • TrishaCP on May 14, 2021

    I have been enjoying this dressing all week long on plain salad greens. While a “creamy” dressing- it gets a nice tang from the vinegar.

• Minted dill yogurt dressing

  • TrishaCP on June 26, 2020

    Just the type of dressing that I like.

• Cilantro lime yogurt dressing

  • TrishaCP on May 07, 2018

    This was simple but really did the trick for a simple salad of spicy greens. I doubled the amounts of chives and cilantro.

• Yogurt tahini dressing

  • Wlow on September 10, 2017

    2/2013 Delicious using low fat yogurt. T liked

• Spicy peanut dressing

  • Meags on October 30, 2022

    Delicious! Great for Showering Rama. I used parsley for cilantro for Eric. I also skipped the lemon juice and used half the water.

• Tomato wine sauce

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Delicious!! I skipped fennel, added more basil and oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Excellent on manicotti.

  • mharriman on March 23, 2022

    The fennel and other herbs help make the sauce more than one note. This was easy to prepare. I love that it’s low sodium as well as low fat. Trying not to think about or compare it to Marcella Hazen’s tomato sauce sautéed in butter :). Husband liked it a lot so I’ll repeat. Served with thawed leftover spinach and turkey meatballs and spaghetti.

• Mango peach chutney

  • Laura on May 12, 2010

    10/29/09: This was really good! Used frozen peaches, obviously.

• Susan's pesto

  • kkillebrew on June 26, 2014

    Eliminate tomatoes, add 1 T. chicken stock and 1 T. olive oil. Double the recipe.

  • mharriman on March 20, 2022

    My husband thought this was bland but I liked it combined with the linguine and served over Mark Bittman’s scallops stuffed with pesto paste. This pesto has an idea of pesto but if you’re in the mood for full pesto with olive oil, this will be a disappointment because it doesn’t come close to tasting like the real thing. Bottom line: Okay but Not good enough up to repeat.

• Creamy dairyless rice pudding

  • Wlow on March 08, 2020

    Can sub raisins for currants.

• Lemon pudding cake

  • Meags on October 27, 2022

    Delicious!

• Chocolate cocoa cake

  • MsMonsoon on January 21, 2018

    Kind of boring and lacks a deep chocolate flavor, but it would probably be better with one of the toppings recommended in the book, or some whipped cream with a bit of vanilla. Not terrible for a low-fat recipe, and it's easy to make.

• Maple walnut biscotti

  • Cathyschuh on January 18, 2022

    good basic low fat biscotti. needs the flavor amped up a bit

• Caesar salad dressing

  • Christinalego on May 16, 2020

    05/2020 Pretty dull stuff. I added a few anchovies and a little more buttermilk, but I won’t start with this recipe again.

• Sweet potato oven "fries"

  • Hawley on January 19, 2014

    OK. Family didn't think needed to add as much paprika as called for.

  • Jswendt on October 18, 2011

    Delish and easy

  • Jswendt on January 08, 2012

    recipe on page 326--just listed for reg. white potatoes