• Lnbrittain on January 05, 2022

  Great book. It works as a reference book for how to do this and that with both less common and common veggies, as well as being a source of many excellent contemporary, but not daunting, recipes. Grateful to the guy at the bookstore who recommended it to me.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Asparagus, hazelnuts, and mint with quinoa and lemon vinaigrette

  • Jane on August 07, 2017

    A lovely summer salad. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors and textures. To make it a more substantial dinner I crumbled some feta cheese on the top.

• Classic guacamole

  • GloriaG on May 06, 2026

    Delicious, classic guacamole recipe! The original recipe serves 6-8, far more than we needed. Used 1 1/2 avocado & scaled the rest of the ingredients accordingly. Used a dash of garlic powder as didn’t want raw garlic to over-power rest of ingredients. Perfect amount for 2 adults.

• Stir-fried bok choy with garlic and ginger

  • TrishaCP on June 06, 2018

    This was a nice treatment for bok choy, with pretty classic flavors. The recipe didn't specify when to add the bok choy leaves (or talk about using the leaves), so I threw them in at the end and let them wilt for a minute or two.

• Stir-fried tatsoi with sesame soy sauce

  • TrishaCP on March 20, 2021

    An easy and flavorful treatment for tatsoi.

• Broccoli rabe and sunchoke chips with orecchiette and garlic breadcrumbs

  • Emily Hope on August 10, 2016

    This pasta was great--deeply savory and full of flavors and textures. The jerusalem artichoke chips weren't a hit with everyone (C didn't eat his), but I thought they really made the dish and I'll be making them to use in other contexts (snacks, salads). I'm not sure the breadcrumbs are strictly necessary--next time I might try either the chips or the breadcrumbs but not both. I also didn't boil the broccoli rabe (just sauteed it instead)--I've never found the rabe we get to be bitter enough to warrant the extra step. Only downside is that it was relatively time-consuming and left me with a kitchen full of dishes, so I probably won't make on a weeknight again. Served with a tomato salad--it definitely needs something acid on the side--and a fried egg (not strictly necessary but tasty).

• Roasted maple-chile Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with warm farro and orange vinaigrette

  • GloriaG on May 02, 2026

    A bit time consuming to make because the sweet potatoes & Brussels sprouts are chopped & roasted individually before combining with the farro but the end result is worth it! Packed with flavor, texture, color and smelled wonderful. Could serve alone as a vegetarian entree or as a hearty side dish.

• Orange vinaigrette

  • GloriaG on May 02, 2026

    Made this dressing to toss with the warm farro salad with sweet potato and roasted brussel sprouts also from this cook book. Brought the flavors together perfectly without over-powering the salad. I could also see using this dressing on a salad with apples as think flavors would work well together.

• Butter-braised cabbage

  • TrishaCP on January 01, 2018

    I wanted a very simple braised cabbage dish to go with a Hugh Acheson dish of roasted pork and apples, so chose this one. It is indeed simple, and went perfectly with the accompaniment, but I would definitely jazz it up if I was serving it with a less complicated main.

  • VineTomato on December 22, 2022

    Nice enough - Mr VT was not a fan, but picky when it comes to cabbage. I enjoyed this for dinner and left overs alongside my lunch for a few days.

• Cauliflower and caramelized fennel soup

  • crandall57 on January 20, 2025

    We really enjoyed this soup. Make sure to make the croutons and put the fennel seeds on top, they add a lot to the dish. It was fairly simple to put together; I would make this again.

• Swiss chard crostata with fennel seed crust

  • ksg518 on May 21, 2018

    This was very good. I can see making this from time to time although it's too time consuming for a weeknight. I made it according to directions except I added a few baby turnips I had on hand. The fennel seed crust was very good and relatively easy to work with. If I make one change, it would be to add a little lemon zest to the filling.

  • Astrid5555 on September 04, 2020

    The crust was very crumbly. The addition of fennel seeds is a great idea, will definitely repeat in my favorite crust recipe. We liked the filling, but overall too time-consuming for a weeknight dinner.

  • sometimes on November 24, 2021

    Perhaps dumb luck but this was shockingly delicious. Not fast but straightforward to make generally as written; went 50/50 chard and young, tender mustard greens, and 75% TAM105 "00" and 25% Quanah whole wheat flour from a local mill. Great way to use up the piles of greens I'm getting locally here in Texas this time of year (late fall). The fennel seed isn't overwhelming but does a lot of work here; the recipe claims it's "optional but strongly recommended"; it is not optional.

• To clean and prep fiddleheads

  • GloriaG on May 27, 2026

    I was excited to find fiddlehead ferns at my local farmers market - a springtime treat! Cara Mangini provides extremely helpful, detailed steps on how to prepare them to cook. It was a time-consuming process but worth it in the end!

• To sauté fiddleheads

  • kleins99 on June 08, 2023

    Delightful. I didn't use the cream, but I would have, if I'd had it.

• Basil vinaigrette

  • srhmkllr on January 28, 2018

    Absolutely delicious on fresh summer tomatoes.

• Jicama and grapefruit salad with sweet soy dressing

  • mamacrumbcake on February 07, 2020

    I didn’t make the whole salad, just the dressing and candied pecans, to use with a slaw. The combination of cabbage with this dressing and the candied pecans (which I thought was an unusual choice) was very nice. I would put this simplified salad in rotation for weeknight meals.

• Red leaf lettuce salad with grilled corn, peaches, avocado, and walnuts

  • ksg518 on June 18, 2018

    This is a wonderful salad I'll be repeating throughout the summer. I made it as directed except I substituted apricots for the peaches since our peaches still aren't at their peak. I've never really thought about adding feta and corn to a salad but it's a great combination.

• Mushroom ragout with pappardelle

  • Astrid5555 on December 04, 2018

    This is delicious! I did not chop the mushrooms to a paste-like consistency but into small dice which resulted in a nice meaty texture for the sauce which we loved. Quick to make, thus a perfect weeknight dinner. Even one of my vegetable-avoiding sons tried it and liked it, so this is a definite keeper.

  • ivyhopegirl on January 02, 2023

    I did not blend the veggies in a food processor, which I think would have improved it greatly. Otherwise, this was medium. Great sauce base, but strange texture with the vegetables simply diced really small.

• Snap pea, asparagus, and avocado salad with radish vinaigrette

  • VineTomato on September 10, 2017

    Fresh, light salad which would be well suited for spring / early summer, I think I would have enjoyed it more then than early autumn with a bit of a chill in the air. The roasted asparagus add a delicious dimension to the salad. Not a bit fan of the radish vinaigrette, was expecting more especially with the description about being in awe of Mother Nature - apart from making the dressing pink I don't think the radishes added anything extra.

• Crispy skillet fingerlings

  • Nancith on September 10, 2018

    These were very crispy on the outside, but soft and fluffy on the inside. Couldn't find fingerlings so I used "gourmet" small white potatoes which worked very well. Very simple prep & cooking. Nice accompaniment for burgers.

• Baked spinach and ricotta dip

  • claire_txa051 on April 21, 2026

    Easy peasy and yummy. Would benefit from a lead flavor, like an herb or seasoning, so I’d recommend tossing in dill or za’atar or something. Doubled ricotta and that was the way to go.

• Roasted sweet potato wedges with maple-chipotle yogurt dip

  • asalty on February 01, 2022

    Didn’t have lime so I used lemon juice, and it came out awesome

• Roasted sweet potatoes, sautéed chard, and coconut black rice

  • VineTomato on April 09, 2018

    I’ve been away from my cookbooks for a while. It’s good to be back. This was totally delicious. I roasted the sweet potatoes with turmeric which I think added a further flavour dimension (and some health benefits!). Tried glutinous black rice in the pressure cooker - 12 minutes on the rice setting worked a treat. I will be making this one again - soon!

• Roasted delicata squash with quinoa, kale, and pumpkin seeds

  • ksg518 on November 10, 2017

    This is a good, basic grain bowl recipe. I made it pretty much as written except I substituted sliced almonds for the pumpkin seeds. The pumpkin seeds would have been better because they would have provided more crunch. I think pecans would work well too. I also think the addition of some lemon zest would help perk it up a little. I'll definitely be making this again.

  • WasagaGirl on October 26, 2018

    Not my favourite for sure...the kale seemed overwhelming, but the flavour of the dish was nice.

  • Nancith on December 01, 2020

    This was pretty good, but as a previous reviewer said, the kale flavor seemed to overwhelm the delicata squash. I used only 2/3 the amount of quinoa called for which seemed like plenty. Also had to do a weird sub of white wine vinegar & sherry for sherry vinegar. Wish we had the optional feta which would have livened up the flavor a bit.

• Zucchini, sweet corn, and basil penne with pine nuts and mozzarella

  • Astrid5555 on September 28, 2021

    Delicious, a keeper for corn season!

  • Lnbrittain on January 05, 2022

    I love this and make it a couple of times a year. Following the recipe exactly instead of just flying off with the ingredients makes for a huge difference. And it’s delicious. I do use frozen corn sometimes.

• To prep dandelion greens

  • CorneliaCooks on March 04, 2022

    Wow! A huge improvement. I carefully de-stemmed my dandelion greens, then blanched them in salty, boiling water for 2 minutes. They were much, much tastier than the time I simply sautéed the dandelion greens.

• Spaghetti squash with sage brown butter, lemon, hazelnuts, and Parmesan

  • Nancith on September 11, 2022

    Whoa, this is luscious & buttery! Almost too rich to eat as a main, but we managed. Leftovers made a nice side. I would have liked more of a sage presence; for quite a big batch of spaghetti squash there were only 20 fried sage leaves. I'd probably double that next time. A very nice way to use this vegetable.

• Sweet potato latkes with cranberry chipotle jam and sour cream

  • Delfina69 on November 28, 2022

    Sadly, this was a disaster. Not enough binder to properly coat the sweet potatoes (I tried adding an additional egg but no luck). Where I live, it’s very dry in the winter which might account for the binding ingredients clumping together instead of being mixed into a batter-like consistency. I’ve made latkes for years and with all kinds of vegetables and was hoping this would be an interesting take with sweet potatoes but no.

• Zucchini olive oil cake with lemon drizzle

  • things.hannahlikes on September 22, 2025

    Very good!

  • things.hannahlikes on November 12, 2025

    Very good with or without nuts. I accidentally chopped some of my nuts practically to dust and others larger chunks, but that improved the texture, I think. This will be a go-to recipe.

• Eat the Love

  ...the perfect cookbook for vegetarians and omnivores alike who are looking to not only learn more about all sorts of vegetables as well as how to prep and chop them and various ways to use them.

  Full review

• Fine Cooking

  For someone new to cooking, this book will become a well-worn reference, while seasoned cooks may benefit from pieces on lesser-known produce, like crosnes and cardoons.

  Full review

• Epicurious

  ...shares simple recipes that highlight a vegetable's flavor, but more importantly, teaches you the proper—er, magic—way to slice, dice, and julienne it.

  Full review