• ellabee on June 07, 2016

  FoL book sale June 2016. Exemplary design in several ways: One recipe to a page, very few occasions to turn the page for more (most two-page recipes are on facing pages). A complete table of contents with recipe page numbers. Quite plain layout, with the only illustrations being line drawings on chapter head pages. Clear page numbers, out toward the edge accompanied by chapter name, so hard to lose your way. Smaller and more physically manageable than VCFE. It was something of a sensation in SF at the time (late 1980s), but took a while to have a nationwide impact; most of the 1000 EYB members' shelves hold a later reprinting.

• Vanessa on May 22, 2011

  I think that often the recipes seem long because of the way they are laid out on the page. I find the typeface particularly kind of difficult to read (I have the dark green edition too) but there are techniques in these instructions that are different and definitely worth it. And when there are extra steps (roasting and grinding your own cumin), it is worth it. Another such technique (actually from Fields of Greens, which suffers from the same typeface and layout problems) was a revelation to me: in the Sweet Pepper and Basil Frittata, the frittata is cooked partly on top of the stove but mostly baked. Most commonly, frittata recipes are done nearly 100% on top of the stove and just given a quick finish under the broiler. I like frittatas, but I absolutely loved the results from this variation in cooking technique. (It was also easier on the cook!)

• gcottraux on February 01, 2010

  Always a reliable source for good vegetarian food that doesn't rely on cheese/dairy and is colorful and flavorful enough to serve happily to non-vegetarians.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Butter lettuce and watercress with citrus and avocado

  • apw2020 on August 02, 2022

    There's no watercress in my cookbook version, and it's not necessary. The dressing for this salad is heavenly!

• Romaine and summer vegetable salad and lime vinaigrette

  • apw2020 on June 19, 2023

    Simple, fresh, and delightful. A wonderful summertime lunch, a fantastic mélange of Arizona and the south of France.

• Romaine hearts with buttered croutons and Roquefort vinaigrette

  • mamacrumbcake on June 05, 2016

    This is a really nice, simple salad, with an elegant presentation. Quadruple the croutons, because they are so good, you--and anyone near the kitchen--will find yourselves compulsively munching on them. If you're not careful, you won't have any left for the salad!

  • apw2020 on June 23, 2023

    Very easy, and very delicious! Definitely make your own croutons! Elevates the dish completely.

• Wilted spinach salad

  • apw2020 on June 29, 2023

    This is such an easy recipe, and Madison is a genius. The key is heating up the oil until it's just about at smoke point, then pouring it over the spinach and tossing it. It wilts the spinach up just enough, without it becoming a soggy mess. With the hot coating of oil, it also blends better with the vinegar and feta. A delectable combination!

• Wilted endive and potato salad with sieved egg garnish

  • apw2020 on June 29, 2023

    Fantastic. I didn't dice the egg, but instead left it quartered, and it's delicious!

• Escarole and white bean salad with fennel and Gruyère cheese

  • LittleTex on July 31, 2023

    A very delicious and pretty lunch. Used escarole, curly endive and radicchio (skipped the romaine hearts). Used fresh tarragon rather than dried because I grow it. Toasted the croutons in the oven a la Salt Fat Acid Heat. I think the fennel is an essential component - I don't think it would be as good with celery. Takes a fair amount of prep but I think the components could be stored separately in the fridge for leftovers. MIght want to grate the gruyere and make extra dressing next time. This is one of those recipes that makes me remember too late that I should buy a salad spinner.

  • sesspinelli on January 23, 2026

    great salad. Cant find my greens cookbook so will get ingredients and do by memory. This salad keeps well into the next day as the escarole is more hearty than lettuce. I do add the mixed greens as well but they stay as well.I agree the fennel is a must and I love the gruyere cut into matchsticks.I use sour cream. I always make 1 ½ the dressing and make my croutons on stovetop with butter. Any bread works but of course the better the bread the better the croutons. You can make the beans/dressing the night before. I

• Black bean and pepper salad

  • jenburkholder on August 06, 2020

    This was tasty enough, though nothing special. The celery didn't quite fit and was unnecessary with the crunchy peppers, so I would suggest omitting it.

• Lentil salad with mint, roasted peppers, and feta cheese

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

    Great salad, simple, transportable, lasts several days in the fridge -- it truly is ideal for lunches, potlucks, picnics, etc. The recipe calls for French lentils (lentils de Puy) and feta, though I have made a fine vegan version with marinated tofu in its place.

  • Varundel on January 20, 2016

    A nice, flavourful salad that's relatively easy to prepare and makes an ideal packed lunch.

• Chinese noodle salad with roasted eggplant

  • jzanger on December 17, 2010

    One of my favorite noodle recipes. The eggplant dressed with the marinade totally makes the dish.

  • WendyKinney on July 11, 2011

    We make few things more than once (lost opportunity to try something new) we make this at least once a year. Beautiful for a party. Easy to multiply recipe by 4.

  • Carecooks on May 12, 2012

    Like the other reviewers, I have made this recipe over and over. It is delicious and perfect for potlucks. It multiplies easily and it holds well at room temperature.

  • mamacrumbcake on April 20, 2016

    This was very good. I think it would be perfect for a party. Most of the ingredients are in my pantry all the time. I can see playing with different kinds of vegetables or even adding meat, tofu, or shrimp. As written, this is a vegan dish. The marinade is outstanding, especially after the ginger and garlic are added. My daughter did think it was a bit too salty; my husband and I thought it was fine. By the way, we used 6 oz of dried Chinese noodles, instead of fresh; it yielded about a pound of cooked noodles.

  • JoanneS on August 06, 2024

    Agree with the 5-star rating for this dish. Made it with my crispy tofu. Even my eggplant-hating kid loved it.

  • Jgentzler on August 26, 2024

    This is my go-to potluck dish that always wins raves.

  • wkhull on November 09, 2025

    The sauce in this dish is really divine. I omitted the salt since other reviewers found it too salty and found the soy sauce provided enough. Loved the noodles soaked in the sauce. A very adaptable dish to adding your own goods and/or serving it hot.

• Warm spring vegetable salad

  • anniecc on July 07, 2023

    This is a good dish if you have a garden and want to use up a range of fresh spring/summer vegetables in small quantities. I served it with crumbled feta and sourdough bread for a simple supper.

• Moroccan carrot salad

  • Jviney on April 07, 2021

    This was a super salad! I nearly gave up with all the peeling, the head note said “this salad comes together rather quickly” and it really would without the peeling of the carrots. However, it was a huge hit at dinner and it was so pretty. Glad I found this recipe.

• Cucumber-feta salad with red onions and mint

  • Varundel on January 25, 2016

    A light, fresh Summery salad - would be perfect as part of a BBQ. Reminiscent of Greek salads.

• Easy onion pickles

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

    A marvelous technique for quick pickled onions! A mandoline comes in handy here.

• Early spring vegetable soup

  • shannonstoney on May 22, 2018

    you can't taste the peas once you blend it.

• Lentil-spinach soup

  • coutopv on February 08, 2010

    Really tasty soup. Added a bit of paprika to spike it up

  • LauraG on December 13, 2012

    Yes, tasty. A favorite in our house for years now. Once I didn't have red onion and made it with yellow ones--it was much better! Now I always use yellow.

  • hashimaree on December 11, 2025

    I added 2 large carrots and one-third cup quinoa to bulk it up. Then stirred in 2 tablespoons of miso at the end for some more umami.

• Yellow summer squash soup with curry spices

  • shannonstoney on August 30, 2020

    This is delicious. I used sour cream instead of cream.

  • jaelsne on July 12, 2024

    Excellent soup

  • fultre on May 19, 2025

    Subbed curry powder mix (~2.5-3 tsp) cause I was too lazy to grind fresh spices, and used Greek yogurt in place of cream. Delicious, B especially loved it.

• Pumpkin soup with Gruyère cheese

  • wkhull on December 01, 2020

    Bland.

• Winter squash soup with red chili and mint

  • SheilaS on December 28, 2011

    This is a wonderfully tasty soup. I love that it captures the squash flavors from the seeds and peel into the stock.

• Bresse mushroom soup

  • lesliec on May 28, 2018

    This is the best mushroom soup I've ever made and possibly tasted. Wonderful earthy mushroom flavor and not too rich.

  • London_Mummy on November 04, 2025

    Once again, mushrooms were heavily discounted, so I bought 600 g & used Eat Your Books to find a different recipe. This soup had a sophisticated flavour & was popular with my family (had I pretended I had used expensive mushrooms, they would have been even more impressed!).

• Mushroom, leek, and potato soup

  • London_Mummy on April 21, 2026

    This was a decent soup recipe but I made a few changes to fit with what I had & simplify things for a weekday: I used a pre-chopped casserole mix, which added some carrot & swede; I had no white wine so used some brandy.

• Turnip soup with turnip greens

  • Nancith on November 11, 2015

    Great soup! Used some of the last turnips from the garden, supplemented with a few small potatoes, since there weren't quite enough turnips. Probably used twice as many turnip greens as the recipe calls for (just to use them up). Wonderful combination of smooth, mellow, sweet pureed turnip & dairy base with chewy, light bitterness of the greens.

  • bernalgirl on August 04, 2021

    Light soup, make with chicken or vegetable broth

• Yellow split pea soup with spiced yogurt

  • ashallen on December 08, 2019

    This soup and the yogurt garnish have very nice flavors. I prefer the texture the soup has when pureed. I'll frequently use some homemade chicken stock instead of water for a deeper/fuller (albeit non-vegetarian) flavor.

  • wkhull on May 20, 2025

    I felt like this recipe was missing something key; a deep flavor that just wasn't there. I made it as indicated except used non-clarified butter. I agree with previous reviewer that a good chicken stock would go a long way if you have that option. Also maybe more carrots? I also thought there was way too much turmeric in the yogurt mix.

• Parsnip soup with curry spices

  • eve_kloepper on June 22, 2017

    Labor intensive but well worth it, including making your own veggy stock.

  • anniecc on November 30, 2023

    Really good soup, although it does take a while if you also make the stock. I’m sure you could use pre-made or instant stock to speed things up. Found it surprising that the author did not specify a length of time to simmer the vegetables before blending, I gave it about half an hour. I didn’t have any cream so used crème fraiche thinned with milk, this worked well but I imagine using cream would make the texture more velvety.

• Black bean chili

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

    I have made this *many* times, always to much enjoyment. Toasting & grinding your spice mix is key! Having said that -- I've never made my own chili powder as the recipe suggests, and powdered chili powder has always worked fine. This is a vegan recipe and leftovers can even be cooked down to make a tasty dip.

  • ashallen on July 18, 2019

    I've also made this recipe many times - it featured heavily in my standard recipe rotation for a good long time. Excellent, flavorful vegetarian chili recipe. Basic structure of the recipe is strong enough that it can handle some ingredient adjustments on the fly. It also freezes well! I agree with other commenters that the freshly toasted spices are an important part of the dish's flavor.

  • Tealismyname on June 12, 2022

    Really great chili and a go to

  • apw2020 on June 21, 2023

    Amazing chili! Takes a couple hours but its worth it.

• Creole egg salad sandwich

  • eve_kloepper on April 07, 2014

    delicious, but too mayonnaisy for my taste. next time instead of 1 c. mayo (for 4 4ggs!) I will use 1/3 c. mayo and 1/3 c. greek yoghurt.

• Whole wheat bread

  • hashi on October 18, 2022

    I’m not a great bread baker and even I made a successful loaf using this recipe. It’s a hearty loaf with great wheat flavor that I’ll make again.

• Pizza dough

  • ashallen on July 28, 2019

    This is a good, standard pizza dough that was my go-to when I was on a pizza-making kick for several years.

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

    Very good. Double for one pizza. p.136.

  • stepharama1 on December 04, 2025

    Excellent pizza dough that yields the perfect quantity for one pizza. It mixes rye, wheat and white flour for a flavorful crust.

• Pizza with escarole, Fontina, and walnuts

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

    Excellent. Double recipe for main dish for two people. p. 144.

• Olive oil bread (Focaccia)

  • Varundel on January 19, 2016

    The dough turned out very wet and difficult for me to work with so I did need to add more flour. However it turned out well - a nice crust (reminiscent of breadsticks flavour and texture-wise) with a soft inside. Tried plain and also rosemary variation - both delicious.

• Egg pasta

  • Varundel on January 25, 2016

    An excellent basic egg pasta recipe. The instruction to mix in the egg to the flour mixture like breadcrumbs really helped to incorporate all the flour without needing much additional liquid.

• Pappardelle and spring vegetable ragout

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

    This is quite good , but we like a similar recipe in Viana LaPlace's Verdura even better. p. 159.

  • Tealismyname on April 21, 2024

    We enjoyed this. It's a lot of prep but the cooking of it is very easy and comes together quickly. Next time, I would definitely add in some lemon zest. I think you could play around with sauteing the leeks for longer and then using a bit of wine to add dept to the sauce before adding the water. We also added peas. I think the artichoke is the star of this.

• Taglierini, zucchini, lemon, pine nuts, and herbs

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

    This is very nice. Rather than homemade pasta, I've used thin pasta. A mix of green and yellow zucchini is pretty. Walnuts work as well as pine nuts in this recipe; I toast them in the oven. We like to add lemon juice at the table. p. 162.

  • Tealismyname on June 02, 2024

    Delicious and came together pretty easily - we felt that it could have benefited from some extra sun-dried tomatoes.

• Spinach, cheese, and tomato lasagne

  • Varundel on January 25, 2016

    Worth an afternoon to spend making this - pasta from scratch makes it a real treat. Delicious fillings - rich, satisfying and a definite hit even with the meat eaters. Did end up with a bit of spinach filling left over and might make more bechamal sauce next time.

• Baked buckwheat noodles with brown butter and Savoy cabbage

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

    Have used pizzocheri or soba, each of which work well. p. 182.

  • Tealismyname on November 14, 2022

    Pretty good! I used gluten free buckwheat penne because it was all I could find

  • anniecc on December 17, 2023

    Excellent recipe, I was a bit skeptical about how it would come together but everyone wanted seconds. I used soba noodles and taleggio cheese.

• Provençal potato gratin with olives and lemon thyme

  • Tealismyname on June 14, 2025

    Initially sceptical about a gratin with no fat, but this was surprisingly tasty and a really great accompaniment.

• Indian vegetable stew with yellow dal

  • radishseed on October 21, 2013

    This is a nice whatchagot curry to use up the leftover bits and bobs in the garden in early fall.

• Curried vegetable stew

  • JKDLady on December 21, 2012

    Hum. This was a fine recipe. Fun to make as I haven't made ghee or coconut milk before. The result was just okay. Nothing special. Serve over rice.

• Corn, bean, and pumpkin stew

  • ashallen on December 05, 2019

    Very nice - definitely a stew (as the title says) versus a soup. I used frozen corn instead of fresh and homemade chicken stock instead of vegetable stock - worked fine.

• Winter vegetable stew

  • AnitaNgaire on July 05, 2015

    Shallots substitute for the boiling onions nicely

  • AnitaNgaire on July 05, 2015

    Particularly nice baked as a casserole with the cream cheese pastry on top.

  • yoganut23 on January 07, 2022

    This is an annual dish in our home around the holidays - a favorite enjoyed by all - makes a wonderful vegetarian shepherd's pie for alternative food choices at Thanksgiving celebrations

• Peach and blueberry cobbler

  • Cheri on September 04, 2010

    Wow! Really good with a little vanilla ice cream from TJ's. Yummy.

• Sorrel-onion tart

  • Toppermom on May 01, 2012

    I tried this yesterday with sorrel from my garden. It is delicious and unique. I followed the recipe exactly as written. This will be on my list of things to do again. Now I wish I had more sorrel in the garden!

• Cheese and nut loaf

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

    OK. This thing is the real deal -- a rich & hearty vegetarian loaf, uses eggs & cheese, accommodating to leftover rice and other pantry odds & ends, tasty on its own with mustard, in a sandwich, cold or hot. Worth the effort. I first read about it here: redfox.typepad.com/hungry/2005/10/cheese-and-nut-loaf.html

• Artichoke tart

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

    I have made this several times for special occasions and it has never failed to impress. It requires some planning & prep, but the end result is terrific.

• Spinach and ricotta roulade

  • hshubin on April 08, 2014

    Used different filling, but a very nice recipe. Be sure to flour the pan (or parchment paper or foil). Used a larger pan and used foil to create a smaller space, matching the specs in the recipe.

• Poached dried apricots with ginger

  • Varundel on January 19, 2016

    Was a bit unsure how this would turn out and the flavour combination of ginger, apricots and lemon. It is however delicious and beautifully balanced! Lovely with Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

• Peach ice cream

  • Varundel on January 21, 2016

    Has a subtle delicate flavour - of course the success of this recipe depends largely on the ripeness and quality of the fruit. Makes a nice change to vanilla though and a great recipe for summer, paired with strawberries or other summer fruits.

• Blackberry crisp

  • okcook on August 02, 2016

    Very easy recipe. Not too sweet. The Orange zest is an interesting touch.

• Brown rice casserole

  • Nancith on June 01, 2017

    This was surprisingly delicious! A brown rice casserole with tofu doesn't sound too thrilling, but the combination of flavors was really satisfying. I forgot to buy zucchini, so frozen peas filled in, and water was used in place of stock, plus a combination of cheddar & Parmesan cheese.

  • k8stp on January 03, 2026

    Solid CA hippie food, New Year’s Day buffet. This is why it was so popular! For allergies: Subbed pumfu for tofu (worked well). Omitted onions and garlic, added more carrots, celery and mushrooms. Subbed Daiya vegan cheddar, added Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan on top (worked well). Subbed vegan butter for butter. Subbed yellow bell pepper for green (had). Increase spices a bit next time, possibly use hot pepper mix (poblano, Anaheim, jalapeño) instead of bell (made without alliums)? Makes a lot, leftovers great. Veg mix with tumeric also worked well stirred into basic yellow split pea dhall.

• Maple spice cake

  • chaffinski on September 03, 2025

    Good rise, but no maple taste and spices came across a bit soapy. Would be better with the cream.

• Marinated tofu

  • katiesue28 on April 23, 2020

    Best marinade I have ever used for tofu. Extremely flavorful, even after only a few hours. I broiled the tofu until crispy. There is a lot of leftover marinade, so I used it as a dressing for soba noodles. Delicious.

  • ashallen on April 27, 2020

    I've used this tofu marinade multiple times. Great marinade with a very nice flavor. Can be reused per instructions in recipe and frozen between uses.

• Green sauce (Salsa verde)

  • lesleybelle on August 15, 2018

    For the herb mix (which is in addition to the parsley), I used a shiso, garlic chives, Holy basil, sweet basil, and Mexican Marigold. Excellent way to add a lot of herbs to eggs dishes (and use shiso).

• Mince cookies

  • ashallen on November 25, 2019

    These are little cookie-dough turnovers filled with a citrusy mincemeat-like mixture. I liked the pastry which was flavored with lemon and poppy seeds - it was tender, buttery, and flavorful. But the mincemeat filling was too intensely citrusy and bitter-tasting to me - it contains an entire lemon and an entire orange, white pith and all, so the bitter compounds in those parts of the fruits were in the mincemeat. The recipe could probably be modified to reduce bitterness by using only the colored zest and the pulp inside the fruit. People who aren't as sensitive to bitterness in citrus fruits might like the recipe as written, however!