• 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

• Peach and blueberry cobbler

  • Cheri on September 04, 2010

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Blackberry crisp

  • okcook on August 02, 2016

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

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

• Pizza dough

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

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

  • 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.

• Pizza with escarole, Fontina, and walnuts

  • Avocet on July 08, 2021

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

• Turnip soup with turnip greens

  • bernalgirl on August 04, 2021

    Light soup, make with chicken or vegetable broth

  • 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.

• 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.

• Parsnip soup with curry spices

  • eve_kloepper on June 22, 2017

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

• 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!

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

  • Tealismyname on June 12, 2022

    Really great chili and a go to

  • 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.

• 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.

• Easy onion pickles

  • oddkitchen on January 10, 2013

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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!

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Yellow summer squash soup with curry spices

  • shannonstoney on August 30, 2020

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

• Early spring vegetable soup

  • shannonstoney on May 22, 2018

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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).

• Pumpkin soup with Gruyère cheese

  • wkhull on December 01, 2020

    Bland.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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!

• 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.

• 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!