Veggie Blog

Book Description:
Introducing a new voice in vegetarian cooking. Packed with 1,000 recipes that are seductive, sexy, and utterly delicious, Passionate Vegetarian covers all the bases of meatless cooking, from east (Stir Fry of Asparagus with Black Bean-Ginger Sauce), west (Talk of the Town Barbecued Tofu), from the Mediterranean (Swiss Chard with Raisins, Onions & Olives) to the American South (Black-Eyed Pea Ragovt). You’ll find lush lasagnas; plump pierogies; bountiful burgers, beans, and breads; pleasing pasta and pies. You’ll spoon up soups and stews, and delight in desserts from simple to swoonworthy.

Written by longtime vegetarian Crescent Dragonwagon, author of Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread Cookbook, Passionate Vegetarian employs innovative methods (try “Ri-sort-ofs,” in which risotto technique is used to create splendid, richly flavored grain dishes built around not just rice but also barley, buckwheat, spelt, and even toasted oats with an array of seasonings) and introduces lesser-known ingredients (get to know and love not just tofu and tempeh but a whole new generation of soyfoods, as well as “Quick Fixes” like instant bean flakes). Opinionated, passionate, and deeply personal, Ms. Dragonwagon’s tantalizing headnotes will have readers rushing to the kitchen to start cooking. (Can her over-the-top Garlic Spaghetti really be that good? It is.)

Whether you’re a committed vegetarian, a dedicated vegan (most recipes offer low-fat and vegan options), or a food-loving omnivore in search of something new and wonderful, this is not just vegetarian cooking–but cooking, period–at its most creative, inspiring, and exuberant.

Book: Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon
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Book Description:
Part memoir, nutritional primer, and political manifesto, this controversial examination exposes the destructive history of agriculture—causing the devastation of prairies and forests, driving countless species extinct, altering the climate, and destroying the topsoil—and asserts that, in order to save the planet, food must come from within living communities. In order for this to happen, the argument champions eating locally and sustainably and encourages those with the resources to grow their own food. Further examining the question of what to eat from the perspective of both human and environmental health, the account goes beyond health choices and discusses potential moral issues from eating—or not eating—animals. Through the deeply personal narrative of someone who practiced veganism for 20 years, this unique exploration also discusses alternatives to industrial farming, reveals the risks of a vegan diet, and explains why animals belong on ecologically sound farms.

What does The Vegetarian Myth cover?

The description calls it a controversial book that is part memoir, part nutritional primer and part political manifesto. It examines the history of agriculture and argues that food should come from living communities.

What does the author argue?

According to the description, the book argues for eating locally and sustainably and encourages those with the resources to grow their own food. It also discusses moral issues around eating or not eating animals. The description says it reveals the risks of a vegan diet and explains why animals belong on ecologically sound farms. Those are the author’s arguments as the description states them, not claims made here.

Whose story does it tell?

According to the description, the book is told through the personal narrative of someone who practiced veganism for 20 years.

Who wrote it?

According to the title, the book is by Lierre Keith.

This summary of the book description is not medical advice.

How should I read a book that challenges vegetarianism?

A book can argue that agriculture, ethics or nutrition makes a vegetarian diet a poor choice. Read it as an argument and compare its claims against independent sources. For nutrition, check what health agencies say about nutrient needs on a plant-based diet: the MedlinePlus vegetarian diet page encourages people who avoid animal foods to pay attention to B12, zinc, iron and calcium, which shows that planning matters.

People thrive on many dietary patterns, and individual needs vary with age, health, pregnancy and cultural background.

Do not stop prescribed medicines or make big dietary changes based on a single book. A doctor or registered dietitian can look at your blood tests and history and discuss which pattern suits you.

More on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Antioxidant Foods: Why Colorful Plants Beat Supplements

Book: The Vegetarian Myth by Lierre Keith
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Book Description:
Finally, the diet vegetarians have been waiting for, Have you been feeling left out lately? Many is the vegetarian or vegan who has watched their meat-eating friends with envy as they followed the Atkins diet and the pounds dropped off. There’s no doubt about it: a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet really does work. But what about vegetarians and vegans? Is it possible to follow a high-protein diet without the fry-ups or the meat? And can it really be a healthy way of life? The answer to all these questions is a resounding ‘yes’. Top vegetarian cookery writer Rose Elliot has devised an easy to follow, meat-free answer to the Atkins diet. Scientifically formulated to make your metabolism stop burning carbs and start burning fat, her diet helps you to lose weight and make carb cravings, mood swings and energy lows a thing of the past. With over 80 delicious, mouth-watering recipes, top tips for losing weight and staying slim, carbohydrate counters, menu plans and an explanation of why the diet works, this is the must-have book for any vegetarian or vegan who wants to lose weight.

Book: The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet by Rose Elliot
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Book Description:
Step-by-step to a new way of life!
Do you want to cut down on meat eating or adapt a completely vegetarian diet? Whatever your goal. Lisa Tracy has written the book that takes all the trouble out of the transition. She shows you how to get started and lets you take it as far as you want to go.

Is it suitable for beginners?

The description says the author “shows you how to get started” and lets you take it as far as you want to go.

What is The Gradual Vegetarian about?

The description presents it as a step-by-step book for changing the way you eat, whether you want to cut down on meat or become completely vegetarian.

What will I learn from it?

According to the description, the book is about the transition itself, and it says it “takes all the trouble out of the transition”. That is the description’s wording.

Who wrote The Gradual Vegetarian?

Lisa Tracy is the author listed in the title.

Everything above comes from the book description on its Amazon page.

How can I move to eating less meat gradually?

A slow shift is easier to stick with than a sudden one. Start by replacing a few meat meals a week with beans, lentils, eggs, tofu or vegetable dishes, then increase as you find favourites. The Harvard protein page describes beans and nuts among healthy protein choices.

As the meat comes out, watch the nutrients that animal foods supplied. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on calcium lists non-dairy sources such as kale, broccoli, bok choy and fortified foods, while the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheet on iron notes that people who do not eat meat, poultry or seafood need almost twice the usual iron.

If you take medicines, are pregnant, or have a condition such as anaemia, check with your doctor before changing your diet significantly.

Related reading on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Vitamins and Your Health: Do You Need a Supplement?

Book: The Gradual Vegetarian by Lisa Tracy
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Book Description:
Over 120 sumptuous recipes full of sensational flavors, colors, and textures that will stop you in your tracks. With chapters divided into Stylish Starters, Sensational Mains, Sofa Suppers, Sassy Sides, Simple Staples and Stunningly Sweet, this is truly a vegetarian adventure.

What kind of book is The Modern Vegetarian?

According to the description, it offers over 120 recipes full of flavors, colors and textures, and calls it “a vegetarian adventure”.

What is in the recipe collection?

The chapters are Stylish Starters, Sensational Mains, Sofa Suppers, Sassy Sides, Simple Staples and Stunningly Sweet.

Who wrote The Modern Vegetarian?

The book is credited to Maria Elia in the title.

This summary is based on the book description on the Amazon page.

How many vegetables and fruits should I eat a day?

The WHO healthy diet fact sheet recommends at least 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day for everyone older than ten, which is roughly five portions. A cookbook that celebrates colour and texture is a pleasant way to get there.

Variety matters as much as quantity. The Harvard page on vegetables and fruits suggests eating a wide range of colours, and it excludes potatoes and fries from the vegetable count. Starters, sides and sofa suppers, to borrow headings from the description, are easy places to add a portion.

Choose frozen or tinned (without added salt or sugar) when fresh is not practical. If a medical condition limits certain vegetables, such as potassium restrictions in kidney disease, follow your doctor’s advice. Rinse berries and leafy greens just before eating, so that they keep better in the fridge.

Practical ways to add portions: put vegetables into sauces, soups and omelettes, snack on fruit, keep washed raw vegetables in the fridge and add a side salad to dinner. A portion is roughly a handful, so judge by eye. Wash fresh produce under running water before eating it.

More on this blog: Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats and Antioxidant Foods: Why Colorful Plants Beat Supplements

Book: The Modern Vegetarian by Maria Elia
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)