Veggie Blog

Book Description
All the best flavors from all the Earth come to life in a soulful celebration of tasty and inventive food. From Didi Emmons, a terrific young cook who combines a passion for culinary adventure with a love for the honest pleasures of home cooking, these 350 recipes—with more than 150 main dishes—spell an end to boring and bland meatless meals. Full of farm-fresh produce ripe for the eating, hearty grains that warm the soul, and a whole world of new spices and flavors, they promise boundless pleasures for the everyday table.

What is this book about?

The description calls it a celebration of tasty and inventive food from around the world, and says its recipes aim to end boring and bland meatless meals.

Who wrote Vegetarian Planet?

The title credits Didi Emmons, who the description calls a young cook who combines a passion for culinary adventure with a love of home cooking as the author.

What is in the recipe collection?

The book has 350 recipes, with more than 150 main dishes. The description names farm-fresh produce, hearty grains and a whole world of new spices and flavors.

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

How do I bring world flavours into everyday cooking?

Dishes from many cuisines are plant-heavy by tradition, which makes it easy to cook widely without meat. Start with a few staples: a good oil, onions, garlic and ginger, a handful of spices, tinned tomatoes, coconut milk, rice or noodles, and a bottle of soy sauce or vinegar. Buy spices in small amounts, because they lose aroma over time.

Varying your plate across cuisines also helps you eat different plants. The WHO fact sheet on healthy diet says a healthy diet includes fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains, and recommends limiting salt, sugars and fat.

Sauces and pastes can be salty, so taste before adding more. The Harvard vegetables and fruits page to eat a rainbow of colours is easy to follow with a global menu: orange squash curry, green herb salads, purple cabbage slaws and red lentil soups.

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

Book: Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons
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Book Description
One of the greatest challenges for vegetarians is keeping the fat levels in their diet at a healthy level — Weight Watchers makes that easy with fresh, delicious meals that are short on fat, and long on flavor. Weight Watchers Versatile Vegetarian brings you 150 easy recipes that highlight the best of vegetarian food — from delectable lasagna and other pastas, to pizza, main course salads and sandwiches, skillet meals, appetizers and creative side dishes. Recipes are low in fat, especially saturated fat, which has been linked to heart disease and many forms of cancer.

What kind of book is Weight Watchers Versatile Vegetarian?

According to the description, it brings 150 easy recipes that highlight vegetarian food, and that the meals are meant to be short on fat and long on flavor.

What does the description say about fat and health?

It says one of the greatest challenges for vegetarians is keeping fat at a healthy level, and that the recipes are low in fat, especially saturated fat. The description adds that saturated fat has been linked to heart disease and many forms of cancer. That is the description’s statement and is not medical advice.

What recipes can I expect?

The recipes include lasagna and other pastas, pizza, main-course salads and sandwiches, skillet meals, appetizers and creative side dishes.

Who is the author?

Weight Watchers is named as the author in the title.

Summary of the book description only, not medical advice.

How do I read labels when I want lower fat?

Fat is only one part of the picture, and “low fat” does not always mean healthy. The FDA guide to the Nutrition Facts label shows serving size, calories, fat, added sugars and the percent daily value. Compare per serving and notice how much the pack says a serving is.

Types of fat differ. The Harvard Nutrition Source page on types of fat says healthier unsaturated fats come from plant foods such as olive oil, nuts and seeds, and that saturated and trans fats are the ones to limit.

Low-fat products can contain more sugar to make up for taste. Choose vegetables, beans, whole grains and fruit as the bulk of the meal. For a structured plan, the NIDDK advice on weight-loss programs suggests asking questions about any program before you join.

More on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Healthy Diet: A Guide to Weight Loss

Book: Weight Watchers Versatile Vegetarian by Weight Watchers
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Book Description
This second volume in the 30-Minute Meals series offers tempting recipes for main-course veggies, veggie pastas, and salads.

What kind of book is Veggie Meals?

The description calls it the second volume in the 30-Minute Meals series, written by Rachael Ray.

Which dishes does the description mention?

The recipes it names are for main-course veggies, veggie pastas and salads.

Everything above comes from the book description on its Amazon page. The description is brief, so look at the Amazon page for the full contents.

How can I cook a quick weeknight meal safely?

Fast meals are easiest when you work in a sensible order. Start water boiling for pasta, then prepare vegetables while it heats. Keep ingredients ready, taste for seasoning at the end, and clear as you go so the kitchen stays workable. A fixed routine matters more than a fancy recipe.

Good hygiene needs no extra time. The FDA guidance on safe food handling summarises it in four steps, and the FDA page on safe produce advises rinsing all produce under running water, including salad greens that are not labelled pre-washed.

Pasta with vegetables and beans, stir-fries over rice, big salads with chickpeas or cheese, and omelettes are the sort of mains that come together in about thirty minutes. Add a handful of greens to almost anything. Pre-chopped vegetables from a shop and frozen vegetables are fine shortcuts.

Cool leftovers fast and refrigerate them within two hours. If a main dish has eggs or dairy, keep it cold until you cook it. Fresh herbs added at the end lift flavour at no cost in time. Tidy as you go so that cooking stays calm.

Keep a few pantry standbys for nights with no plan: dried pasta, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, rice, eggs and frozen peas. Season boldly with garlic, lemon, chilli or herbs, and save a cup of pasta water to loosen sauces.

More on this blog: Diet and Fitness: How Carbs, Fat and Protein Fit Together and Eating to Lower Cholesterol: Oats, Fruit, Beans and Healthy Fats

Book: Veggie Meals by Rachael Ray
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Book Description
Join award-winning author Martha Rose Shulman as she shares the best of vegetarian cooking today. With her encouragement and her great recipes, you can eat seasonally, healthfully, and most of all, well. Using the rich array of produce now available, The Best Vegetarian Recipes offers an innovative collection of 200 new classics and updated favorites,

From spreads, soups, and salads to main-course stir-fries and stratas, bold flavors combine texture and taste perfectly. New classics like Swiss Chard Frittata and Garlic Soup with Potatoes are sure to become old favorites. Pan-fried tofu, a vegetarian staple, never tasted better than with Martha’s soy-ginger marinade. Side dishes are stunning alone or coupled together. Sweet and tart flavors blend in a springtime Baby Turnip and Turnip Greens Ragout.

Entertaining is easy and elegant with reinvented favorites. Need ideas for planning a balanced vegetarian menu? Martha has plenty. Her recipes offer accompanying suggestions to complete the meal. Start with an olive oil-crusted Spinach and Cheese Tart. Serve it alongside a refreshing Orange, Onion, and Olive Salad, or the Shredded Romaine Salad for a lighter pairing.

As Martha is one of America’s most highly regarded vegetarian cooking experts, you can be assured that her recipes are foolproof. Never made soup from scratch before? Helpful pointers highlight the winning combination of ingredients and techniques for “Basic” recipes. You’ll also learn indispensable tips for making intensely flavored stocks and salad dressings, roasting bell peppers, and much more.

No matter what your eating style, The Best Vegetarian Recipes is simply the best collection of wholesome and healthy recipes around.

Book: The Best Vegetarian Recipes by Martha Rose Shulman
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Book Description
With a look as fresh as the recipes themselves, New Vegetarian is full of modern, flavorful food for the 30 million Americans (more every day!) who are vegetarians. More than 75 delicious and simple dishes span a wide range ofcuisines and cultures—from Vietnamese Pho with Tofu to Baked Creamy Squash Pasta with Arugula. Best of all, the dessert chapter includes goodies so luscious even the most die-hard dairy fans wont suspect these sweet treats arevegan!

Who wrote it?

The book is credited to Robin Asbell in the title.

Which dishes does the description mention?

The dishes it names range from Vietnamese Pho with Tofu to Baked Creamy Squash Pasta with Arugula.

What is New Vegetarian about?

The book description says it is full of modern, flavorful food for vegetarians, with more than 75 simple dishes from a wide range of cuisines and cultures.

Does it include desserts?

Yes. The description mentions a dessert chapter with sweet treats that are vegan, and says even die-hard dairy fans will not suspect that.

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

Why does variety in grains matter?

Modern vegetarian cooking uses many grains: brown rice, barley, farro, quinoa, millet and oats. The Harvard page on whole grains says whole grains offer a “complete package” of nutrients that refined grains lose in processing.

Using different grains adds texture and a wider range of nutrients. Cook extra and keep it in the fridge for up to a few days for salads, bowls and stuffings. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service guide to leftovers says leftovers keep three to four days in the fridge or three to four months in the freezer.

If you have coeliac disease, avoid wheat, barley and rye, but rice, millet, quinoa and certified gluten-free oats can be options. A doctor or dietitian can advise on grain choices if you have diabetes or digestive disease.

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

Book: New Vegetarian by Robin Asbell
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)