Veggie Blog

Book Description
The number of people choosing meatless meals is on the increase. And a vegan vegetarian diet — one without any animal products — is an unusually healthy one because it is high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and very nutritious. “Too many vegan recipes have relied on exotic and difficult-to-find ingredients or tedious, time-consuming techniques,” says Jannequin Bennett, executive chef of a restaurant in a AAA Five Diamond, Mobile Five Star hotel. “But Very Vegetarian has recipes made with common foodstuffs that are uncommonly delicious.”

Very Vegetarian is presented by and introduced by 9-time Olympic gold medal winner Carl Lewis, who says that a vegan diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole complex carbohydrates, high quality proteins, and natural fats is the best way to ensure a person’s health and longevity.

In addition to a wide range of more than 250 mouth-watering recipes, Very Vegetarian includes a helpful introduction about eating vegan and 16 pages of beautiful four-color photographs. The book will help the person who is beginning to choose meatless meals by providing nutritional information and recipes featuring familiar foods and techniques. For those who have more experience with a plant-based diet, the book offers recipes that will broaden their culinary horizons.

Endorsed by the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Book Description
Features the remarkably delicious, healthful and nutritious food that is served in the Country Life Restaurants.

What is this book about?

According to the description, the book features food that is served in the Country Life Restaurants. The title names Diana Fleming as the author.

What does the description say about the food?

It calls the food “remarkably delicious, healthful and nutritious”, which is the description’s wording. It gives no recipe count or dish names.

Summary based on the book description on Amazon. The description is brief, so look at the Amazon page for the full contents.

What should I know about restaurant-style healthy cooking?

The description is one line: it says the book features food served in the Country Life restaurants and calls it healthful and nutritious. That is the book’s own description, and we cannot verify or add details about it. What we can offer is general information for anyone cooking vegetarian food at home.

A healthful vegetarian meal usually follows the pattern in the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains and a quarter protein such as beans, tofu or eggs. Cooking in larger batches for a group takes planning, so scale recipes carefully and keep chilled food cold.

Vegetarian diets can be nutritionally sound, and the MedlinePlus vegetarian diets entry points to the nutrients that need attention. Restaurant food is often higher in salt and fat than home cooking, so taste, measure and adjust. If you have a medical condition, ask a doctor or dietitian before making big changes. Pack leftovers in portions that suit the people you cook for.

Restaurant cooking for many people usually means batch preparation. At home you can borrow that habit: cook a large pot of soup, beans or grains once, portion it into containers and refrigerate or freeze promptly. A shared meal is also a good reason to sit down and eat without hurrying.

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

Book: Country Life Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Fleming
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Book Description
The definitive encyclopedia of healty vegetarian food” Combining some great old favorites like winter casserole with herbed dumplings, grape leaves, and gazpacho with new and exotically named dishes like green lentil kulbyaka and tagliatelle with spinach and soy garlic cheese the recipes in this book are outstanding both in their freshness and ease of preparation. It even includes some great “comfort” dishes in full vegetarian cover including shepherdess pie, stuffed squashes, artichokes, eggplants, etc, and chili con queso. Fully illustrated with beautiful step-by-step and finished-dish color photos.

What kinds of recipes does it include?

It says the recipes combine old favorites such as winter casserole with herbed dumplings, grape leaves and gazpacho with newer dishes such as green lentil kulbyaka and tagliatelle with spinach and soy garlic cheese. It also lists “comfort” dishes such as shepherdess pie, stuffed squashes and chili con queso.

What can readers expect to find inside?

The book is fully illustrated with step-by-step and finished-dish color photos. The description says the recipes are outstanding in freshness and ease of preparation, which is its own judgement.

Who wrote it?

The title credits Roz Denny as the author.

What does The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables & Vegetarian Cooking cover?

The description calls it “the definitive encyclopedia of healthy vegetarian food”. That is the description’s wording.

Summary based on the book description on Amazon.

How should I use an encyclopedia of vegetables in the kitchen?

A reference book is best used for the basics: how to select, store and prepare each vegetable. Store potatoes, onions and squash in a cool, dark, dry place, and keep leafy greens and soft vegetables in the fridge. The FDA guidance on selecting and serving produce safely advises washing produce under running water and refrigerating perishable items at 40°F or below.

The Harvard page on vegetables and fruits says to eat a variety of types and colours, so use an encyclopedia to try a new vegetable each week. Preparation changes nutrition a little: steaming or roasting keeps more flavour than long boiling, and eating the skin of washed vegetables adds fibre.

The description mentions comfort dishes and a step-by-step approach, and a visual guide makes unfamiliar vegetables less intimidating. Artichokes, aubergines and squash all need trimming or salting, which a book with photographs shows well.

Fresh produce wasted is money wasted. The FDA tips to reduce food waste offer ways to reduce waste, such as planning meals and freezing extras. Ask a dietitian for advice if you have a health condition that limits some foods.

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

Book: The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetables & Vegetarian Cooking by Roz Denny
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Book Description
In this companion volume to her acclaimed Italian Vegetarian Cooking, Paola Gavin includes over 200 vegetarian recipes representing the varied cuisine of France. The book is divided according to regions and reflects the richness and diversity of provincial cooking. In addition to the recipes, Gavin offers brief histories of each region and describes the various influences on provincial cooking. In northeastern France, many dishes have derived from Flemish and German cuisine. The southern areas of Savoie, Provence, the Compte de Nice, and Corsica have been influenced by the cooking of Italy, while Rousillon and the Pays Basque are linked to Spanish cooking.

What can readers expect to find inside?

The book is divided by regions. Besides the recipes, the author gives brief histories of each region and describes the influences on provincial cooking.

Which regional influences does it mention?

The book description says many dishes in northeastern France come from Flemish and German cuisine, the southern areas have been influenced by Italian cooking, and Roussillon and the Pays Basque are linked to Spanish cooking.

Who wrote French Vegetarian Cooking?

According to the title, the book is by Paola Gavin.

What is French Vegetarian Cooking about?

The description says it is a companion volume to Paola Gavin’s Italian Vegetarian Cooking, with over 200 vegetarian recipes representing the cuisine of France.

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

How do regional French dishes differ, and what is a gentle approach to richness?

The description says the book is divided by region, with brief histories of each, and that influences from Flemish, German, Italian and Spanish cooking shaped different areas. Provincial cooking, in other words, is a set of regional traditions, and it helps to know which region a recipe comes from.

Dishes rich in butter and cream are enjoyable in moderation. The Harvard page on types of fat says the healthier fats come from plants, so swapping some butter for olive oil is an easy adjustment. A Mediterranean-style pattern, as the Harvard Mediterranean diet review describes, is built on vegetables, legumes and olive oil.

Cheese and egg dishes such as quiches and gratins keep for three to four days in the fridge, according to the USDA FSIS leftovers page, and should be reheated until steaming hot. The FDA food-safety advice for pregnant women warns that unpasteurised milk and cheeses carry a listeria risk in pregnancy, so check with your doctor or midwife.

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

Book: French Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)

Book Description
Acclaimed author Lorna Sass, creator of the hit New Soy Cookbook, once again displays her talent for combining good health with great taste. With a little flair and an abundance of whole grains, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables, and herbs and spices, it’s easy to create the exciting recipes presented in The New Vegan Cookbook. Satisfying and cholesterol-free, even kosher cooks will find they can slip these cooking ideas into almost any type of menu. Striking color photographs illustrate the wide variety of tasty choices available for budding vegans or those already versed looking for new options. From savory Mediterranean Red Lentil Pat to sweet, creamy Chocolate Rice Pudding, The New Vegan Cookbook offers recipes guaranteed to entice any palate.

Who is The New Vegan Cookbook meant for?

The description names “budding vegans” and those “already versed” looking for new options. It also says even kosher cooks can slip the ideas into almost any menu.

Who wrote it?

The author is Lorna J. Sass.

Is it written for beginners?

The Amazon description says it is “easy to create” the recipes, and mentions budding vegans.

What is in the recipe collection?

The dishes it names run from a savory Mediterranean red lentil dish to Chocolate Rice Pudding. The recipes are described as cholesterol-free, and color photographs illustrate the choices.

What is this book about?

The Amazon description says Lorna Sass, creator of the hit New Soy Cookbook, combines good health with great taste, using whole grains, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables, herbs and spices.

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

What does cholesterol-free mean on a vegan menu?

The description calls the recipes “cholesterol-free”. That describes the food, not your health: MedlinePlus statins page explains that your liver makes cholesterol and that your body needs some of it. Blood cholesterol depends on your overall pattern of eating, and no cookbook can promise a result.

The Harvard fats and cholesterol page stresses the type of fat. A vegan dish made with coconut oil or fried in large amounts can still be high in saturated fat. The NHLBI page on blood cholesterol describes how cholesterol affects heart health.

People who avoid all animal foods need a reliable source of vitamin B12; the ODS fact sheet on vitamin B12 says that fortified foods and supplements are the main options.

If you have high cholesterol or take cholesterol medicine, discuss diet with your doctor.

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

Book: The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna J. Sass
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no cost to you)