Veggie Blog

Book Description
Vegitarian Cuisine, Eaten with the salt of the earth

What is this book about?

The title says it is a vegetarian cuisine cookbook with Rasta cooking, written by Ivor Osbourne. The description is a single line: “Eaten with the salt of the earth”.

What does the description tell us about the recipes?

Nothing beyond the words “vegetarian cuisine”. It gives no recipe count, no dish names and no skill level.

Summary based on the book description on Amazon. The description is short, so check the Amazon page for the full contents.

What should I bear in mind with a very short description?

The description for this book is a single line, and it says only that the cuisine is vegetarian. That is all we can say about the book itself. What we can add is general information about eating plant-based food, which applies whatever the recipes turn out to contain.

The MedlinePlus on vegetarian diets says vegetarian diets can be healthy but that nutrients such as vitamin B12, zinc, iron and calcium need attention. Beans, lentils, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds form a good base, and the Harvard Nutrition Source page on legumes explains why legumes earn their place.

Salt deserves attention in any cuisine. The WHO salt fact sheet advises adults to eat under five grams a day, which is easy to exceed with sauces, stock cubes and canned goods. Rinse tinned beans and taste before adding salt.

Cook dried beans thoroughly, refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within three to four days. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant or are preparing food for a child, ask a doctor or dietitian about nutrients. Because the description is so brief, treat the cuisine as a starting point and look for recipes that rely on whole ingredients such as beans, vegetables, grains and herbs.

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 Rasta Cookbook Vegetarian Cuisine by Ivor Osbourne
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Book Description
Redolent of saffron, ginger, and cinnamon, and vivid with the sun-drenched flavors of fresh fruits, grains, and vegetables, the cuisines of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia are as delicious as they are exotic. More than 80 distinctive vegetarian recipes, a special section on entertaining, and tempting, full-color photos fill the pages of this exciting fourth voulme in the popular Vegetarian Table series. 48 color photos.

Who is behind The Vegetarian Table?

According to the title, the book is by Kitty Morse.

What is this book about?

The Amazon description says it covers the cuisines of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, with flavors of saffron, ginger and cinnamon and fresh fruits, grains and vegetables.

Is it part of a series?

Yes. The description calls it the fourth volume in the Vegetarian Table series.

Which dishes does the description mention?

It has more than 80 vegetarian recipes, a special section on entertaining and 48 color photographs.

Summary based on the book description on Amazon.

What flavours define North African vegetarian cooking?

Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian cooking, as the description notes, features saffron, ginger and cinnamon alongside fruits, grains and vegetables. In general, those cuisines also use couscous, chickpeas, preserved lemon, olives, harissa, dates and almonds. Slow-cooked stews, called tagines, are a common way to combine vegetables with legumes and spices.

Legumes and whole grains give structure to the cuisine. The Harvard Nutrition Source page on legumes describes legumes as inexpensive sources of protein and fibre, and couscous made from whole wheat adds more fibre than the refined kind. Dried fruits and nuts are nutritious but concentrated in sugar and energy, so use them in small amounts.

Spices can be stored in airtight containers away from heat and light. Preserved lemons and olives are salty, which the WHO salt-reduction page on sodium is relevant to, so reduce added salt in the rest of the dish.

Nuts and sesame are common allergens. Entertaining is a theme in the book, and if you cook for guests, ask in advance about allergies and keep dishes covered and chilled until serving, as the USDA advises that perishable food not stay out for more than two hours.

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

Book: The Vegetarian Table by Kitty Morse
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Book Description
At last, the final book on weight loss!
Here is our dynamite, short and powerful gem of a book–The Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan. This revolutionary quick and EASY weight loss plan is backed by an abundance of hard science, research showing how the vegetarian diet leads to significant, life changing weight loss. This miraculous weight loss was recently demonstrated by none other than President Clinton. This famous statesman and philanthropist lost 22 pounds on our diet and changed his heart health for good!
The pages of this book are packed with important and arresting information showing you, step by step, the easiest way to significant and quick weight loss. For the first time in your life, you will discover how effortless weight loss can be—we guarantee it! A new, trimmer and healthier you will emerge in less than a month.
This treasure trove of life changing information first takes a chapter to examine the health science of the vegetarian diet. This draws upon the hundreds of scientific studies and journal articles supporting the health claims of plant based diets. In fact, the science is so strong, most of the time we illustrate points with meta-studies.
The next chapter teaches people how to become vegetarians and how this simple, but powerful change leads to weight loss. Here we cover the process of first eliminating meat from the diet, then as much diary, cheese, and butter as possible, all the while adding low calorie, nutritiously dense fruits and vegetables. You will discover how our tips tip your scale in an eye popping, exciting direction! We then offer the seven best weight loss tips—not the same old ones seen in countless other weight loss books and magazine articles, but ones proven by science to work.

Book: The Vegetarian Weight Loss Plan by Jennifer Horsman
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Book Description
Not so long ago, vegetarian choices were an afterthought on restaurant menus or were relegated to side dishes at home. But times—and eating habits—have changed, and vegetarianism is being touted not just for health reasons but for environmental ones, too

Using fresh produce and combining seasonal ingredients have always been key to Simon Hopkinson’s cooking. Now, in The Vegetarian Option, the celebrated British chef focuses entirely on mouthwatering dishes without meat or fish. By pairing ingredients that naturally go together—eggplants with red peppers, tomatoes with olives, and peaches with plums, for example—he brings out the fullest flavor in foods. Vegetables take center stage in the book’s 125 original recipes, but there are also plenty of creative ideas for fruit, herbs, pasta, rice, legumes, eggs, dairy, and even cocktails. The Vegetarian Option is not written exclusively for vegetarians, but as a source of inspiration for all food lovers.

Who is it for?

The Amazon description says the book is “not written exclusively for vegetarians” but as inspiration for all food lovers.

What is inside the book?

It says the 125 recipes pair ingredients that naturally go together, such as eggplants with red peppers, tomatoes with olives and peaches with plums, and that vegetables take center stage. There are also ideas for fruit, herbs, pasta, rice, legumes, eggs, dairy and even cocktails.

What is The Vegetarian Option about?

The Amazon description says the book focuses entirely on dishes without meat or fish, by a chef it calls celebrated and British, Simon Hopkinson.

Who is behind The Vegetarian Option?

According to the title, the book is by Simon Hopkinson.

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

How do chefs think about vegetables and seasonal flavours?

Seasonal ingredients taste better and are usually cheaper, and the description says the author’s cooking combines fresh produce and seasonal ingredients.

Eating a range of plants is also good for you. The Harvard page on vegetables and fruits says to eat a variety of types and colours of produce because each has different beneficial plant compounds.

The description mentions that vegetarianism is promoted for environmental as well as health reasons. We make no claims about the environmental side here; that is the book’s view. On the nutrition side, the MedlinePlus on vegetarian diets reminds readers of the nutrients that need attention on a diet without meat or fish.

Dishes with eggs and dairy need correct storage and prompt refrigeration. If you are pregnant or have a health condition, ask your doctor about alcohol and dietary changes.

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

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