Veggie Blog

A slow cooker is useful for more than meat stews, and Judith Finlayson made that case well in 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes. Published in 2004, the book focuses on the practical pleasure of putting a meal together ahead of time and returning to a pot of something warm and satisfying. It is particularly appealing to busy households that want more meat-free choices.

What recipes can you expect?

Publisher descriptions list dishes such as three-bean chilli with bulgur, Louisiana ratatouille, cider-baked beans, vegetable dal, meatless moussaka and mushroom-and-artichoke lasagne. The collection aims to offer variety rather than simply converting every stew into a vegetarian version.

It also covers the basics of using a slow cooker. That matters because a little preparation can make a big difference to the flavour and texture of a long-cooked vegetable dish. Sautéing onions or spices, for example, can develop flavour before ingredients go into the pot; a finishing squeeze of lemon or fresh herbs can brighten the result.

Is every recipe vegan?

No. This is a vegetarian cookbook, not a strictly vegan one. Some of the listed recipes contain cheese or other dairy ingredients. Readers who avoid all animal products will need to select and adapt recipes carefully, paying attention to how substitutions affect the final texture.

Who will find the book useful?

Students, professionals, families and anyone who does not want to cook an entire dinner from scratch in the evening can benefit from slow-cooker methods. Beans, grains and vegetables also lend themselves to generous quantities that can be portioned for future meals. The book’s strongest selling point is everyday convenience combined with a broad range of dishes.

What about slow-cooker safety?

The USDA slow-cooker safety guide advises starting with clean equipment, keeping the lid in place and following the cooker’s instructions. Use properly prepared beans, especially when a recipe begins with dried beans, and do not rely on a slow cooker to make inadequately pretreated dried kidney beans safe. Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them thoroughly by a recommended method.

Can you still find it?

The original 2004 book can still be found new or used.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

Book: 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes by Judith Finlayson
View the original book on Amazon (affiliate link; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you)

Book Description
Quiz time! Vegetarianism is:

A) strictly for humorless health nuts.
B) fine if you actually like brown rice. I guess.
C) what? I wasn’ t sleeping, I was resting my eyes. Can you repeat the question?
D) just kind of . . . normal.

You answered D, right? Meatless eating is healthy, inexpensive, ecologically friendly, and even hip. What’s not to like?

But it’s not always easy being green. The salad bar can get pretty uninspiring after a while, and you don’t even want to know how much salt lurks in that can of tomato soup.

Enter the Carle sisters: Megan (the long-time vegetarian) and Jill (the skeptical carnivore) are the dietary divas of yummy, doable dishes for teens and young adults. In this new book (their fourth), they offer the tips, tricks, and tasty recipes they use to feed themselves and their friends in style–veggie style.

The Carles make cooking easy for cash-strapped, kitchen-shy vegetarians, starting with instructions on how to set up a basic veggie kitchen on the cheap. And they keep it simple with 90 recipes organized into student-friendly chapters, from “Cheap Eats” to “Impressing Your Date,” “Dinner for One” to “Party Food,” plus a desserts chapter packed with vegan options. Every page bursts with color photographs.

Whether you’re sharing Pasta Primavera with your roommates, taking a Caramelized Onion Tart to a party, grabbing a Roasted Red Pepper and Avocado Wrap on the run, or buttering up your sweetie with Mushroom Ravioli, College Vegetarian Cooking will break you out of the ramen rut–without breaking your budget.

Book: College Vegetarian Cooking by Megan Carle
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Sushi is often associated with fish, but the combination of seasoned rice, seaweed and carefully prepared vegetables can be delicious in its own right. Brigid Treloar’s Vegetarian Sushi takes that idea seriously, showing home cooks how to make attractive, varied sushi without needing seafood as the centrepiece.

What does the book teach?

The original description promises more than one way to shape and serve sushi. It covers maki rolls, moulded sushi, noodle variations, omelette sushi and sushi bowls, alongside soups, pickles and sauces. Rather than assuming readers already know Japanese techniques, it introduces equipment, ingredients and the fundamentals of preparing rice.

Specific examples given in the description include cucumber-and-sesame rolls, seasoned tofu rolls and grilled shiitake sushi. Those combinations show why vegetables work well in this style of cooking: crunchy cucumber, savoury mushrooms and delicately flavoured tofu each offer a different texture.

What makes vegetarian sushi interesting?

Successful sushi depends on balance rather than a long list of ingredients. A little acidity in the rice, a contrasting texture and careful cutting can transform simple ingredients into something appealing. Treloar’s book is especially suited to readers who enjoy a hands-on, slightly decorative cooking project, whether for a weekend lunch or a small gathering with friends.

Vegetarian sushi is also adaptable. Some people enjoy nori-wrapped rolls; others may prefer bowls that use the same flavour combinations without the time spent rolling. A filling made from cooked mushrooms, pickled vegetables or tofu can bring variety without imitating fish.

How do you keep home-made sushi safe?

Fresh ingredients and prepared rice still require food-safety care. The USDA leftovers guidance recommends promptly refrigerating perishable food rather than letting cooked rice or prepared sushi sit out for hours. Wash vegetables carefully, keep utensils clean and make sushi close to serving time whenever practical.

If preparing sushi for pregnant guests, young children or others at higher risk of foodborne illness, use appropriate precautions with uncooked ingredients; the FDA produce-safety guidance explains why raw sprouts deserve particular caution.

Can readers buy it now?

This is an older hardcover, published in 2001, and copies are still offered through second-hand booksellers. A retailer currently lists both used and some new-condition copies, although availability and prices can change. It remains a worthwhile option for a reader looking for a dedicated introduction to vegetable-based sushi.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Real Vegetarian Thai.

Book: Vegetarian Sushi by Brigid Treloar
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you)

Some cookbooks matter not only because of their recipes, but because they helped make a style of cooking familiar to more people. The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook is one of those books. Associated with Louise Hagler, Dorothy R. Bates and the cooks of The Farm community in Tennessee, it reflects an early, practical approach to cooking without meat, dairy products or eggs.

Why is this book a vegetarian classic?

The Farm was an intentional community where plant-based food was part of everyday life. Long before soy milk and tofu were common supermarket items in the United States, the community’s cooks were finding ways to make satisfying meals with beans, grains and home-made soy foods. The book gathers those ideas for the ordinary home kitchen rather than presenting vegetarian cooking as a restaurant speciality.

The original description highlights more than 250 family-oriented recipes, including instructions for making tofu and other soy foods. The current Book Publishing Company listing also describes recipes involving tempeh, soymilk and seitan. The edition has a long history: the publisher traces it back to a 1975 original and explains that later revisions reflected changing nutrition advice.

What kinds of meals does it encourage?

Expect practical cooking built from accessible ingredients rather than elaborate substitutes for every meat dish. Beans can become hearty mains, soy products can add substance to a meal, and yeast-based seasonings can give savoury flavour. The emphasis is on teaching methods, so the reader gains skills that can be used beyond any one recipe.

That is a particular strength of an older cookbook. Even if a few dishes feel dated, learning how to turn soybeans into everyday foods gives a cook more independence and a better understanding of the ingredients.

Is the advice still current?

Read the nutritional guidance as part of its period, not as a substitute for present-day information. The NIH vitamin B12 fact sheet explains why people avoiding animal foods need a reliable source of B12 from fortified foods or supplements. And although many of the recipes are plant-based, the publisher notes that a few include honey. Readers who avoid all animal-derived ingredients should check each recipe.

The cookbook’s description uses the phrase cholesterol-free. Plant foods do not naturally contain dietary cholesterol, but that label alone cannot tell you whether a whole meal is nutritionally balanced. Overall dietary patterns, fat quality and variety still matter.

Is it still available?

Yes. The publisher lists The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook for sale, while the archived Amazon product reference points to the established ISBN. Copies and editions may vary, so check the listing before purchasing.

Related on Veggie-Blog: The New Becoming Vegetarian and Eating Vegetarian.

Book: The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook by Louise Hagler, with Dorothy R. Bates
View this book on Amazon (affiliate link; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you)

For anyone who misses a rich scoop of ice cream after giving up dairy, the idea of a creamy base that can be flavoured in different ways is appealing. Blendtec Vegan Ice Cream Base Recipe is a short, blender-focused recipe publication rather than a full ice-cream cookbook. Its original description makes an enthusiastic claim: that the base tastes especially smooth and can be adapted to almost any flavour.

What is this recipe publication about?

The archived book description speaks of a versatile vegan ice-cream base and its thick, rich texture. That is the extent of the original information available here. It does not provide a verified ingredient list, quantities, preparation times or chilling instructions, so it would be misleading to present an invented formula as the book’s recipe.

The mention of a Blendtec blender suggests that the recipe was designed around powerful blending. Whether a particular mixture can be served straight away or needs additional freezing depends on the ingredients and the equipment. A blender may make a smooth mixture, but it does not automatically replace every step in a conventional ice-cream maker.

Why does the base matter?

A flexible base is useful because it lets a home cook experiment with familiar flavours: vanilla, cocoa, berries or coffee, for example. Dairy-free frozen desserts can be based on soy, oat, coconut or other plant ingredients. Those options differ in taste, fat content, sweetness and allergy considerations; a recipe that suits one household may not suit another.

The description compares the finished result with a commercial malted dessert. Treat that as the author’s personal opinion, not an independently tested ranking. It is perfectly reasonable to enjoy vegan ice cream for its flavour without claiming that every home-made version is healthier than shop-bought ice cream.

What should readers know about sweeteners and storage?

The US Food and Drug Administration’s guide to added sugars explains why it is useful to look at the amount of added sugar rather than assume that a dairy-free label means a low-sugar dessert. Nut-based mixtures also require clear allergy awareness, particularly when food is shared.

For safe home storage, use a clean, food-safe container, freeze promptly and follow sensible handling practices. The USDA guide to freezing and food safety provides general background. Texture can change during storage even when a frozen dessert remains safe.

Can you still buy the original?

The original Kindle product is identifiable from the archived link, but it no longer appears to be available on Amazon.

Related on Veggie-Blog: Veganish: A Rainbow of Vegan Smoothie and Ice Cream Recipes.

Book: Blendtec Vegan Ice Cream Base Recipe