Veggie Blog

A vegan cookbook that starts with the pantry

Lorna J. Sass’s The New Vegan Cookbook shows how familiar ingredients can become the foundation for varied plant-based meals. The original 2001 Chronicle Books paperback focuses on whole grains, beans, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices rather than attempting to imitate every conventional meat or dairy dish. Its appeal is practical: a stocked cupboard, fresh produce and a willingness to combine flavours across culinary traditions can take a cook a long way.

What kind of food is inside?

The publisher’s description highlights Mediterranean red lentil pâté and chocolate rice pudding—two examples of the range between savoury spreads and comforting desserts. The book’s photography and advice on using plant ingredients make it approachable for readers who are starting to cook without eggs or dairy. The collection is not an exhaustive modern vegan reference; it is an older, relatively compact cookbook with a clear kitchen philosophy.

Why it still feels relevant

A recipe that begins with lentils or rice does not demand specialist meat substitutes. Readers can adapt meals using the beans, vegetables and grains sold in their own neighbourhoods. Try planning around one legume, one grain and several vegetables, then use acidic ingredients, aromatic herbs and contrasting textures to keep dishes interesting. These are general kitchen suggestions, not reproductions of Sass’s recipes.

A sensible nutritional perspective

The original promotional copy describes vegan recipes as cholesterol-free. That wording refers to their lack of animal-derived dietary cholesterol; it does not guarantee an improvement in anyone’s blood cholesterol. A well-planned vegan diet must also provide key nutrients, particularly vitamin B12 from fortified foods or a supplement. The US National Institutes of Health vitamin B12 fact sheet is a useful reference.

Can you still buy it?

The ISBN for the original paperback is 0811827607. Second-hand copies are offered by booksellers. Check the correct edition before ordering.

Book: The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna J. Sass
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Featured image: AI-generated food illustration, not a photograph of the book or its recipes.

Book Description
Under pressure to prepare a quick, nutritious dinner? Under pressure to reduce your fat and cholesterol? When the pressure’s on for a great vegetarian meal on the run, turn to Lorna Sass’s second guide to the safe and delicious use of the pressure cooker.

Following the phenomenal success of Cooking Under Pressure, this collection of recipes dispels the myth of the difficult-to-use pressure cooker — which is in fact easier and faster than the microwave — and shows how vegetarian fare can be vibrantly colorful and full of flavor!

Bursting with rich soups, hearty stews and casseroles, zesty curries, and flavor-packed chilis, Great Vegetarion Cooking Under Pressure brings together over 150 recipes, most with cooking times of under ten minutes. Arrive in Provence with a two-minute soupe au pistou laced with garlic and fennel; serve up an elegant zucchini bisque with tomatoes and fresh basil in just five minutes; or prepare a polenta good enough for a palazzo in only ten minutes. There are also scores of perfect vegetable side dish recipes, with an instructive chart detailing how to prepare everything from artichokes to zucchini.

Lorna Sass devotes special attention to grains — a vital part of the healthy diet — and shows how brown rice, millet, couscous, quinoa, and bulgur can turn from gourmet store items into staples of your pantry. Whether it’s Risotto with Broccoli Rabe and White Beans in five minutes, or Mediterranean Vegetable Couscous in just six, these recipes lock in delicious nutrition without tying up precious time. There’s even a section about the splendid desserts that are possible with the pressure cooker, like Banana Pudding Cake and Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

Filled with informative sections about the equipment, ingredients, and language of pressure cooking, suggestions for theme menus, and mail-order resources, this compendium of high-quality, high-fiber, low-fat (and mostly cholesterol-free) dishes will become an essential guide for today’s bustling cook.

Book: Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure by Lorna J. Sass
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