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Summary: Beginning Cook and Veggie Person
Review: Im a wanna-be vegetarian who really enjoys most mediterranean foods. Most of the recipes are very easy and the ingredients are stuff that you can get from your local grocery store or street market. I've had the book for one week and cooked the lentil soup and a pasta dish with a tomato and green bean sauce. As a starting veggie person, the food prepared so far fell somewhat short of spicy flavor so I kicked both recipes up two notches by adding tabasco sauce and using other chili items. Keep in mind Im a beginner in the veggie world and I'm going to continue along with the recipes only because they're simple, I don't have to go online and purchase exotic ingredients like I'd have to for a Martha Stewart recipe, and they're cost effective, and my palette hasn't yet developed fully away from meat-eating just yet. But I'll tell ya, as a beginning cook...a beginning veggie cook, the book keeps me motivated because - as stated previously - these dishes are fairly simple to make. And economical. Oh, one more thing. I too wanted to make food using fresh ingredients. I wanted to get away from the standard tofu and soy stuff and this book does that. The ingredient requirements take me to the fresh produce section and the open markets. It's all a new great experience.
Rating: 
Summary: This is how all vegan cookbooks should be
Review: In my opinion, this is how all vegan cookbooks should be. This book is simply perfect. Many vegan cookbooks have lots and lots of recipes, but one ingredient--soy. This book breaks from that tired old template and provides a unique and fresh cookbook using no mock food (soy this and that and this and that.) From Garlic Soup, Baba Ghanouj and Italian minestrone, to poor mans Pesto, you name it, the flavors in this book are sure to amaze. This fantastic whole food cookbook is genius. Buy it now.
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Summary: Good honest eats!
Review: My husband and I tried two recipes from this book...the Marinated Lentil Salad (pg 87) and the Roasted Green Beans with Slivered Almonds (pg 147). Both were excellent (note: while I am a vegetarian, my husband is definitely not, and he declared that these were both "make it again" recipes). In fact, the lentil salad was the best we've ever eaten. I'm going to try one of the other bean salads tomorrow. I bought this book because it contained recipes that did not contain soy replacements, but instead relied on good, honest combinations of "real" ingredients. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of wonderful soy substitutes out there, and we enjoy many of them (except for the soy cheese-substitutes, which are uniformly too strong and strange-tasting). But when I found myself using miso in a Mediterranean dish as a substitute for anchovies, I knew things had gone too far! I happened upon this book quite by accident, but by the time I finished reading the author's introduction, I knew it was a book for me. I am also a weight watcher and this book contains nutritional information with each recipe (sufficient enough to calculate POINTS, if you are a member of WW). While the recipes are not all lowfat, many are -- simply because of the lack of dairy and meat. Some recipes seem to be a little heavy-handed with olives, olive oil, and nuts, but it will be easy to use a lighter hand when I make some of those dishes. I heartily recommend this book to vegetarians of all types, and also to omnivores who want to incorporate a few meatless meals into their lifestyles. Even if you are not a vegan or a vegetarian, do not shy away from this title. You won't be disappointed. Way to go, Ms. Klein! I'm looking forward to your next vegetarian cookbook.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best vegan cookbooks.
Review: My husband loves Mediterranean food. He's not vegetarian and I am. He loves all the dishes I've cooked from this book, because none of the recipes use weird meat or dairy substitutes. They are all authentic recipes that taste like what they are supposed to taste like. So far he's loved the Eggplant Napoleons and some of the pasta dishes. I've made the Apples Poached in White Wine several times, and it's even better if you don't boil down the sauce to a syrup, but leave it liquidy, then leave it in the fridge to marinate. It's like a wonderful chunky applesauce. Unlike my tofu dishes, my family doesn't find these dishes weird. The ingredients are easy to find, and the recipes are easy to prepare. This is my favorite cookbook after to "How it All Vegan" and "Garden of Vegan."
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful resource
Review: Okay, I admit it, I think a day without cheese is a waste of time. That said, I have to confess I'm really impressed with this book and its wealth of vegan recipes which literally made my mouth water as I read through them. The range of cuisines is quite good, and while there are a lot of ingredients and techniques in common, the variety here is quite wonderful. The recipes are clear and concise, and nothing seems outrageously difficult or time-consuming. These are recipes you'll use. The only reason I didn't give this book five stars is because I really do like a few illustrations. It's nice occasionally to know what a dish is supposed to look like. Even if you're a meat-eater, give this one a shot; at the very least you'll find a raft of side dishes guaranteed to enhance any meal.
Rating:
Summary: Real Food for Real Vegans
Review: Thank you, Donna Klein, for writing the vegan cookbook I've always wanted! These are real, authentic, naturally vegan recipes from the different Mediterranean nations, not imitations that rely on faux meats or obscure Asian condiments (tasty as those things can be in the right context). You'll find some old favorites here, like a variety of bean- and tomato-based crostini toppings or minestrone, as well as some interesting treats--my personal favorite is the rich and moist currant cake, made with light olive oil. Many of the recipes are Italian, but a good number are from less well-known cuisines, such as Catalan and Provencal. There are relatively few Middle Eastern or Greek recipes, but these cuisines are already well-represented in so many other cookbooks, that I didn't miss them. Klein gives a lot of helpful hints along the way: nutritional information about each recipe, cook's tips, menu ideas, and substitutions for the few fresh vegetables (e.g., fava beans) and other ingredients that may be hard to find outside of major cities. This is a cook-your-way-through cookbook! Enjoy!
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Summary: Excellent Vegan cookbook!
Review: The best thing about the recipes in this book is that they are the real thing. They are not 'adapted' to be vegetarian or vegan. They were always vegan to start with. These are the recipes I feed my meat eating friends, because they're not weird. They are the sort of thing you'd normally eat if you were just having a non-meat meal one day.
Since I have been on this diet, all the cravings for junk food have gone. I was someone who lived for sugar and now I do not want any of it. I use to crave coffee in the morning as well but realized I didn't want that wired up feeling & acid stomach. I switched over to a caffeine-free coffee substitute made from soyabeans I found on the net at www.S o y c o f f e e.c om.
It so easy for someone to tell you to eat less, but if you are craving bad foods, eventually you will fail. In the first five days I was on this diet all the craving ceased and I was already 8 lbs down. If you were like me and cannot wait for your next slice of cake and at the same time really want to change your lifestyle, Try this.
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Summary: Vegan food from planet earth!
Review: The recipes are appealing, delicious, and clearly explained. They should appeal to anyone who loves any of the Mediterranean cooking styles -- though buyers should be warned that the book leans heavily toward the Italian, with much less representation of Middle Eastern/North African cuisine.
Two points that distinguish this from most vegan cookbooks:
- Almost all the recipes use ingredients that can be obtained at grocery stores outside major cities. If you're tired of books that require you to dig up things like kanten (??) or teff (???), this will be a relief to you.
- The recipes have all been eaten by actual people in actual traditional societies, a great guarantor of taste and quality.
Rating:
Summary: Makes healthy eating taste delicious!
Review: These recipes all sound terrific, I can't wait to try them ALL! I enjoy the additional info at the beginning of each recipe. Most recipes call for ingredients that I can easily find at my local grocery store. As a beginner when it comes to vegetarian cuisine (I am not planning to become a complete vegetarian, I just want to add some meatless meals to our menu), I think I picked a winner of a book to start with! It even includes preplanned menus, how convenient!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Buy!
Review: This book is absolutely wonderful! I starting dating a vegan, and being a "cheese-lover", it was difficult finding tasty recipes that we could both enjoy. This book has tasty recipes and doesn't send you to specialty stores to find tofu, tempeh, or any substitute cheeses. Just good, delicious recipes, that have familiar ingredients! I've even tried some of the appetizers out on my meat-loving friends, and they have all asked for the recipes! There are also alot of great potluck ideas for main entrees and side dishes. The recipes are delicious...I can now cook for my vegan with confidence!
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