Recommend your Vegetarain Cookbook

[Anonymous]

DS has decided that he wants to be vegetarian, which I support. I have one vegetarian cookbook I like--Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian--and I would like your recommendations for cookbooks with flavorful vegetarian recipes. I've tried the original Moosewood, and the recipes were so bland I wanted to cry. How in the world did that cookbook attain its stature I have no idea. I'm going to try Deborah Madison's next.

I am hoping for a cookbook with flavorful recipes that work and aren't too complicated or time-intensive for a full-time WOTH mom.

Any other helpful tips and recipes welcome!

[Anonymous]

The Vegetarian Family Cookbook is pretty good.

[Anonymous]

I really like "Moosewood Cooks at Home"--by the Moosewood Collective. I tried the original Moosewood cookbook and agree that it was disappointing. We also love Deborah Madison's cookbooks but find that we don't use them much post-kids, since they do tend to be more complicated and we don't have as much time.

[Anonymous]

Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes. It's total food porn! Soooo pretty, and the recipes are good, too. Some of the cooking is a bit involved, but it's GREAT to look through and use for ideas. Lots of good food & nutrition info, too.

[Anonymous]

"Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers" is another good one. The recipes are flavorful and use some prepared ingredients so they're fairly quick. And there are pictures.

[Anonymous]

Stear clear of Deborah Madison. I loved her during my pre-kids days - but there is nothing simple, quick or kid friendly about them. But - they are really yummy!

Some vegetarian (can be vegan very easily) dinner options my kids love:
Thai tofu
Black beans - baked in tortillas (black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic)
Couscous - serve with asparagus
Lentils
Chick pea stew (like Channa Masala)

[Anonymous]

For flavorful vegetarian meals, try Madhur Jaffrey's World of The East, Vegetarian Cooking.

[Anonymous]

Vegetarian Planet. I love this cookbook! It is the only one I need.

[Anonymous]

I really like The Kind Diet by (believe it or not) Alecia Silverstone. It's meat and dairy free.

[Anonymous]

My favorites are Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian and Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I disagree that the recipes are all involved - there are plenty suitable for weeknights. And, it's easy to figure out shortcuts for some of the more "involved" recipes.

[Anonymous]

The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw. After I got it, I didn't use any of my other veggie cookbooks.

[Anonymous]

I second Moosewood Cooks At Home, especially for someone just starting out; for stews and baked goods, it's great. Some favorites are the muffin recipe (very adaptable and delicious with whole wheat flour), the black bean soup, the sweet potato quesadillas, and the corn scones.

The Vegetarian Epicure is good; I tend to use the second volume more because it has standbys like hummus and baba ghanoush in it. The apple crisp recipe in the first volume is the best ever.

Madhur Jaffrey's older basic book (in the same line as The Vegetarian Epicure) is good for Eastern food.

Although it's not fully vegetarian, I also have come to love Simply In Season. It's inexpensive, organized around vegetables, and has 300+ recipes in it. Many can be adapted without meat, and many are already meat-free (including main dishes, not just sides). The baked goods are also good in it (although typically not vegan).

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Also, Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone is good as a reference (we often look up things by vegetable there to get some ideas, even if/when we don't follow her recipes) and a few of the categories are really useful. I'm thinking in particular of the galettes (savory and sweet) and the quiche-style tarts. It depends a lot on how old your child is; if he's a teenager and looking to really learn how to cook, this book might be the best overall option.

And, you can often find these at used bookstores; many people seem to give the vegetarian things a try and pass them on. There's also a local guy who sells cookbooks at a markets and also online, I think the website is Cookbook Bazaar or something like that.

[Anonymous]

Second the recommendation of Cooking for Everyone. Although the meals are too complicated for after work, she has great dressing, sauce and quick vegetable choices that can be pulled together quickly with whatever you have in the house.

[Anonymous]

Starving Students' Vegetarian Cookbook. The simplest I have found.