Author: Terry Hope Romero
Publisher: Da Capo Press – Lifelong Books
Book Review by: Laxmi Chaandi
This is a large, heavy-duty, hardcover book ideal for use in the kitchen by any vegan (or non-vegan) looking for a large variety of dishes for all occasions and for more yummy ways to please their taste buds.
Written by famed author of vegan books Terry Hope Romero, this delightful book is an ideal gift for people (including for themselves) who love variety and a broad range in their culinary lives, even if they are not vegans.
Romero is the author, with Isa Chandra Moskowitz, of several books on vegan snacks and desserts such as Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Pie in the Sky and the “vegan bible” Veganomicon. She is also the solo author of Viva Vegan! Some of these books have been reviewed on this site – BIZ INDIA Online News at www.BizIndia.net
It has been said that variety is the spice of life. To your joy you will find both here. In this large book of 376 pages with 12 chapters, you will discover recipes from places in the Middle East like Afghanistan, Greece, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Turkey and more; from African nations such as Egypt, Ethiopia and Morocco and others; from Asian and Far Eastern countries like China, India, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
Continue your culinary tour of the world in this book with chock full of recipes by trying out European dishes such as those from Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and others in the region; then head out all the way to Central and South America and experiment cooking the many foods found in Chile, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru and elsewhere there.
Whether it is breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner or dessert ideas you are looking for to break the monotony of cooking the same old foods, this valuable book can help you immeasurably, finding the ideal dish to satisfy the palate.
You will find in this book well-organized sections that list recipes according to the type of food you are looking to cook, such as beans, breads, curries, desserts, dumplings, entrees, grains, noodles, pancakes, rice dishes, salads, sandwiches, sides dishes, soups, spreads and stews. You will also find lists of condiments and pickles, sauces and a variety of chutneys, and lists of spices you will need before you start your cooking adventure.
The book has three parts to make it easy for you to refer to what you’re looking for. Part 1 is entitled Kitchen Cartography: Mapping Your Way to a Brave New Vegan Cuisine. In it you will find what to do before, during and after cooking; and what ingredients, shopping lists and kitchen equipment you will need to get you adequately prepared.
In Part 2 simply named The Recipes, the main part of this book with more than 300 pages, has all the recipes laid out in its 12 chapters. Each chapter has the dish listed with a brief description, the ingredients needed for that dish, and cooking directions or simple steps to preparation. Part 3 lists selected menus, some online resources, and lists recipes organized by type (entrée, soup, sauce, etc.); thanks and acknowledgements to the various people who contributed to this book; and metric conversions, an index and a page about the author.
This book is richly illustrated with full-color photographs of mouth-watering dishes, which aids the cook in looking at what the dish should look like when it is cooked! This book is a great resource for the home-based cook as well as professional chef. A lot of work has gone into gathering the material from so many countries, organizing them beautifully and writing this wonderful book. Our congratulations to Terry Hope Romero!
