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The Conscious Cook: Delicious Meatless Recipes That Will Change The Way You Eat (2009)

by Tal Ronnen(Favorite Author)

3.66 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0061874337 (ISBN13: 9780061874338)

languge

English

genre

Food & Cookbooks

publisher

William Morrow Cookbooks

review 1: This isn't a bad cookbook, but it is NOT for me. I picked it up because I'm always trying to get more vegan cooking ideas, and the pictures were pretty. However, I also need to eat gluten free and yeast free, so vegan recipes are usually hit and miss for me. This cookbook was certainly no exception, using Gardein "meat" and nutritional yeast in many of the recipes, as well as straight up gluten like bread. So many of the recipes I simply wouldn't be able to make for myself without significant modification. Many of the others look pretty and sound great--but they also look and sound like a lot of work. Would I love to go to a restaurant and order Green Bean and Fingerling Potato Salad with Miso Dressing, Fresh Mint and Cucumber Salad with Tahini Vinaigrette, Cajun Portabel... morelo Sandwich with Avocado and Remoulade, and Old Bay Tofu Cakes with Pan Roasted Summer Vegetables, Horseradish Cream, Apples, and Beets? Sure! But when even typing out the recipe takes forever, you can guess it won't be a one pot meal, or even close. I'd eat the dishes that are safe for me, if someone else made them for me. But I simply don't have the patience to make such complex dishes most days--or to arrange them so artistically. Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the interview and "guest chef" section inserted throughout. in general, the format felt choppy and distracting, although some of the information was interesting.
review 2: I love cookbooks. And this is a gorgeous cookbook. But as one for people transitioning to a new style of cooking/eating, it was a bit too complex. Another reviewer mentioned that at least in every recipe there was one ingredient that left the home chef scratching their head. Though I knew what the ingredients were, the cost of them as well as locating them in the first place in regular old Idaho or Utah is next to impossible. These chefs live and cook in big cities. Finding those ingredients is not difficult. However, if you are living in a town of less than 10,000, you will need to either order online or take a road trip. This is not against the recipes or the author - it's a fact of life. Chefs of this caliber (who make delicious looking and sounding food) simply don't live on a small salary in small town America. I found the guidance in "The Kind Diet" by Alicia Silverstone much more do-able. Though her ingredients were as nearly impossible to locate, her recipes, manner and advice on making this change were realistic for my location and my season of life. less

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