I'm partly rating this on faith, since I haven't had a chance to try many of the recipes yet. I was talking diets with a friend of mine who is a vegetarian (and note, never has had excess fat on her body in her life, sometimes I hate her. I told her I was once on the Scarsdale diet and described it to her--and her comment was that that sounded like the grimmest book on the planet--and recommended this if I wanted to cut fats from my diet. Mind you, my skinny friend uses recipes from this everyday.
I, on the other hand, am very far away from the target group for this book. I'm not a vegetarian--and this isn't just vegetarian but Vegan. And this is very, very hippie. The introduction speaks much of things like "cruelty free" and animal rights and the environment. This isn't just a cookbook, nosiree, it's a cause! There's even a recipe for "Caesar Chavez Dressing." I kid you not. And that's not me. Although Moskovitz's sense of humor did mean I was more amused than irritated. This is the opening sentence of "Chapter 1 - Full-On Salads:" THERE WAS A TIME—A LONELY, LONELY TIME—WHEN SALADS were a pale and limp affair, relegated to the side of your plate, practically weeping. I think those dark days were also known as the ’80s. *snerk*
I do appreciate the plethora of nutritional information. Each recipe tells you how many servings, how long it takes to make, and per serving the calories, calories from fat, total fat, trans fat, total carb, fiber, sugars, protein, cholesterol, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, iron. Also included are suggestions for what other recipes in the book would partner the dish well.
I asked my friend some of her favorites--what I should try first. She told me the Buffalo Tempeh had become a standard with her, the mushroom tibs are delicious, the Garlicky Mushrooms and Kale a staple, the Onion Rings a treat, but the Chickpea Piccata is special. So that I decided to make first. The Grilled Portobello and Caulipots (Potatoes and Cauliflower mashed together with some broth and olive oil) were suggested as accompaniments. It was delicious! Portobello mushrooms, where have you been all my life! And the Picatta served over Arugula and the Caulipots? Nom! Nom! Nom! And this is a carnivore speaking. And btw, not someone I'd call an expert cook--but this was all easy to make.
So, I'm rating this a five and calling it a hit. And I don't think I'm being premature.
