Winner of the 1995 James Beard Award for Best Vegetarian Cookbook

Although many people think that cooking without meat means spending more time in the kitchen, the cooks at the world-renowned Moosewood Restaurant know this isn't so. Busy balancing home, work, and other commitments, they've been cooking for family and friends every day of the week for over twenty years. Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home is the result of that experience -- over 150 carefully honed and tested recipes calling for the best ingredients, accompanied by time-saving tips and planning suggestions, add up to a delicious whole-foods cuisine that is versatile and healthful and can be prepared with a minimum of effort.

This book contains dishes full of exciting flavors, sure to please every taste, from savory soups to substantial main-dish salads, from hearty stews to palate-teasing "small dishes." Sauces, salsas and dressings, and a collection of almost-instant desserts turn the simplest meal into an occasion.

Chapters on techniques and menu planning, lists of recipes for special needs, including nondairy and vegan fare and kid-pleasing food, as well as an in-depth guide to stocking the meatless pantry (including a list of recommended convenience foods), make Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home the essential companion to everyday cooking.

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There's no particular low-fat emphasis here: Boiled Polenta with Mushrooms and Cheese" has 15.6 g of fat per 8 oz. Serving, Moosewood Fudge Brownie have 9.3 grams per two-inch brownie, but there are several recipes with under 3 grams of fat per serving.

It's a very comprehensive book, with recipes for soups, quick breads, salads, sauces, main dish salads, grains, beans, pastas, fish, desserts, stews, stir-fries, pizza, and more. The book includes a guide to ingredients, and chapters on techniques, herbs, menu planning, and a list of recipes for kids, parties, vegans, and buffets. Finally, there is a chapter called "Quantities," so that you'll know with utter serenity that it takes 2 ½ cups of florets to get one pound of cauliflower.

For an emphasis on low-fat vegetarian cooking, take a look at the Moosewood Low-Fat Cookbook. Otherwise, this is an excellent cookbook for beginner or expert, and ranks with "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" as one of the best vegetarian cookbooks available.

79 of 79 found the following review helpful:

A Classic!Dec 22, 1999
By H. King
I have had this book since it was first published and my weathered, stained, dog-eared copy can attest to the practical and delicious recipes it contains. A great variety of foods--my favorites are the Red, Gold, Black, and Green Chili, Pasta Tutto Giardino ("the whole garden" pasta with a light cream sauce), Tomatican (a vegetarian adaptation of a Chilean stew with tomatoes, corn, lima beans), and Vegetable Stifado (a Meditarranean-style stew with eggplant, okra, and peppers), and Fish with Tomato-Orange Salsa. All get rave reviews when I cook them for company. Most are not only vegetarian but also lowfat. There are still dishes I haven't tried because I like the ones I have tried too much! My parents have this cookbook and love it, and they aren't even vegetarian. You can't go wrong with any Moosewood cookbook, but this is by far my favorite. Easy to follow, simple and delicious!

109 of 115 found the following review helpful:

Good for those quick dinnersJan 24, 2003
By Debbie Lee Wesselmann
I own most of the Moosewood cookbooks, but I don't use this one nearly as often as I do the earlier books, mostly because the recipes in this one are more limited. Still, there are some great quick vegetarian dishes here that could quickly become favorites. Families especially will appreciate the quick pizza recipes that allow you to choose your "crust": pre-baked shell, French bread, or pita. The Herbed Chevre and Tomato Pizza and the Mushroom and Smoked-Cheese Pizza are both great, although you really don't need a recipe for either. The same is true for the vegetarian antipasto salad - anyone can figure out how to make a salad out of olives, artichoke hearts, beans, roasted red peppers, and cheese. However, sometimes when I want a quick dinner, I can't think on my own. This is when this cookbook comes through.

Some of the more unusual recipes are Curried Fried Rice, Asian Cabbage Slaw, Pasta with Spicy Cauliflower, Sweet Potato Quesadillas, and Fragrant Rice Noodles with Vegetables. Warning: some of these recipes contain fish. Since Moosewood has such an established reputation for vegetarian cuisine, I don't understand why something like Chesapeake Catfish had to be included. As with all of the Moosewood cookbooks, the desserts are competent but unexceptional.

In the back, the authors divide their recipes into lists: non-dairy and vegan dishes; recipes that will allow you to spend more time with your guests; "kid pleasers"; dishes suitable for buffets; and 30 minute meals. This is probably the most thoughtful aspect of the book, and I appreciate the effort. You'll also find a fairly comprehensive "Guide to Ingredients" which not only describes some of the more unusual items but also where you are likely to find them.

For close to 400 pages of recipes, this cookbook does not seem to have a lot in it. Still, it's worth getting for those recipes that ARE there. Don't make this your only Moosewood cookbook, but certainly include it as part of your collection.

57 of 58 found the following review helpful:

You'll Love It!Feb 07, 2000
By Karen Jorgensen "borgs"
For anyone who has toyed with the idea of eating healthier, this book is for you! The recipes are quick, easy, interesting, and most of all, delicious! Many of my skeptical non-vegetarian friends have been very pleasantly surprised by the meal they've been served when they've come for dinner - "We didn't realize that you could eat this WELL without meat!" When they discover how simple the ingredient lists are, they usually go out and buy the cookbook for themselves... it's made many a new believer. (Of course, being from Ithaca myself originally, I also rave about the Moosewood Restaurant - and the amazingly talented folks that make up the collective - but this is a great way to bring the restaurant home into your own kitchen!) My husband and I use it several times each week; it is definitely our "Kitchen-Bible". I can't sing it's praises enough!

40 of 41 found the following review helpful:

This is the best, my copy is falling apartJul 22, 1997

I'm a personal Chef. I work part time cooking privately for a Jesuit Community as well as teach Vegetarian Cooking at the New School in NYC. This cookbook, is the wonderful! I literaly have to buy a new copy cause mine is falling apart. The recipes are easy, versatile, well written and varied. The suggestions for menus are helpful. And you dont have to be vegetarian to enjoy this book. The fish recipes are excellent and all the dishes can be used with other meals. I have an extensive library of Vegetarian cookbooks and this one is the one I use. Thanks Moosewood :) Merrick Dean

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