Book Reviews
Vegetarian Meals for People-on-the-go
By Vimala Rodgers
If you're looking for a vegetarian / vegan-friendly hardcover cookbook with wonderful color photos, Vegetarian Meals for People-on-the-Go is a terrific choice. (Note: A few recipes contain honey, for which you can substitute rice syrup or maple syrup. Others contain ghee or butter, which can be substituted with melted vegan margarine or simply omitted in several cases.)
Some of the mouthwatering entrées include an Earth Burger based on rice, walnuts, and cornmeal, as well as Chinese Spaghetti made with lentils, Udon noodles, Chinese vegetables, and condiments. The recipe for Sara's Thai Noodle Salad contains sesame noodles, chopped vegetables, roasted peanuts, and dressing made from tamari, sesame oil, peanut butter, and a sweetener. You'll also find some creative sauces, including a Quick & Easy No-Cook Teriyaki Sauce, a Polynesian Tofu Sauce, and Thai Peanut Sauce. Finally, this cookbook offers several desserts, including a Yam Pie, a Holiday Mince Pie, and Cranberry Crisp.
Nutritional analyses are not provided for the recipes; in general, the book provides very little nutrition information. However, this is only a small flaw in an otherwise terrific cookbook.
Vegetarian Meals for People-on-the-Go (ISBN 1-56170-843-7) is 184 pages and published by Hay House. The book can be found in your local bookstore or ordered online.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
Silk Road Cooking - A Vegetarian Journey
By Najmieh Batmanglij
Silk Road Cooking - A Vegetarian Journey is an absolutely beautiful cookbook filled with vegetarian and numerous vegan-friendly recipes that originated along the ancient network of trade routes known as the Silk Road. This area stretches from China in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. The book contains incredible color photos from this region as well as some of the recipes presented.
Under the salad section you'll find dishes like Georgian Tomatoes Stuffed with Walnuts and Pomegranates, as well as Mesopotamian Rice Salad with Green Lentils, Dates, and Raisins. In the soup section you might want to prepare the Beijing Hot and Sour Noodle Soup or the Caspian Butternut Squash, Bulgur, and Wild Orange Soup. Under the vegetable category you can try Elam Kidney Bean and Lime Braise or Bombay Mushroom Curry. You'll also find recipes for Indian Samosas, Persian Lavash Bread, and, for dessert, Susa Spiced Walnut and Date Scones.
The extensive glossary for this book includes photos of unfamiliar food items. You'll also find the mail-order resources for hard-to-find ingredients useful.
Silk Road Cooking - A Vegetarian Journey (ISBN 0-934211-63-9) is published by Mage Publishers. This 336-page book retails for $50. Look for it in your local library or bookstore.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
Voices From the Garden
Edited by Sharon and Daniel Towns
Voices from the Garden offers about 50 personal stories on why and how people became vegetarian or vegan. Together the stories demonstrate all the good reasons for going veggie, including those based on health, ethical (such as animal rights), and ecological concerns.
In some cases the person became vegetarian overnight. Others explain why they did the process slowly. All in all, sharing the experiences of ordinary folk will help anyone considering becoming vegetarian or vegan. This would also be a terrific book to show non-vegetarian friends.
Voices from the Garden (ISBN 1-930051-80-8) is published by Lantern Books. This 176-page book retails for $15. For more information visit
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
The New Now and Zen Epicure
By Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner
Miyoko Schinner is the founder of Now and Zen, a vegan food company that produces many delicious natural foods products, including UnTurkey, Hip Whip, and vegan cakes. Miyoko's latest book, The New Now and Zen Epicure, is a fantastic vegan cookbook that features color photos of several of the dishes. Also, all the recipes in this book have their nutritional breakdowns.
Among the recipes you'll find one section devoted to Mousses, Patés, and Terrines, and another called Savory Pastries, which includes tiny tarts, quiches, and other delights. A recipe for making homemade gluten (seitan) is included as well as numerous seitan recipes.
As I stated above, Miyoko is famous for her scrumptious desserts, and the recipes in this book live up to her reputation. You can try a Chocolate Almond Raspberry Torte, Cashew Cheesecake, Chocolate Dipped Shortbread, Baked Apples Filled with Chestnut Purée, and Orange Bavarian.
The New Now and Zen Epicure (ISBN 1-57067-114-1) is published by The Book Publishing Company. This 244-page book can be purchased from The Vegetarian Resource Group by sending $25 (includes postage and handling) to VRG, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health
By Marion Nestle
Marion Nestle, Professor and Chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at New York University, has been involved in the politics of food for many years. She was managing editor of The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health, a member of the USDA/DHHS 1995 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and a member of the FDA Food Advisory Committee. She has been able to closely observe many of the factors that affect our nutrition recommendations and food choices. Dr. Nestle has written a thought-provoking book, Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health.
The central thesis of Food Politics is "diet is a political issue." Dr. Nestle supports this assertion by citing numerous examples, including the meat industry's opposition to the Food Guide Pyramid, the use of lobbyists to influence regulations related to foods, connections between food companies and nutrition research, and pressures to reword Dietary Guidelines (e.g., in 1977 Dietary Guidelines said to decrease consumption of meat; in 2000 they said to choose 2 to 3 servings of lean meats).
Food Politics is not specifically a vegetarian book. However, vegetarians with an interest in the factors influencing food choices and nutrition regulations will learn a great deal from reading it. There are many sections that report on the role of the meat and dairy industries in the formulation of nutrition regulations. In addition, the book explores links among the food industry, the overabundance of food in the United States, and the epidemic of obesity in this country, something that affects all of us.
Professor Nestle concludes the book with an inspiring section on actions that can be taken to improve the social and political environment in which people make food choices. Recommended actions are both on the policy level and the level of personal choice.
Food Politics was a disturbing and an inspiring book for me. As Joan Dye Gussow (author of This Organic Life) says so well, "This remarkable book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand how it has come to be that the richest nation in the world is eating itself to death."
Food Politics (ISBN 0-520-22465-5) is published by University of California Press. It is 458 pages and retails for $29.95. Look for this book in your local bookstore.
