Book Reviews
HORIZONS: THE COOKBOOK
By Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby
Horizons is a vegetarian restaurant located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and its chefs are now sharing their enchanting cuisine with readers who may never have an opportunity to visit their establishment. All the recipes in their cookbook are vegan; however, the authors refer to the dishes they include as “gourmet meatless cuisine” to appeal to a broader mainstream audience.
Over the years, I have reviewed hundreds of cookbooks, and this one really stands out. You’ll find a wide range of recipes that are exceptionally unique. These are not necessarily quick and easy dishes; nevertheless, the time you take to prepare each meal will certainly be worth the effort.
Some of the wonderful soups include Drunken Caribbean Black Bean Soup with Vegan Mango Crema, Tofu Crab & Corn Bisque, and Tropical Seitan Beef Chowder. The salad section features Red & Yellow Tomato Salad with Charred Fennel and a Hearts of Palm, Mango & Avocado Salad. Appetizers include Vegetarian Clams Casino, Jamaican Mango Jerk Seitan Tips, and Cuban Nachos.
The chapter on main dishes offers Seitan Steak Marsala, Tofu or Seitan and Wild Mushroom Pot Roast, and Tofu Rancheros. (Note that most of the main dishes rely on tofu or seitan.) You can serve these entrées with great sides ranging from Baby Carrots with Horseradish and Curry to Roasted Root Vegetable Mash, from Curry Coconut Rice to Sautéed Baby Bok Choy with Pine Nuts.
Of course, no meal would be complete without dessert. This cookbook offers Banana Macada-mia Nut Cinnamon Buns, Cuban Rum Cake with Mango Coulis, Black Rainforest Cake, plus more.
Horizons: The Cookbook contains several beautiful color photographs. Nutritional analyses are not provided; however, where recipes may appear high in fat, a lower fat suggestion is given.
Horizons: The Cookbook (ISBN 1-57067-179-6) is published by the Book Publishing Company and is 174 pages. You can order this cookbook from The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203, by sending $25, which includes shipping and handling. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
FOOD PLANTS OF THE WORLD
By Ben-Erik van Wyk
If you are looking for a terrific guide that will help you identify plant-derived foods and flavors, including their culinary uses and health properties, then Food Plants of the World is the book for you. It contains gorgeous color photos of each food, along with pictures of their parent plants. I especially enjoyed reading sections on the origin and history of each item, as well as information on cultivating and harvesting the food.
Sample entries include cherimoya or custard apple, teff, elderberry, broad bean or fava bean, and tamarind. For example, teff is mainly used for making injera—a large, round, flat, and somewhat spongy bread served with Ethiopian stews. It is gluten-free and a tasty alternative for persons allergic to wheat. Broad bean is known as fava bean in the U.S. The tough outer skin of the ripe seed is removed before it is cooked and eaten, often as a purée or as part of soups or stews. The dry seeds contain 25 percent protein.
Food Plants of the World (ISBN 0-88192-743-0) is published by Timber Press, Inc. This 480-page hardcover book retails for $39.95. Look for this volume in your local bookstore or order it online. Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
LA DOLCE VEGAN!
By Sarah Kramer
Sarah Kramer, who previously co-authored two wonderful vegan cookbooks, has come out with her first solo effort. La Dolce Vegan! offers fabulous recipes that each make two large servings or four small servings. Most of the dishes can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.
Readers can try recipes such as Cold Coconut Curried Noodle Salad, Tip-Top Tofu Loaf, Faux Sausage, Cinnamon Doughnut Holes, and Chocolate Pecan Cookies. Moreover, many readers will be thrilled to get their hands on her recipe for Vegan Marshmallows.
