Book Reviews
PROFESSIONAL VEGETARIAN COOKING
By Ken Bergeron
In 1992, Chef Ken Bergeron was the first vegetarian chef to win a gold medal in the Culinary Olympics. He continues to create delicious vegan dishes, and now you can find some of these delights in his new book.
Professional Vegetarian Cooking is a gourmet-style vegan cookbook. The recipes yield 10 servings and are suitable for large gatherings you may have in your own home and for institutions such as restaurants. Recipes range from soups and appetizers to sauces and salads to side dishes and entrées. There are also sections on breads and desserts.
Professional Vegetarian Cooking (ISBN 0471-29235-4) is a hardcover book and retails for $44.95. The book is published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and can be found in bookstores.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
DEEP VEGETARIANISM
By Michael Allen Fox
Over the years many books have been written on the value of being vegetarian. Most of these works tend to focus mainly on one perspective, whether it be health, animal rights, historical, environmental, etc. Only a few cover all the reasons for becoming vegetarian in a solid format.
Deep Vegetarianism demonstrates to readers that vegetarianism involves far more than a dietary choice. Fox's approach is interdisciplinary. He reports to us on ethical theory, political theory, history, sociology, feminism, psychology, and environmentalism as they relate to vegetarianism. Readers will learn a lot by reading this book and will find it to be a fascinating and enjoyable read. You will want to show this book to family and friends. It would also make a great addition to any library.
Deep Vegetarianism (ISBN 1-56639-704-9) is published by Temple University Press. It is 234 pages and can be found in bookstores.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF VEGETARIAN COOKING
Edited by Veronica Sperling and Christine McFadden
Although this book is not completely vegan, it certainly is vegan-friendly and worth purchasing. Readers will find many full-color photos of dishes found throughout the cookbook. This book would serve as an excellent teaching tool.
Chapters include starters and salads, soups, snacks and light meals, pasta dishes, grains and legumes, stir-fries and sautés, casseroles, bakes, roasts, barbecues, and desserts.
The Complete Book of Vegetarian Cooking (ISBN 1-57145-141-2) is 256 pages and is available from Advantage Publishers Group. It retails for $17.98. With color photos, this is quite a bargain. Look for this cookbook in bookstores.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
THAI VEGETARIAN COOKING, A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
By Anne Johnson
This hand-size, full color, book is packed full with information. Many of the recipes are vegan and the color photos often depict step-by-step directions on how to prepare the dishes. You can enjoy recipes for Hot and Sour Soup, Sweet Potato Curry, Bean Curd with Black Bean Sauce, Sticky Rice Cakes, and more.
Thai Vegetarian Cooking, A Step-By-Step Guide (ISBN 1-86204-544-5) is published in the USA by Element Books Inc. It retails for $7.95.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
INDIAN VEGETARIAN COOKING, A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
By Anne Johnson
Have you ever wanted to prepare the delicious Mulligatawny soup served in Indian restaurants? This hand-size, full color, book offers a terrific recipe for this soup (you can easily subtract the ghee for a vegan version), along with other dishes such as Vegetable Samosas, Okra Masala, Spinach with Tomatoes, Chapatis (Indian bread), Mango and Ginger Chutney, and more.
Indian Vegetarian Cooking, A Step-By-Step Guide (ISBN 1-86204-480-5) is published in the USA by Element Books Inc. It retails for $7.95.
Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.
HERB THE VEGETARIAN DRAGON
by Jules Bass and Debbie Harter
This children's book is about Herb, a dragon in the forest of Nogard, where every dragon is a meateater. Except, of course, for Herb.
Herb is happy tending his vegetable garden and concocting new soups from the bounty of his soil. Meanwhile, in the forest of Norgard, the knights, tired of being eaten by the dragons and losing the best wild boar meat to the fire-breathing beasts, have decided to stage a revolt and capture all the dragons of the forest for public beheading. The dragons get wind of the idea and go into hiding. Except, of course, for Herb. He is captured by the knights and brought to a cell where he is to be held until his beheading.
Meathook, leader of the dragons, hears of Herb's plight and offers to help. But there is a catch. If Herb wants to enlist the help of Meathook and the other dragons to escape his dank cell, he first must eat some wild boar meat. "Eat it and become one of us," Meathook implores. "It's a small price to pay for your freedom, as I'm sure you will agree."
But Herb refuses the offer. "I don't ask you to stop eating meat, so why do you ask me to stop eating vegetables?" he replies. Herb's life is eventually spared by a little girl who enjoys watching him tend to his garden, and Herb in turn saves Meathook from a beheading. The knights implore the dragons to stop their pillaging and eating the people of Nogard. Herb helps to effect a compromise, where dragons and people, meat-eaters and vegetarians, are able to live together in peace and harmony.
This book is fun and entertaining, and extremely well illustrated. There is obviously an underlying threat of violence, but no harm ever comes to any of the characters and the book has a happy ending. Children can learn about the strength of ideals and individualism, getting along with different types of creatures, and how being different from your peers is not a handicap.
Herb the Vegetarian Dragon (ISBN 1-902283-36-8) is published by Barefoot Books, Inc.. The book retails for $15.95.
Reviewed by Michael Vogel.
DELICIOUS FOOD FOR A HEALTHY HEART
by Joanne Stepaniak
Joanne Stepaniak has done it again! This time she has developed more than 120 low-fat recipes which are low-fat, cholesterol-free, and quick and easy. Delicious Food for a Healthy Heart begins with a section explaining the connection between a vegetarian diet and heart disease risk, recommendations for reducing risk of heart disease, and all sorts of cooking tips. This completely vegan cookbook also provides 14 days of menus and an explanation of less common ingredients.
Many recipes use soy products or flax oil and flaxseed, good sources of essential fatty acids. Nutritional analyses are included. This is a low-fat cookbook; not a fat-free cookbook so readers will see some use of oil and nuts. As Stepaniak explains, these foods can, in limited amounts, play a role in reducing heart disease risk. I tried several recipes including Zucchini Ramekins, Chickpea and Tomato Pizza, Fresh Tomato Panade (Bread & Tomato Soup), and Thumbprint Cookies. All were winners! I highly recommend this cookbook.
Delicious Food for a Healthy Heart (ISBN 1-57067-077-3) is a 174-page book, published by Book Publishing Company. The book retails for $12.95.
Reviewed by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD.
ANIMAL SONGS
by Will Tuttle
Will Tuttle's Animal Songs is a 12-track compact disc featuring original piano music with voices of animals and nature as a backdrop. Ten of the tracks are animal specific; i.e., "Turkeysong," "Fishsong," "Calvesong," etc.
It's an original idea, and it works well. Animal Songs is a soothing, late-night companion, and it can be enjoyed by those of all ages. And, if you're able to listen through a pair of headphones, the symphonies of piano and nature are even more revealing.
This celebration of nature and animals is Tuttle's fourth CD. Previous releases are billed as "original piano music to relax and inspire." Animal Songs certainly fits that description.
Animal Songs is available on CD.
Reviewed by Michael Vogel.
