Book Review: The Vegetarian Bible

The Vegetarian Bible
Sarah Brown

Published by Readers Digest (2002)
384 pages

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I have only owned this book for a few weeks, but it has already become an indispensable item in my kitchen. Although many of the dishes are already familiar to me, there are also many new ones which I have enjoyed trying out. So far, every one that I have attempted has been a success.

As its title suggests, this book is far more than a collection of recipes. It includes a wealth of essential information on all aspects of the vegetarian diet. To start with, there are around 20 pages of solid nutritional advice. Ms Brown not only shows how to get all the important vitamins and minerals you need, she does a good job of explaining why you need them - just the thing if you've always wondered why things like molybdenum and selenium are so important.

There is also a very useful section on ingredients: How to buy and store them, what to use them for, and - importantly - how to combine them. This section also covers cooking techniques.

And then there are the recipes themselves - over 250 of them, all chosen for quality and taste. They range from Indian curries and Chinese stir-fries to more traditional

European and American fare. I particularly enjoyed the broccoli and mushroom lasagne. And the ricotta cheesecake was the easiest cheesecake I've ever made; it was absolutely delicious.

Although a few of the recipes are fairly elaborate, most are easy to prepare. They are well organized and easy to refer to. Each one includes a nutritional breakdown.

On balance, this is an excellent book, and one which I can cheerfully recommend to anyone looking to widen their repertoire of healthy vegetarian dishes.

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