This is a great cookbook. If I could only own one cookbook, this would very possibly be it.

I like it for so many reasons...

First of all, the author, Diana Shaw, strikes just the right balance between healthy food and tasty food. I hate it when cookbooks assume that all vegetarians want to eat nothing but whole grains, all the time. Just because I don’t want to eat dead animals does not mean I actually care about nutrition. I do care a little, though, enough that I don't want to cook things based on butter, heavy cream, and deep frying. That's what restaurants are for. Diana Shaw understands the value of a little butter for flavor, and using enough salt to bring out the taste, but at the same time most of her recipes are healthy enough that even someone on a low fat diet would be okay.

The recipes are unusual combinations of everyday food. I can pick out a recipe, and chances are that I will be able to find the ingredients in my pantry. At the same time, they are truly recipes, not food combinations that anyone could think of. (I do not need a recipe to tell me I can combine basil, fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella for a nice appetizer) Carrot gnocchi, for example, or chili rice. The author makes good use of spices and fresh herbs; her recipes are never boring. They’re also not too outlandish; a new take on a familiar dish, and new dish with familiar ingredients.

The descriptions that come with the recipes are just the right length. In about a paragraph, she explains how she though of the recipe, what it tastes like, and what to eat it with. There are also hints for how best to prepare it – what can be substituted and what can’t. She doesn’t gush, though, or claim that everything is the best you’ll ever eat.

The recipes are well explained. The author goes through everything step by step, so even a beginner can understand. The instructions are precise, but not tedious, and they’re a pleasure to work from. Every recipe I’ve cooked from the book has come out well.

My one problem with the book is the dessert section. It is almost entirely devoted to baking without fat. I am not much of a nonfat baked goods fan. Even there, though, she’s not completely off-base. Some of the recipes she admits require real butter or cream, and there are lots of interesting fruit desserts.




Recommended: Yes