Whole World Vegetarian

March 7, 2016
With a simple premise—that culinary inspiration in a global society comes from all around the world—Simmons (The Good Egg; Fresh & Fast Vegetarian) offers this accessible and vibrant collection of meatless recipes. While international cues are hardly new to vegetarian eaters, this volume ventures beyond the hummus and pasta anteroom into the great mansion of exciting flavors, techniques, and lesser-known ingredients (ajvar, a Serbian pepper sauce epazote; an herb from Central America). Iranian borani (a yogurt and spinach dip with pomegranate seeds), Salvadorian pupusas, and a Georgian salad of tomato, cucumber, and green beans with walnut dressing will introduce readers to new favorites. A butternut squash korma gives an indigenous American vegetable Indian flavors, and the Summer Garden Paella takes delicious liberties with an easy-to-improvise classic. Kimchi makes an appearance both in fried rice and that cross-cultural staple, the quesadilla. Despite its grand ambitions, the book keeps the proceedings easy to follow and simple enough for weeknight outings—with enough new ideas to intrigue even the most world-weary vegetarian. Agent: Carole Bidnick, Bidnick and Co.

March 15, 2016

After the success of 2011's Fresh & Fast Vegetarian: Recipes That Make a Meal, Simmons returns with this homage to international cuisine, inspired in part by the variety of restaurants near her Oregon home. Many recipes are staples of either Middle Eastern cuisine (falafel, baba ghanoush, and shakshuka) or Mediterranean fare (e.g., spanakopita) with occasional Indian-inspired dishes such as dal as well. Simmons succeeds in drawing out flavor from minimal ingredients, with such techniques as roasting chiles until they char before adding to them quesadillas. Other meals, such as her vegetable broth, have longer ingredient lists, but are well worth the effort. Some cooks may be put off by the overreliance on eggplant as a primary vegetable and chickpeas as the key source of protein. While some soups and sides incorporate beans, it would have been helpful to see them--as well as other nontraditional sources of protein--throughout the book. VERDICT Despite these issues, Simmons delivers a creative cookbook that offers fresh variations of soups, salads, sides, and more. Sure to be of interest to readers seeking a nonintimidating entry to meatless meals using simple ingredients.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

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