The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without

October 1, 2007
Like a caring mother, Katzen, in this logical follow-through to her last book, Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less
, exhorts readers to eat vegetables. Katzen's methods, though requiring some attention and high-quality ingredients, are low-key enough for novice cooks and maybe even exhausted working moms: “It is easy to make vegetables taste wonderful through simple preparations utilizing a very few choice ingredients... extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, roasted nut oil, tiny touches of salt and pepper, an herb or two.” This is vintage Moosewood Cookbook
Katzen at her poetic best: “For many palates, dark leafy greens need a soft context... to frame and tame them. Polenta is perfect for this! Consider using some of the more elusive, serious greens, such as dandelion, mustard, or kale.” Katzen offers Tomato-Basil Jam as a ketchup substitute; exoticizes the lowly carrot with flavors of North Africa—cumin, cinnamon, garlic and citrus—or Jamaica, in a coconut-ginger gratin; and will surprise even veteran vegetable mavens with such imaginative dishes as Sautéed Fennel with Crispy Fried Lemon. With Katzen's signature hand-lettered text and charmingly homey illustrations, the book will be an inspiration to those who like meat with their vegetables, vegans and vegetarians alike.

Starred review from November 15, 2007
Since Katzen's original Moosewood Cookbook was published 30 years ago, she's written a dozen or so other titles. Her latest one presents 100 vegetable recipes, most of them new, with a dozen or so variations on some perennial favorites. She also includes ideas for "Ten Ways To Sneak a Few More Vegetables into Your Diet." The imaginative recipes here are generally lighter than in her early books, ranging from Dramatically Seared Green Beans with Garlic and Chile to Oven-Scorched "Stewed" Tomatoes. Katzen has many fans, which makes this an essential purchase.

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2007
Katzen, whose cookbooks include the original, megasellingMoosewood titles, groups together another round of vegetarian recipes, 80 of them brand new. As in most of her recipes, Katzen suggests using easily accessible ingredients in simple preparations, and her flavor combinations range the globe. Included are recipes for Caribbean-inspired Coconut-Ginger Carrots, the northern European Sweet and Sour Cabbage with Berries, and numerous dishes with Asian influences. The selections are grouped alphabetically by vegetable, from artichokes to zucchinis, rather than by the recipes place in a meal, such as an appetizer or a salad. This organizational approach encourages cooks to improvise with the recipes, expanding what might seem like a side dish into a meals main event. As in her Moosewood titles, Katzens hand-drawn borders and lettering and her warm notes introducing each recipe enhance the folksy, inviting whole. Pantry and equipment notes and tips for ways to sneak in more vegetables close this new compendium of recipes that are sure to become household favorites.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)