The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook

December 24, 2001
Robertson is out to seduce unrepentant carnivores with vegetarian dishes that satisfy those essential animal-fat qualities: intense flavor, luxurious texture, and the comforting sensation of a full stomach. She devotes a whole chapter to "steaks" and another to "stews," making abundant use of high-protein products like tempeh, seitan and tofu. She also relies heavily on ingredients high in natural flavor-enhancing glutamates, like mushroom and tomatoes. Robertson is hearteningly forthright about the limitations of vegetarian cuisine: "I won't try to tell you that grilled tofu can taste like filet mignon. It's not going to happen." Still, in general she ratchets taste up a notch higher and a step further away from the steamed, seasoning-free non-cuisine that once was American vegetarianism. Some are based on the classic ginger-garlic-soy sauce building blocks of Chinese cooking (e.g., Shiitake-Stuffed Tofu Steaks with Hoisin Glaze). She freely borrows high-voltage ingredients from Latin cuisine (Chipotle-Avocado Dip) and Southeast Asian (Wheat-Meat Satays with spicy Peanut Sauce). There's an occasional nod to French cuisine ("Fauxscargots") and New American (Balsamic-Glazed Stuffed Mushrooms, Roasted Red Pepper and Potato Napoleons). Attempting to keep things simple, Robertson sometimes overeconomizes on instructions; anyone making homemade seitan should be warned about the soupy, wrong-looking mess you get halfway through the process. But none are irreparable and most deliver the promised punch. Robertson's easygoing attitude readily beats a path to the heart through the taste buds, and even the most stalwart carnivores will likely find themselves enjoying the ride despite themselves.

June 1, 2002
America's fascination with vegetarianism as both a healthful and a moral approach to eating continues to evolve, and the number of new cookbooks devoted to the subject testifies to the perdurability of this dietary regimen. Robin Robertson has come up with a unique approach to vegetarian cooking. She sells the diet directly to hardcore carnivores in "The Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook." Robertson employs eggplant as a meat substitute both in an appetizer dish where it stands in for meatballs and in a classic Italian braciole, where eggplant slices substitute for steak. She even devises a way to make mushrooms resemble France's famous snails. Robinson hasn't come up with a substitute for prime rib, but she turns goulash vegetarian, and she suggests green beans as an alternative to beef in creamy stroganoff, \plain\f2\fs24\b \plain\f2\fs24 making this an ideal cookbook for a family where not every member is equally fervent about vegetarianism. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)