Naked Kitchen Veggie Burger Book

March 3, 2014
Naked Kitchen website co-owners and mother-daughter team Davis and Taylor share over 100 of their favorite vegetarian recipes for burgers and their accompaniments in this colorful and flavorful collection. Mercifully avoiding the politics of vegetarianism, the duo opt to focus on fresh, flavorful, and healthy options for burger lovers. The vast majority of the book's recipes call for standard items such as carrots, black beans, chickpeas and olive oil. Occasionally readers will come across an occasional, obscure ingredient ("Greek âChicken' Burger" calls for garbanzo bean flour, for example) but in many cases these ingredients serve crucial purpose, often for binding the burger together. Smoked paprika is a frequent ingredient, lending its sweet smokiness to round out flavors in a mushroom burger or even to create mock bacon using flaked coconut. Other highlights include the delectable curry burger and spicy veggie burger. The authors offer an imaginative selection that readers will find worthwhile. For those eager to cook from scratch, there are recipes for DIY ketchup, teriyaki sauce and buns. Burger lovers may never be able to completely make the switch to the vegetarian side, but Davies and Taylor certainly give compelling options.

April 15, 2014
Many vegetarian and vegan cookbooks include one or two meatless burgers. In comparison, this collection by mother-daughter team Davies and Taylor (coowners, thenakedkitchen.com) offers dozens of variations made from pleasing combinations of beans, grains, vegetables, and spices. The authors explain basic techniques, provide a pantry list, and then delve into recipes for patties, buns, condiments, sides, beverages, and "beyond burgers" mains (e.g., roasted garlic hummus dogs, classic Italian lasagna). Some recipes include a few hard-to-find health foods, such as nutritional yeast and coconut aminos. Conveniently, many dishes can be made ahead and frozen. VERDICT Perfect for readers looking to save on store-bought vegetarian patties or expand their meatless grilling repertoire.

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