natural foods

For those of us who enjoy vegetarian cooking for health reasons (or for simply a change of pace) this book is a dream come true. Some might take issue with a one page addendum about roasting a turkey but they are missing out on some of the tastiest vegetarian dishes I've ever made. If you have ethical objections, there are have plenty of other cookbooks to choose from.

But for the rest of us who just want great recipes with a bit of gourmet flair this book really fills a void. So many other vegetarian cookbooks are far too "earthy" for my tastes, filled with one too many bland, pensive recipes involving wheat gluten,lentils, soy milk, etc (yuck! is this supposed to be food or self flagelation?). This book takes tasty classic recipes from all over the globe (Italian, Indian, French, Thai, etc) that HAPPEN to be vegetarian and updates them for modern tastes.

Highly recommended.

Having received this book as a gift in the last week, I would like to lay to rest the idea that there is a spread on how to carve a turkey -- there isn't. There are three pages at the end of the book which explain how to spit roast a turkey. However, these pages weren't written by Anna Thomas, rather they were written by her husband. And the logic to his argument is reasonable -- in a household that is diverse, someone might want or need to know how to integrate a turkey into an otherwise vegetarian menu at Thanksgiving.

The other recipes, however, far outweigh the slightly disconcerting presence of the turkey at the end. Many fascinating presentations -- from yummy corn tamales to an interesting frittata supper -- there's something here for everyone. One of the useful features of this cookbook is the menu format -- solving the oft time dilemma of what to serve with X. The recipes are mostly designed to serve between 6 and 10 people. Perhaps a bit much for some of us, but leftovers are a wonderful thing.

The other really nice feature is the "What do kids eat?" section, which reminds us that we all went through strange food periods when we were kids and it's often easier to go with the flow than to fight.

All in all this is a wonderful cookbook with clear instructions and a good sense of balance. I'll be cooking happily from it for years to come.

Dear Anna

this is really a simple note to let you know how much I have appreciated your influence in my life. I just found your website and thought that i should utilize your easily-accessible e-mail address to express appreciation.

I had been a self-made cook- just making things up and finding my own way in the kitchen until 4 years ago when I was given the New Vegetarian Epicure as a gift. Your descriptions of food drew me in and your conversational tone made me feel as though I was cooking with an experienced friend or teacher. I became comfortable with your style, confident that you wouldn't lead me astray- and I ventured out into incredible cooking. Not only making dishes with ingrediants I had never heard of, but even making succesfully the more complicated ones. I learned even to flip through the book to find a description in the beginning describing how I was feeling to find the recipe or menu for that experience.

My kitchen skills are worlds away from where I began. I now create meals from a much broader base of understanding, philosophy and taste. Cooking has become a beautiful meditation for me, and I am grateful to have your book for reference.

Thank you so much.

Nathalie Kapp