Vegetable Recipes

Even if you're not a gardener, The Victory Garden Cookbook is a great book to have; if you are a gardener, it's a treasure. The book grew out of a public television series called The Victory Garden, which was essentially a how-to program aimed at home gardeners, with a recipe segment thrown in. As the show's popularity grew, so did viewer demand for more recipes; eventually, Victory Garden cook Marian Morash decided that a cookbook was in order, resulting in The Victory Garden Cookbook.

The book is a wonderful hybrid encyclopedia of information for both gardeners who cook and cooks who like to garden; Morash's first goal was to so entice readers with the pleasures of eating home-grown vegetables that they, too, would take up gardening--or at least shop for the freshest ingredients instead of settling for canned or frozen goods. The book, first published in 1982, has been a huge success ever since.

Organized alphabetically, The Victory Garden Cookbook includes all the vegetables Morash grows in her own garden; in addition to information about planting, growing, and harvesting the fruits of your labor, Morash gives advice about storing vegetables, converts yields into measurements (i.e., a half-pound of small Brussels sprouts equals 28-30 sprouts, while a half-pound of medium sprouts equals 12-14) and offers tips to gardenless cooks for finding the best produce. Whether you're an avid gardener, a gardener wannabe, or simply a person who loves a good vegetable dish, The Victory Garden Cookbook is guaranteed to become one of your best-loved and most-used cookbooks.

"This is a cookbook for vegetable lovers--and vegetable haters," says Andrea Chesman in The Roasted Vegetable. Her argument is that roasting veggies brings out their "hidden sweet, nutty flavors," making them irresistible to carrot-hating kids and vegan adults alike.

She supports this theory with 150 tantalizing recipes, starting with a sizeable serving of side dishes, then broadening to include salsas, soups, salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza, tofu, granola, and more. Beyond obvious inclusions like roasted peppers, french fries, and chestnuts, there's Garlic Puree ("like a basic black dress, it goes with almost anything") and Roasted Kohlrabi, which "looks like a spaceship that has sprouted leaves." Another standout is the Roasted Tomato Sauce, for which tomatoes are roasted up to one and a half hours until they've broken down to form a thick sauce; the recipe also has variations for pasta, enchiladas, and Middle Eastern dishes. In addition, the book covers basic techniques and equipment and includes a handy roasting chart--all aimed to help readers' roasted vegetables come out perfectly "tender-crisp."--Andy Boynton

Author of the popular vegetarian classic Moosewood Cookbook, Mollie Katzen now offers Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven, another celebration of nature's bounty. The book (also illustrated by Katzen), presents more than 200 approachable recipes for a wide range of vegetable dishes, from openers, soups, and side dishes to pastas, condiments, and entrees.

The recipes draw freely from diverse culinary styles, and cooks of all kinds should enjoy the dishes, as well as Katzen's casual, spontaneous tone. Standout recipes include Roasted Eggplant Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Tomato-Fennel Consommé, Giant Mushroom Popovers, and Frittata with Red Onions, Roasted Garlic, Greens, and Goat Cheese.

The book's "Side-by-Side" chapter, a collection of small dishes meant to be served together, features bean and grain delights like Coconut Rice with Ginger, Chilies, and Lime, Tuscan Bean and Pasta Stew, and "Don't Knock 'Em Till You Try 'Em" Soyburgers. Condiments and sauces are used to enliven simple vegetable fare and Katzen accordingly offers recipes for such flavor boosters as Red Onion and Shallot Marmalade, Summer Fruit Salsa, and Chipotle Cream.

There are dessert recipes, too, for old favorites like Ginger Thins and Homemade Butterscotch Pudding and "newer" enticements like Mexican Chocolate Cake, Pineapple Pomegranita, and Blueberry-Lemon Mousse Pie. With a selection of seasonal menus and useful ingredient notes, the book brims with modern vegetarian cooking ideas presented in Katzen's much-loved style.--Arthur Boehm

At the East Bay French-American School in Berkeley, California, the students and teachers grow a garden of delicious herbs and vegetables. Their curriculum includes tasting, cooking, and eating the harvest to establish a connection between the earth and daily life. This well-put-together book teaches even gardening novices how to do it, too. The book features colorful line drawings, photographs of the kids in action, delicious recipes that even five-year-olds can help prepare, and great little sidebars on subjects as diverse as "Composting," "How Flowers Drink," and how to hold a "First Sprout Party."

The perfect toddler project book!, October 30, 1999
Reviewer: Melanie Wilson from USA
This delightful book is an especially helpful tool for the beginning gardener. It will guide you and your children through all the basics of creating your very own garden. What a wonderful project for a toddler! Based on a gardening project started at the French-American School in Berkeley, California, this book will take you from planning and planting to harvesting and cooking delicious herbs and vegetables. The recipes are almost entirely vegetarian; including Herb Mayonnaise, Corn, Rice and Tomato Salad with Basil, and Snap Bean and Potato Soup with Pasta, just to name a few. Also includes a resource section for seed suppliers and more.