Bruce Watson at slashfood has put up an entry about chicken stock, including the reduction of stock to glaze. I’m not sure this is even possible with a vegetable stock because of the lack of gelatin content, but I might try it some time, just to see what happens.
I also meant to plug Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I use it all the time, and she has great guidelines for vegetarian stock in there as well, and it’s better written that my rambling blog entry.
I expect to be looking at her cookbook a lot once my CSA boxes start to appear in May. Yes, I live somewhere that CSA boxes don’t start up until late May or early June, so you Californians with your boxes of colorful produce all winter? Quit taunting me with it!
I also have Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, but so far, I prefer Madison’s book. Bittman’s is more international, and Madison’s is more basic. Calling it “basic” isn’t really fair because it’s a lot better than that. Bittman’s does have some great ideas for Japanese and Mexican inspired meals, so I’m sure I’ll be looking at it more in the future.
Also new to me is The Flexitarian Table. Boy, is that a disappointment. The food is WAY too complex and weird. The vegetarian dishes seem to be apologizing for the lack of meat by adding complexity. This is one of the things I really love about Madison’s book – her recipes let the vegetables speak for themselves. I need to have another long look at The Flexitarian Table, but so far, it’s everything I hate in vegetarian recipes. I thought it would be perfect since it comes highly recommended, and I’m an omnivore with a vegetarian beau, but I don’t think there’s a darn thing in there that Tino would willingly eat — and I don’t blame him. The omnivorous recipes don’t look too great either.
As long as I’m on the subject, I recommend Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. I also liked The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but I’d recommend In Defense of Food to anyone who likes to eat.
We’re also big fans of Deborah Madison. The Savory Way is probably our #1 go-to cookbook if we’re looking for something yummy and not too strenuous.
I also have The Greens Cookbook which has a format similar to The Savory Way, but what I like about Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is that the vegetable section is long, thorough and organized by ingredient. This allows me to find something to do with a random item from a farmer’s market.
Thanks for the shout-out. Unfortunately, you can’t really get the gelatinous effect with vegetable stock, but you can reduce it greatly and freeze the concentrate in ice cube trays. Alternately, you might consider making court bouillon, a quick veggie stock. It’s usually used to poach fish, but it can also be pulled in for a variety of other recipes. There’s a recipe at Epicurious.
I would recommend The Flexitarian Diet by Registered Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner. It is a fun and approachable way to eating a mostly vegetarian diet. The recipes are really tasty and the book is set up with shopping lists and weekly eating plans. It is a really cool book. You can get it at amazon.com or pretty much any of the big box bookstores. I have also downloaded many great (and free) recipes from the author’s website (they are all vegetarian) http://www.dawnjacksonblatner.com
I am really glad I found this book and the author’s website. Her tips, recipes and nutrition information have helped me to really cut down on eating meat and eating a lot more fresh produce and whole grains.
Thanks for the book reviews. I tend to go for more simple meals too, so I’ll have to check out Madison’s book when I can. Even the title makes it sound approachable
I usually just go online for recipes since there’s such a wide selection and they’re free.
I just started working for a non-profit called Meatless Monday and was really excited when I saw their website’s recipe section! Meatless Monday also has lots of nutrition articles and cooking tips, which you can find at http://www.MeatlessMonday.com
My favorite vegetarian cookbook is Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. I like it a lot more than Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone — the recipes are cheaper and simpler and also taste better.
I’ll see if I can find a google books preview of Vegetarian Planet have a look at it.
The cookbook that I want at the moment (though I can’t seem to part with the money) is “Veganomicon.” I don’t eat a lot of soy products, and I have plenty of recipes for beans and starches already, but I’m definitely interested in the recipes for actual vegetables.