From Publishers Weekly
This vegetarian cookbook feels like a flashback to a time when vegetarianism was a virtually unknown lifestyle choice. A nutritional pyramid revised for vegetarians is helpful, but advice for vegetarians who wish to face the "challenge" of dining out sounds dire (suggestions include pizza, Indian, Chinese and sticking to salad and bread). In general, not eating meat is presented as problematic and strange, with recipe titles like Seemingly Normal Chocolate Pudding (made with soy milk) and Nearly Normal Shepherd's Pie. The latter, like many of the recipes, feels like a throwback with its filling of vegetables, ketchup, and TVP (texturized vegetable protein). It's not that Gazillion Bean Salad, made with canned beans, and Zucchini and Basil Strata aren't good, but they're '70s classics, not new ideas. A section on crepes hearkens back to a good idea that is often overlooked, and a few pizzasAsuch as Pizza with Sweet and Sour Caramelized OnionsAbring back the '80s. Raab employs a tone more suited to her earlier effort, Clueless in the Kitchen, which was geared to teens. For example, she describes Mexican Meltdown as a "wonderfully gloppy cheesy goop," and the headnote to Sweet and Sour Roasted Beet Salad promises: "Remember those yucky gluey beets with the sweet sauce you always hated? Well, this is not them. Totally." (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The tyro vegetarian, particularly the teenage one rebelling against the dominant "burger culture," will relish the irreverent tone of Evelyn Raab's delightfully illustrated
The Clueless Vegetarian. Raab assumes the posture of a teacher whose audience knows virtually nothing about vegetarian cooking but who believe it may be an appropriate choice for their lives. Raab takes care to define terms and to present recipes that presuppose no prior cooking experience. Her recipe classification system, rendered in icons, will also attract the computer-minded young adult. Despite her simple approach, Raab's recipes reflect a range of cooking styles and cater to today's multiethnic tastes with an emphasis on Italian and Mexican dishes and such Eastern exotica as pad Thai. So eager is she to expand her readers' horizons that she gives extensive instructions on managing the intricacies of phyllo pastry, a base for many Middle Eastern appetizers and entrees.
Mark KnoblauchCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
by Evelyn Raab
