Customer Reviews

Entertaining for a Veggie Planet: 250 Down-to-Earth Recipes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is worth the price for her pan-fried tofu recipe alone. Indisputably the BEST way to prepare tofu. Even people who are confirmed tofu haters love this method.

My only minor quibble with Didi is that she (page 219) eats fish on occasion and thus considers herself a "95% vegetarian". For a vegan, the suggested use of "fish sauce" in a vegetarian recipe book is annoying. However Didi does suggest alternatives - and her recipes are fine without it.

A good friend suggested that the lone negative reviewer may have substituted some other yeast for the nutritional yeast called for in many recipes, I'm sure she's correct. Folks, there is NO substitute, you need genuine nutritional yeast (mild and cheesy) - NOT brewer's yeast (bitter), and definitely not (shudder) baker's yeast!

The recipes in the book are fabulous. I have tried several recipes and they have all been a hit - the kind that will get your friends to ask for the recipe (even the non-vegetarian ones!)
The recipes are very simple yet creative. I have "read" the book cover to cover, and everything looks so delicious and interesting that I cannot wait to try more of them out. Sometimes I find when I buy a cookbook that I only wind up caring for a few recipes in the whole book. I don't think it'll be the case with this one!
I have bought several copies of the book to give to friends, meat eating ones included.

I purchased this book several months ago, in hopes of delightful recipes even non-vegitarians would love. Since then, out of all the meals I have prepared, about 50% of them were just plain disgusting!! Some of the recipes were so bad we couldnt even choke them down, and ended up throwing them away and heading for the nearest fast food.
If you are good in the kitchen, you could probably fix some of the recipes; As, I have thought of better things I could do the next time I prepared the meal... If there ever will be a next time!
On top of the gross outcome, most of the recipes call for unusual, hard to find, ingredients. She includes a glossary that recomends where to find the strangest ingredients (usually from various ethnic markets). Living in a small town, ethnic markets are few and far between... and definatly out of the way for saturday morning shopping.
On a lighter note: She does have alot of helpful tips and comments mixed in among the recipes, which i really enjoyed (I wish every cookbook included her commentary)...
And of the recipes that were good, they were really WONDERFUL!

I think Didi Emmons relies entirely too much on her cat's taste approval for her recipes... or perhaps she has burned out her human taster's tasteing sense and thats how she was able to publish these recipes.
I guess I would only recomend this book to experienced cooks, who live in large cities with several different ethnic markets around (Indian, Asian, Latin, Middle-Eastern, Mexican, etc. etc.).

I had been struggling with trying to pull together a meal for relatives who are non vegetarian - pulling out lots of different cookbooks to create a feast that they'd enjoy. I still love the creative aspects of pulling out lots of different cookbooks and creating a palate of flavors but this book makes it easier to do when I'm in a pinch. It has sections on appectizers, soups, snacks, casseroles, rice/noodles, etc as well as sections such as "intimate gatherings", "memorable mornings", etc. The recipes seem to all go well together so you can mix and match while still having diversity but not having to go through a bunch of different cookbooks.

I am thrilled to have found Didi's book because since then food has never tasted better. And, it was easy! She also gave me the freedom to explore and be creative when I didn't have a specific spice or food. Cooking with Veggie Planet is a joy!

This is a delightful cookbook which will light up your taste buds as it takes you into uncharted territory in vegetarian cooking. As the primary cook in a vegetarian household, I often find myself at a loss for new ideas, or uninspired by the typical offerings of vegetarian cookbooks. This book changes all that - I now have a wide range of possibilities that excite me, turning a chore into a fun activity.

Full disclosure here: I tested many recipes during the development of this cookbook. But I knew nothing about Didi Emmons before this testing - and with three young kids and a demanding job, I had no interest when a mutual friend suggested I might enjoy testing recipes and providing feedback. I declined, but the message was lost and a recipe was sent to me. I decided I'd try just one (Chard and Eggplant Salad with Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette). When I put a forkful of the finished product into my mouth, I was shocked to discover how good it was. This was the first of what were to be repeated experiences of finding that, in Didi's recipes, the whole is often greater than the sum of the parts - and that surprisingly good and often completely unexpected synergies develop from her recipes.

After this first test, I was hooked. I tested approximately 30 recipes over the next six months. With few exceptions, the recipes were excellent. In a remarkable number of cases, they were sublime. The "Hip Dip" always goes fast at parties. It's an edamame (green soy bean), cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, etc. mixture with a fresh and wholesome flavor. It's perfect slathered on hearty bread and cut into small sandwiches. Other must-try recipes include: Crispy Rice Cakes on Spinach with Viet Red Pepper Sauce - as visually appealing as it is delicious. Root Stew with Millet Cakes - a perfect winter dish and the first time I've ever found a flavorful way to cook millet. The root stew is excellent on its own, but the addition of the millet cakes creates a wonderful fusion. Also, Crispy Bun (noodle) Tofu - an exquisite combination of cooked, fried noodles with a carrot, red cabbage slaw and a tangy mint/lime juice/garlic sauce - hearty yet light - and scrumptious. And Creamy Parsnip Soup with Horseradish - sweet, filling, and with a delicate bite. And if you're in search of the perfect brownie recipe, look no further. Stowe Brownies are exactly as described in the book - "rich and slightly gooey with a crisp, tender exterior".

This book is also fun to read. It is sprinkled throughout with stories and advice about entertaining, including laugh out loud material about Didi's family and neighbors (especially her parents at the holidays) and advice about such diverse topics as purchasing truffle oil (a must-have item, the wonders of which I discovered thanks to Didi); lighting the wrappers from Amaretti di Saronno crackers and watching them flame and lift off into the air (it really works and lights up a dull party); and how to clean your home in 30 minutes. There's also a comprehensive "friendly guide to unfamiliar ingredients" - with descriptions of ingredients and advice on where to locate them.

If you find that you're stuck when it comes to entertaining with vegetarian dishes, this is a great book to get you out of the doldrums.

So, how many cookbooks have you bought based on an appealing cover and one or two seemingly good recipes? Too many. This book will end your search for a cookbook that you can actually use to impress your non-vegetarian friends. If you're in the mood to take the entire day to wow them (yes, there are some of those recipes in here) or if you simply want to devote 1/2 hour to fixing down-home, plain good food, the ideas/solutions are here. If you can't get to Didi's restaurant (my condolences) this is the next best thing.