Customer Reviews

The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is simply a fantastic cookbook, vegan or not. In fact, I would even be willing to say that this is the best cookbook I have ever owned, out of some 20+ thoroughly used and abused cookbooks, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian.

There are three particularly exceptional things about this cookbook:

First, it has an extraordinarily high percentage of great recipes. In fact, out of the approximately 15 recipes I've tried I would say that 90% of them are great, with 2 or 3 of them rising to the "Wow, that's fantastic!" level. No other cookbook I've ever owned has had recipes as consistently good as this one.

Second, the author has gone to tremendous lengths to stay as close to authenticity as possible. All of her recipes are based on some regional variation of a traditional Mediterraean (or sometimes Middle Eastern) dish that, for reasons of economics or location, is mostly or entirely vegetarian. One of my favorite recipes in the book, the Quick Farmer's Paella, is based on an inland region variation of Spanish paella, which, because of its location in a fertile growing areas, just happens to incorporate primarily fresh vegetables instead of seafood. This adherence to authenticity is probably the reason that so many of her recipes are so good.

Third, there are absolutely no soy products in this book whatsoever... none! I, personally, can't stand tofu and soy substitutes, and am always disappointed when I buy a new vegan or vegetarian cookbook and find that it's chock full of "tofu" this or "soy cheese" that. This book is a welcome relief from all of those cookbooks that try to "fill in the missing ingredient" with tofu products.

My favorite recipes thus far are the Pumpkin Soup with Winter Pistou (incredible), the Quick Farmer's Paella (a fantastic recipe that's colorful, tasty, and easy to prepare), and the mouthwateringly delicious Roasted Eggplant Salad (also known as Baba Ganoush).

My hat's off to Donna Klein for writing this wonderful book.

I am delighted with this cookbook! The recipes are easy to make, don't contain pre-fab processed "ingredients", soy or cheese-substitutes, and taste wonderful.

I made the Couscous with Peas, Lettuce, and Mint first. Once it was simmering on the stove, I thought uh-oh I don't think I'm going to like this one. Well, I was wrong - I will definitely make it again and again. The Vermicelli Nests with Chickpeas, Spinach, and Tomato - yum! Baked Tomatoes Corsican-style - great way to use up the tomatoes from the garden.

This is food that will make your co-workers jealous when you heat up your leftovers for lunch the next day. (As opposed to a lot of my vegan food, which tends to be more ethnicly inspired, containing curry or chili powders, and smells unusual to the sandwich or frozen-entree-eating lunch crowd I work with)

If a newly minted vegan asked for a good cookbook recommendation for getting started in this lifestyle, I would definitely say this one is first on the list. The foods are appealing and familiar enough to enable smoothe deprivation-free transition to the vegan way of life.

I bought this book based on all the positive feedback. After trying quite a few recipes I would rate this cookbook as OK. The recipes do not call for many spices, so I found the dishes to be a little bland. For example, I made the "Garlic Soup With Potatos Italian Style" for dinner tonight and the besides the garlic, the only spices were 1/2 tsp of dried thyme and a bay leaf. If you are good at figuring out what spices will go well in the recipes, then you'll probably create a lot of tasty dishes. I much prefer 'The Complete Vegan Cookbook' by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler & Mindy Toomay.

This is a rare find; it's not often that I find a vegan cookbook in which the recipes don't taste like they're missing something. Every dish can stand on its own, and I guarantee you if you made an entire meal from this book, even the most die-hard dairy eater would barely notice. (I can't really speak for meat eaters, never having been one myself.)

Leading a vegan lifestyle is not easy, especially if you really enjoy food. If you're having problems with eliminating dairy from your diet, you must buy this book. The recipes are easy and delicious and you really won't feel like you're missing out.

I was recently diagnosed with endometriosis. My doctor wanted me to try an endo diet to see if that would lessen my pain. The endo diet consists of only whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits. Meat, dairy, eggs and soy are not allowed.

The few cookbooks that I do own have all the basic, standard recipes using meat, dairy and eggs. I did an on-line search and came across "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen". What a lifesaver this cookbook is! I have been cooking suppers from this cookbook for almost two weeks now and every single recipe that I've tried has been delicious! Even my husband is impressed with the recipes!

The recipes use real food with no soy substitutes and the ingredients have been found easily at our local supermarket. The recipes have been easy to follow and easy to prepare.

I would highly recommend this book!

This cookbook is the antidote for the question often posed by well-meaning non-vegans: "don't you find a vegan diet limiting, with only vegetables and tofu?"

I've cooked several of the dishes, all of which have been hits with vegan and non-vegan eaters - satisfying even to my meat-eating friends who believe only meat makes a meal! I served the squash gnocchi recently at a dinner party, and my guests were bowled over by it (it was worth every minute of effort). A cold cauliflower salad with a dressing involving capers was outstanding.

What I most enjoy about the book is its quintessentially mediterranean nature: simple, fresh, uncomplicated, and absolutely delicious. Having grown up in an Italian family, I've hungered for vegan recipes with mediterranean roots that are not the usual pasta and sauce fare. This book has this and more.

While I enjoy cooking with and eating soy products, this book takes a creative approach that doesn't rely on this as many vegan cookbooks do. It also has recipes appealing to every level, from the person wanting only a few ingredients and easy prep to the experienced cook willing to invest a good amount of time. Buy this book - you won't regret it!

I have been enjoying this book so much. It is hard to find a cookbook for vegetarians with no soy or animal products in it. Cooking is fun again. Thanks.

We got this book because we were starting a trial of being a vegetarian for one month. While the book does have lots and lots of recipes and ideas, it would really help if there were some pictures (even small ones), so at least when you put the items together you knew what the presentation was to look like and how it was supposed to come together. not very appetizing flipping through this book. we saw this in other reviews as well, but decided to get it anyway because of the breadth of recipes.

My husband loves Mediterranean food. He's not vegetarian and I am. He loves all the dishes I've cooked from this book, because none of the recipes use weird meat or dairy substitutes. They are all authentic recipes that taste like what they are supposed to taste like. So far he's loved the Eggplant Napoleons and some of the pasta dishes. I've made the Apples Poached in White Wine several times, and it's even better if you don't boil down the sauce to a syrup, but leave it liquidy, then leave it in the fridge to marinate. It's like a wonderful chunky applesauce. Unlike my tofu dishes, my family doesn't find these dishes weird. The ingredients are easy to find, and the recipes are easy to prepare. This is my favorite cookbook after to "How it All Vegan" and "Garden of Vegan."

I don't buy a lot in the way of cookbooks, but I really wanted some new ideas. I am a vegetarian, but my boyfriend and I don't like to use a lot of dairy. I love mediterranean food and this book was exactly what I hoped for. I recently bought "Simply Vegan" by Debra Wasserman and was dissapointed by the fact that most recipes were "regular" recipes and just substituted a soy product for the animal ingredient. The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen is nothing like that. The basis for these recipes is real ingredients, not imitation meat and imitation dairy. Every recipe I have tried has been delicious. Even my meat eating friends have been satisfied by these recipes! I wish there were more cookbooks like this!