Lisa Messinger's
Cookbooks of the Week

The New Vegan Cookbook: Innovative Vegetarian Recipes Free of Dairy, Eggs and Cholesterol

by Lorna Sass (Chronicle)

If a vegan diet is just what the doctor ordered, then The New Vegan Cookbook: Innovative Vegetarian Recipes Free of Dairy, Eggs and Cholesterol might be just what the gourmet cook ordered. Doctors the world over, of course, cheer when we choose a vegan diet. It's the real spare thing, more so than a vegetarian diet which might still include dairy, eggs and fish. However, those who try to adhere to the plan sometimes see their good intentions flying out the kitchen window weeks or months later, when they realize just how restricted and often unflavorful such dishes can be. Gourmet vegan books like this one are few and far between, but fortunately a growing segment within cookbook publishing. Award-winning cookbook author Sass adds just that—sassiness—to her delicious internationally inspired recipes like tomato-chickpea curry in eggplant shells; Thai-inspired broccoli in coconut-cilantro sauce; stuffed collard rolls with roasted red pepper sauce; phyllo triangles filled with kale, pine nuts and currants; and west Indian pumpkin with jerk-spiced tempeh. This is fare the whole family—or dinner party crowd—undoubtedly will enjoy without ever even realizing it's vegan unless you decide to spill the beans.

RECIPE: TOMATO-CHICKPEA CURRY IN EGGPLANT SHELLS