| Title | : | Moosewood Restaurant Favorites: The 250 Most-Requested, Naturally Delicious Recipes from One of America's Best-Loved Restaurants |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1250006252 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781250006257 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 402 |
| Publication | : | First published September 3, 2013 |
| Awards | : | Goodreads Choice Award Food & Cookbooks (2013) |
Moosewood Restaurant Favorites: The 250 Most-Requested, Naturally Delicious Recipes from One of America's Best-Loved Restaurants Reviews
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Favorite recipe: mushroom barley soup. I will be adapting several recipes to my food plan.
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Moosewood is pretty famous in the vegetarian crowd. It’s a name most vegetarians have heard, and I know some vegetarian who have even eaten at the restaurant. I’d always been curious about their cookbooks, so I was excited to see the newest one available on Netgalley. Given the fame, I was expecting something inspiring and special. Instead I found a rather ho-hum collection of decidedly average pescetarian recipes.
Moosewood claims everywhere (including on the main page of their website) that they are a vegetarian restaurant. But they aren’t. They are pescetarian. There is an entire fish section in the book. Calling yourself vegetarian when you’re not is misleading and wrong. I’m kind of shocked there isn’t more of an outcry in the veg community about this.
The rest of the cookbook (that is actually vegetarian) consists of: appetizers; dips and spreads; soups; sandwiches; burgers; main dish salads; curries and stews; beans; frittatas and pies; casseroles; stuffed vegetables; wraps, rolls, and strudels; tofu; pasta; side salads; sides; side grains; salad dressings; condiments and salsas; sauces and gravies; desserts; baking pan sizes and equivalents; and guide to ingredients and basic cooking. It’s a huge, long cookbook. But out of all these recipes, I only found eight I wanted to try. Usually I want to try at least every other recipe in a cookbook. The recipes here that failed to spark my interest fell into one of three categories: 1) they were painfully obvious and overly simple 2) they were deeply unhealthy, swimming in cups of oil, heavy cream, and tons of eggs or 3) they weren’t vegetarian because they contained fish.
Some examples of the painfully obvious include quinoa with veggies, basic chili, thai vegetable curry, and black bean sweet potato burritos. You don’t need a cookbook from a famous restaurant to give you these recipes. I’d say otherwise if there was anything about their recipes that at least made them a variation of the norm, but I have seen the same thing over and over again in multiple recipes in cookbooks, blogs, and websites.
As for the unhealthy recipes, beyond the already mentioned high fat and an unnecessary quantity of eggs, there were things like the suggestion to top your corn on the cob with mayonnaise. Or the fact that most of their dressing recipes contained 1/4 to 3/4 cup of oil. The recipes routinely don’t take a well-rounded diet into consideration. Protein doesn’t get enough attention. For instance, a vegetarianized jambalaya recipe has zero protein in it. And perhaps it’s not unhealthy, but I found it very odd that a restaurant’s cookbook called for canned pumpkin for their pumpkin pie.
On the plus side, the cookbook is well-organized and illustrated with beautiful pictures. Although, the recipes are written out in paragraph form. I generally prefer a numbered list. But this is a personal preference, and the recipes are easy enough to follow.
I have made one of the eight recipes I selected out as possibilities so far. I made the Winter Salad Plate (page 110). Since the recipe states it serves 8 as a side salad and my intention was to have it as a side salad with egg sandwiches with my partner and a friend, I halved the recipe. Also, since I didn’t have greens from my CSA that week, I replaced the greens with more root vegetables. The consensus was it was yummy, but the dressing needed a touch of bitterness like a vinegar and less oil. I don’t mind having to adapt a recipe a bit to get it just right but with a high-quality cookbook you don’t have to do that.
In spite of the shortcomings, the recipes do indeed work, and the cookbook is well organized and prettily illustrated. Recommended to pescetarians and omnivores who don’t cook a lot, so the recipes would be less familiar to them, who also don’t mind a high fat/oil and low protein content in their food. Also recommended to long-time fans of Moosewood.
Check out my
full review.
Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. -
Moosewood Restaurant is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a new cookbook. I've been a fan of the Moosewood cookbooks for decades. My original one is getting a little dogeared so it's nice to see what's new (though I will always have my old one!). One thing I love about these books - and they tell you this in the beginning - is that the measurements don't have to be followed to the letter. If you chop up an onion and it's a little more or less than what the recipe calls for, use it anyway. Can't have something? Then don't use it (unless it's a major basis of the recipe!).
This book starts out with an introduction to the Moosewood history - how they started, grew, and combined the talents of many people to create their menus and meals. They were green before it was cool to be green. The recipes in this book, like all their books, are vegetarian or vegan in nature. They advocate using local produce where possible, organic, and healthy. They also incorporate a lot of ethnic foods, including African, Spanish, Mexican, Mediterranean, Indian, and more.
Even die-hard meat fans will find something to like in this cookbook. A definite must have for the vegetarian/vegan lovers, and a heartily recommended addition to all kitchens. -
I love, love, love this cookbook! Both my husband and I have made several recipes from it and our cooking club featured this book as well ( over 30 recipes tried). The recipes were easy to follow, with easily accessible ingredients... none of the recipes were terribly complicated. Highly recommended.
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We have been having lots of fun trialing cookbooks from the library! As the title says, these are old favorites, and a lot of them look very familiar to me (an owner of .... [counts books around me] ... (at least?) 9 other Moosewood cookbooks.
Recipes we tried from this book (in the order that we tried them):
Summer Vegetable Curry
I was a little unsure after my first bite, but by the time I had cleaned my plate, I was certain that I loved this. It took a bit of prep work, but not too bad, since I already had a curry mixture prepared (left over from another Moosewood recipe - and no I'm not certain that it was exactly the same mix of spices called for here). This got mixed reviews from family: Lily said she was t crazy about it, because curry is "weird," but she cleaned her plate; Neve just ate the rice and refused to try the curry. We got six servings.
Thai Noodle Salad
I measured everything carefully, but I misread the recipe and added 1 CAN of coconut milk instead of 1 CUP of coconut milk. (Who writes a recipe for 1 CUP of coconut milk??? what am I supposed to do with the rest of it??)
One note: recipes include (but are not limited to) soups, salads, starters, sides, sauces, about a dozen "curries and stews" recipes, a half dozen "casseroles" recipes, and about a dozen "pasta" recipes and over a dozen "fish" recipes, and lots of other interesting sections (such as burgers, wraps, stuffed vegetables, and of course desserts), but no stir fry recipes, which is disappointing because that is the backbone of my summer cooking.
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9/7/18: We need to come back to this book again! The two recipes we tried were success, but nothing else was interesting during summer. -
My go-to book for dinner. Haven't found a recipe in here that I didn't love. Recipes are easy to follow. Love the Moosewood cookbook series for amazing meat free meals. A new one is coming out soon. I want to purchase it! I hope to go to the restaurant one day too! Note: Although the book is meat free, it does have dairy and fish recipes.
One favorite recipe is the Chilaquiles Casserole. We made it for dinner on Cinco De Mayo and it was a huge hit! -
40 years of this wonderful restaurant! This is a really interesting cookbook and it combines flavors I never thought of combining. Cannot wait to try alot of these recipes. Thank you Netgalley!
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This is my newest favorite vegetarian cookbook.
My first experience with the Moosewood Restaurant was at the restaurant itself it the mid-90’s. Honestly, I think it was actually my first vegetarian meal. Anyway, the meal was flavorful and satisfying.
My first cookbook from moosewood was Sunday’s at the Moosewood, a very detailed book. It was not the best fit for me as a recent college graduate living alone. More recently I tried Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home becauof the simplicity and number of ingredients. Yes, it was more simple than my first, but didn’t capture the flavor and satisfaction of eating in the restaurant. Finally, I found a Moosewood Restaurant Favorites, a cookbook that is just right for me. The recipes are clearly written and give accurate time predictions near the recipe name. More importantly, the recipes are amazing. The vegetarian moussaka recipe won me over, but my husband cannot stop talking about the lemon blueberry pound cake that I made him for his birthday.
I highly recommend this book if you are interested in preparing flavorful vegetarian meals at home. -
This was a HUGE cookbook. Lots of veggie options. I tried the veggie quinoa and baked nuts and liked both recipes.
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Fantastic cookbook. Love that they provide recommendations for sides/sauces and alternatives.
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Lots of great recipes that I'm looking forward to trying!
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I checked this book out from the library on a whim and immediately bought a copy. <3
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I'd never heard of the Moosewood Restaurant before I randomly came across this cookbook a couple of months ago, but I was eager to check out this collection of their favorite recipes when I realized that it was all organic vegetarian fare. I'm not a vegetarian, but I once was at one point, and therefore can seriously appreciate the lifestyle. I now try to cook a vegetarian meal at least once a week, and am always looking for more creative recipes to add to my repertoire specifically for those nights.
While I loved the ingenuity of some of these recipes, and very much enjoyed reading about the history of the restaurant and it's interesting set-up as a collaborative company, this didn't become a favorite cookbook of mine. I found a few recipes that I'm eager to try out, but the whole thing seemed more geared towards beginner chefs and fans of the restaurant rather than somebody who's genuinely interested in finding new and interesting combinations of ingredients. But they did do a good job in being geared towards that certain audience. Ideas and directions were described in-depth, with a generous glossary of particular foods and instructions on how to cook things like tofu in the back of the book. I appreciated the hard work that obviously went into this cookbook, but those things just weren't really what I was looking for. Perhaps a different Moosewood cookbook (I've heard there are several) would've been better suited for me, I don't know.
This cookbook includes a lot of recipes for things like salad dressings, sauces, and desserts, which isn't really what I'm personally interested in. And a generous amount of things like "corn chowder," for which I've seen a million and a half tired, old recipes for. There were definitely a few gems in there, but it took a lot of digging through this monstrous book to actually find them.
I was also disappointed with the lack of photography. I like best when most, if not all, of the recipes in cookbooks are illustrated. I have trouble envisioning what a recipe will look like without that crucial visual aid, and I end up having to spend extra time skimming each recipe in order to come up with an idea of what I think each dish will turn out like. It wastes my time and is very unhelpful. And even the recipes that were photographed weren't done so all that well. An amateur effort, but I guess better than nothing.
All in all, I'd whole-heartedly recommend this cookbook to a beginner vegetarian home cook or somebody who's interested in making the specific recipes from this apparently famed restaurant...but for anybody else, it's really not worth it. -
I absolutely love everything about this cookbook - the recipes themselves, reading about the history and day to day life of the Moosewood Collective and the quality feel of the book with its padded cover and thick pages. The recipes are all well laid out, lovely clear text on white pages and easy to follow.
I first discovered the Moosewood 'Mollie Katzen' recipes books in the 1980s when a friend introduced me to them. I loved their look with the 'handwritten' recipes but sadly didn't use them a lot as I struggled to understand and find some of the ingredients in the UK. How handy Google would have been! However, this book is entirely different in that all the ingredients, with the possible exception of chipotles, are easily available. In addition, there's a really good section giving advice on where attention to the quantities is more important and where one can be a little more casual, as well as making substitutions. It's made me a lot more relaxed about changing the recipes slightly if I don’t have an ingredient to hand or there one I can't eat.
My favourite recipes so far are Thai Butternut Squash Soup, Red Curried Lentils Burgers and Spinach Cheese Burritos. I am not vegetarian but happily could be if I was just cooking for myself. It's good to see some fish recipes in this book which I plan to try soon.
I'd love to see a 'rest of world' edition of this book with the recipes in metric of even imperial. I’m very familiar with American terms like eggplant, scallions and zucchini but still struggle with measuring things by volume in cups. Trying to measure chopped aubergine (eggplant) or onions in a cup offends my mathematical mind! Surely it depends on how finely you chop it up. Although in fairness the book does give advice on their gradations for mince, finely chop, dice, chop, coarsely chop and chunks and also often given an equivalent whole weight for cups of vegetables.
Do American's not have kitchen scales that allow you to use you own container and keep resetting to zero so you can have multiple ingredients in one bowl? A lot easier than measuring sticky items into a cup and then out into the bowl!
Anyway....on to press some tofu for my first venture into cooking with tofu tonight. I’m not sure if I’ve sourced a good quality tofu but doubtless time will tell as I find and try different ones. There is some good advice about that, and many other ingredients, in the back of the book.
So far I’ve had a vicarious view of the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York using Google’s Streetview but one day hope to visit in person. One for the Bucket List! -
Moosewood cookbooks are one of the central experiences of vegetarian cooking. The recipes in this volume are typical Moosewood fare, the dishes that created loyal customers and fans. I call the food old school hippie, with sunflower seeds and cottage cheese and sprouts. Before you think that is a criticism, I happen to really love sprouts, deep down to my toes.
The first dish I had to try was sichuan noodles
It was delicious - so much flavor, and simple to make. That's about what I expect from the authors of such cookbooks as
The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, a wedding gift I got from my step-motherinlaw in 2000. I was marrying a vegetarian, and had no idea what I was getting myself into. Mollie Katzen made vegetarian cooking accessible and a little whimsical, and held my hand through my own conversion to a mostly vegetarian lifestyle. I feel more of the same from this book. It isn't trendy, and you won't see a lot of raw food or hard to find ingredients, just solid, time-tested vegetarian cuisine.
Other recipes I have marked to try, to give you a sense of more of the book:
-Creamy Hungarian Mushroom Soup
-Mulligatawny
-Tempeh Reuben
-Classic Tofu Burgers
-Gado gado
-Navajo Stew
-Andean Stew on Quinoa
-Ghanaian White Beans and Vegetables with Fiery Pepper Sauce
-Country Moussaka
-Thai Baked Tofu
-Chocolate Ricotta Moose (haha get it?)
By the way, it would be a mistake to present this cookbook as completely vegetarian. It has a fish chapter, because the Moosewood Restaurant serves fish. (I had to double check what I was seeing too!) This cookbook was provided to me by NetGalley for an honest review. -
I adore cookbooks and and have also been a longtime Moosewood fan, from it's very beginnings in Ithaca, New York. So naturally I was anxious to take a look at their 40th anniversary book, Moosewood Restaurant Favorites, which was released last month. WOW!
There are a great assortment of recipes (250) including some of the original recipes from 40 years ago that have been modified a bit. The recipes just seem so healthy, and although I am not a vegetarian, I don't eat much meat either, so I was especially impressed with some fish, soups (Hungarian Mushroom soup, corn chowder and butternut squash soup for starters), salad (Thai noodle salad) and side dishes (vegan cornbread, broccoli with walnuts) and even some desserts: Savannah banana and different varieties of Baklava, which I am anxious to try.
The layout is great and the recipes seem easy to follow. I liked that there were a good amount of Mexican and Spanish dishes to try as well as some Indian cuisine.
Moosewood fans, or individuals just looking for something a bit healthier in a cookbook, should take a peek at this one. I loved it.
4.5/5 stars -
I'm going to begin with a caveat--I did not request this cookbook. The publisher sent me this cookbook unsolicited for my review. I don't have any problem with them doing that, just want to be up front that this is not a cookbook I would normally request. I am not a vegetarian or vegan and I don't eat soy products (I don't think they're good for you, but I'm not going to start that argument here). There is a LOT of tofu in this book! There are some interesting recipes and even some things I do myself already (Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Broccoli, etc), but over all, this really isn't my cup of tea.
The book itself is lovely with its colorful, padded cover, nice photos and heavy duty pages. For someone who loves Moosewood recipes, this book would be a must. I'm giving it four stars based on the quality of the book, and the fact that it would be a great cookbook for a Moosewood Restaurant fan.
I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Griffin Press for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. -
I just recieved a spanking new copy of this in the mail from Goodreads First Reads, so "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!" to whoever it may apply to. (please note: I recieved this book for free through Goodreads First Reads and did not recieve any compensation, monetary or otherwise, for my honest review).
First impression? Most covers for hard cover books are stiff and flat, but this one has a little cushion to it and I can't get over how nice it feels to hold the book when you're flipping through it. (It's the little things in life, right?) The pictures are fabulous and there's plenty of space in the margins (So helpful because I tend to make notes in my cookbooks).
I haven't had a chance to cook anything yet, so I'll update this when I do. I am especially looking forward to trying some of the soup and dessert recipes. I believe I will start with the Apple Spice Cake and go from there.
So excited!
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Great assortment of new recipes that sound very interesting to try...and healthy too! I'm most intrigued by many of the new fish recipes: Coconut-Cashew-Crusted Fish, Pecan-Crusted Fish, Spicy Chipolte Cornmeal-Crusted Fish. There are also an assortment of interesting up-to-date new sides/salads to try such as Lime Cilantro Slaw and Moroccan Carrot Salad with Currants. I can't wait to try these recipes. And of course, since it is a Moosweood Restaurant cookbook, there are several new tofu recipes too.
I appreciate the fact that this cookbook includes information about the prep time involved for each recipe and also includes serving suggestions and other things to complement each recipe. My only criticism is that I wish there were photographs of the different recipes.
I received a complimentary online version of this book in exchange for a fair and unbiased review from NetGalley. -
I love my Moosewood cookbooks so I knew I had to own this newest one--a huge full-color tribute to the famous Moosewood Restaurant and it's favorite, most requested dishes. It contains 250 recipes--some new, some updated classics. It's been a pleasure to read through as the recipes each have introductions with the history of the recipe and Moosewood--something I love in a cookbook. It isn't completely vegetarian as one might think, as there is a chapter of fish recipes. Since I eat fish once a week or so, this isn't a problem for me and I am looking forward to trying the Dukkah-crusted fish soon.
I have tried the Mulligatawny soup so far--rich, warming and full of flavor. You can see my adaptation of the recipe and pictures of the dish on my blog post here:
http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...
Fans of Moosewood should love this book, along with newbies who want a comprehensive (mostly) vegetarian cookbook with doable recipes. -
The Moosewood restaurant has published many cookbooks over the years. Ages ago, one of the first cookbooks that I owned, (and an entirely vegetarian one to boot!) was a well worn copy of The Moosewood Cookbook. It was unique and amazing, and opened up my options as someone who preferred plant based food.
This edition is a best of the best collection, developed over the years, skimmed from the most delicious, most consistent recipes from their restaurant experience, compiled beautifully with gorgeous photographs. I adore the puffy cover and the bright, colorful, cheerful appearance.
When cookbooks arrive at the library, I always flip through them, and if the recipes look appealing, I check them out and test some recipes. This edition of the Moosewood cookbooks turned out to be amazingly consistent; every recipe that I have tried has turned out wonderfully. I have since added this to my permanent collection, and regularly cook from it.
Very highly recommended. -
As a graduate of Ithaca College I am well aware of Moosewood and its delicious vegetarian and vegan food. I only ate there once and it is an experience I will never forget. On top of making some really delicious food, with nothing but vegetables for the most part, it was incredibly inventive and creative.
I flagged plenty of recipes in here that I want to add to my collection and try out on my own eventually. The problem I will have to face is making vegetarian and vegan food for a family of 5 who like themselves some meat dishes. We shall see how that works out.
Honestly I enjoyed reading through this, even if not every recipe is for me. I think the fact that it is their most-requested items means that there will be something in here for everyone. You might not like it all, but you will find something in here you want to try out. -
It seems like a lot of people complain about this book. I'm not sure why. Yes, the recipes are simple. But are they tasty? yes! They also rely heavily on fresh products. This makes the ingredients more powerful. I personally am learning how to elevate my cooking skills while living somewhere that has limited food markets. I've had to put down other cookbooks solely because all the recipes had unobtainable, niche ingredients.
I recently began a farmshare and have a plethora of vegetables and herbs. I can look up the ingredients in the index and grab a few recipes. Most are easy and quick to make.
It is a good book for healthy eating. I haven't tried any hot dishes yet besides the baked mac n cheese (crowd pleaser), but the salads and dressings and sides have made my stomach happy. -
Everyone should own a Moosewood cookbook and this is a perfect one to start or complete your collection. It contains the favorite recipes served at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithica, New York since the 1970s.
Each recipe uses ingredients easily obtained at your local grocery store and can be completed in a reasonable period of time. The variety is great! I can see myself cooking my way through every recipe in this one.
I was provided with an ARC and unfortunately every fraction in the ingredient section is missing its denominator. Makes for some guessing on my part.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. -
I don't even know where to begin. Without a doubt, this will become one of my most used and loved cookbooks. There are so many excellent recipes in here. I was lucky enough to go to college near Moosewood Restaurant, so I have been a fan for years and I have a couple of their recipe books, but this is definitely my new favorite. I love how they have updated the recipes and how detailed the instructions are. Also, the serving suggestions, food pairings, and alternative prep comments are so helpful. Cannot say enough good stuff about this one--a rare 5-star cookbook!
*ARC courtesy of St. Martin's Press, provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!* -
Disclaimer: I received this as a gift from the publisher.
This is a very solid cookbook for someone who enjoys vegetarian/vegan meals or who is interested in cooking more vegetarian meals. By and large the ingredients are available in most places (and substitutions are listed for harder to find ingredients), the recipes are clearly written and direct, and I've enjoyed the recipes I've made from this cookbook.
I still prefer cookbooks organized by season rather than by menu order (appetizer, entree, soup, salad), but that is a minor complaint. I highly recommend this book to inquisitive cooks everywhere. -
As the owner of many other Moosewood cookbooks I was excited to get my hands on their newest release. As with the others, it does not disappoint! The handful of recipes I have been able to try since reading this book have been flavorful and easily executed. Not only are there wonderful recipes, but handy information and tips for purchasing organic fruit and vegetables and stories about the restaurant. The Tofalafels were delicious and a hit with the people I served them to and the Edamame Wasabi Spread is a staple in my refrigerator. This is another wonderful addition to my kitchen cookbook collection from Moosewood Restaurant.
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Moosewood has many, many cookbooks out there at this point. This one doesn't especially distinguish itself from the others, which still makes it pretty darn good. I'd only recommend buying it to people without a shelf full of cookbooks though since the recipes are very similar previous Moosewood offerings. I didn't find enough inside that I needed to try to warrant surrendering permanent shelf space.
That being said, try the Confetti Kale Slaw; which is the only salad I've ever made that has a) gotten me to happily eat large quantities of raw kale and b) had multiple people rave about how good it smells in addition to how good it tastes.
