The Pdq (pretty Darn Quick!) Vegetarian Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Grateful for this cookbook!
Review: I bought this book because I have a 7 month old baby, and don't have the time or interest in spending an hour in the kitchen making meals. I need to get lunch and dinner on the table fast, and get on with it! Problem was, I was grabbing unhealthy stuff in a hurry and packing on some pounds. So when this book came out, I thought it would be the perfect solution--I could make quick, healthy meals that are flavorful and satisfying.

I have tried several recipes--the Chunky Tomato Rice soup, Hearty Black Bean Soup (so good, so easy), Veggie-Hummus Wraps (try those on a sun-dried tomato tortilla--MMMM!!) the Spanish Rice, English Muffin Pizzas, and the Crunchy Granola Peach Gratin. My husband, who is what I call a "Tag-Along Vegetarian", (not an official vegetarian, but I'm the cook, so that's how he eats) has gobbled up all these meals and asked for seconds.

Look, this is not a "gourmet" vegetarian cookbook. If you turn up your nose at "resorting" to bagged salad greens or frozen vegetables or tomatoes or beans out of a can, then this isn't for you. I have the Millennium cookbooks sitting on my bookshelf, and Deborah Madison, and Peter Berley, and they're all beautiful cookbooks that make for some wonderful food. But right now I need simple, fast recipes, and if that means some help from pre-washed spinach, so be it! And if you feel it's easier to modify a recipe by using an appliance, well duh! Go ahead! This cookbook is all about making vegetarian cooking work for you in your busy life.

The only reason I don't give it five stars is because I wish it was longer and in hardcover!

By the way, since joining the gym and cooking from this book, I've lost 8 pounds. Thank you Donna Klein!!!

Rating:
Summary: Could have been better.
Review: I enjoyed Donna Klein's last book, "The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen", so decided to give this book a try. The first thing that got my attention was this book claims to need no knifes, graters, mixers, blenders or food processors to prepare the recipes.

I was surprised, a book so determined on time, did not include estimated preparation times for the recipes. Everything I tried turned out OK, but they could have been much better. Some of the recipes could have even been easier. In the baked potato soup, Klein mashes the ingredients endlessly with a potato masher. I could have used my food processor or immersion blender more quickly, and with better results.

I will continue to make many of her dishes, but I will probably ditch her methods. I'd rather use a knife than resort to bagged or frozen vegetables.

Rating:
Summary: A "must have" addition to any vegetarian cookbook collection
Review: PDQ stands for "pretty darn quick" and vegetarian veteran Donna Klein's The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook is specifically designed to showcase 240 nutritious, delicious, palate pleasing, "no-prep" recipes for today's time-stressed kitchen cooks seeking meatless menus for themselves and their families. Including more than 100 vegan dishes, the recipes comprising this "must have" addition to any vegetarian cookbook collection ranges from Easy Appetizer Burritos; Smoked Provolone and Roasted Red Pepper Panini; Asian-Style Coleslaw; and Mushroom Stroganoff Noodles; to Stir-Fried Cinnamon-Curried Rice with Peas, Dried Fruit, and Coconut; Creamy Polenta with Parmesan; Roasted Carrots with Chutney; and Blueberries in Cassis over Lemon Sorbet. No cutlery, graters, juicers, electric mixers, blenders, or food processors are required. Enhanced with tips on using convenience foods and with comprehensive nutritional analysis for each individual, "30-minutes or less" recipe, The PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook is a "must" for working spouses and parents with a vegetarian life style.