vegetarian | Book Girl & Little Bear

Veg Everything: Recipes for Weeknights, Parties and the Bites in Between by Tanya Sichynsky and New York Times Cooking

I’ve recently read several good books, yet here’s a review of a book I’ve only read in part. This new cookbook is a compilation of vegetarian recipes curated by Tanya Sichynsky from the digital NYT Cooking collection, available with a subscription. I ‘ve made and enjoyed three recipes so far.

Today I made Creamy, Spicy Tomato Beans and Greens. I don’t remember the last time I finished eating a serving of beans and thought “Wow, I want some more” and then “Yay, there are leftovers!” A pleasant surprise, especially as the greens in the little salad on top are baby arugula, not one of my favorite greens, but I liked them in this dish. Canned cannellini beans are cooked in an onion/garlic/tomato/milk mixture, then served with cheese and the lemony salad, which includes pan-fried panko bread crumbs and more cheese. The tomato flavor comes from tomato paste and oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. I used only one-third the olive oil specified, substituted low-fat milk for cream, and left out the crushed red peppers, and it was still excellent.

Another recipe I cooked was Sweet Potato Hash with Tofu, to which I added halloumi cheese, grape tomatoes, and only half the olive oil. Unlike a traditional hash, everything is roasted on a sheet pan.

The first recipe I cooked was Sweet and Sour Cauliflower, served with rice. Other than using less olive oil, I followed the recipe as written. Okay, perhaps the orange cauliflower from a farmers’ market would have been crispy with more oil, but it was still delicious. All three recipes make four servings, and I would make them all again. My copy of the book is from my local public library, but I will probably buy my own copy as there are several more recipes I’d like to try. Of the 100 recipes in this book, about half are vegan; all are vegetarian. Only one dessert recipe is included.

Brenda

The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach

Cookbook author and blogger Jenny and her husband Andy have 2 teen girls. One day Jenny texted Andy “Should we become vegetarians?” And if so, how would that work? They decided to cook and serve vegetarian dinners during the week, and Jenny and Andy also decided to eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch on the weekdays. It wasn’t an easy switch and Jenny and Andy needed more vegetarian recipes the whole family would enjoy. Eventually Jenny came up with this family friendly cookbook. Many of the recipes have options for vegans and/or suggestions to make any holdouts happier with some meat.

I’ve made three recipes so far – all warmly welcomed. Spicy-Tangy-Smoky Pinto Bean Bowls, served with rice. I skipped the cayenne to go tangy-smoky. Smoked paprika and tomato paste with a splash of red wine vinegar made canned pinto beans delicious, and leftovers were good.

Wheat Berries with Crispy Tofu, Grapes, Arugula and Feta was also a hit. I made 2 substitutions. I cooked farro instead of wheat berries, and served butter lettuce instead of arugula. The small tofu cubes baked on a sheet pan were delicious. Pistachios are also included for a nice crunch. The only criticism I have is that this recipe took me a full hour of active food prep and cooking, plus time to cook the farro. This was excellent leftover, and we look forward to variations. I’ve made the tofu again, served with a peanut sauce.

Finally, I made Roasted Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos. I followed the recipe, but also added half a sliced yellow onion to the sheet pan with the squash and roasted both for 35 minutes, instead of the recipe’s suggested 20-25 minutes. I also added 4 ounces of cubed halloumi cheese for the last fifteen minutes. When I added the roasted onions to the black beans and mashed them as directed, it tasted like refried beans. As suggested, I served them with both crispy and soft taco shells, though I skipped the Cilantro pesto for a jar of mild salsa.

This cookbook, which was published in 2021, is full of fresh, appealing, and healthy dinner ideas, with great food photography by Christine Han. I was happy to learn that a new cookbook, The Weekday Vegetarians Get Simple, will be published in late August.

Brenda