Don't be dismayed that the recipes are all soups and salads. Those are very broad categories! Many "salads" are more like casual meals (such as Bean Puree with Seven Savories, which is pretty much a really cool Middle Eastern-style nachos, using toasted pita wedges instead of tortilla chips, of course). And as for soups... there are SO MANY different recipes here, no matter what your idea of soup may be when you open this book, it'll have expanded ten-fold after you've perused these pages.

The best part is, soup and salad are such forgiving mediums, this book is perfect for the home chef who wants to explore. Helpful text explains unusual ingredients and describes why certain vegetables & seasonings were chosen to enhance flavor and texture in each recipe. At the bottom of every recipe, the Moosewood editors were kind to include a half dozen or so dishes that would compliment it nicely. Makes meal-planning a snap, and so far, they've been right on target, every time.

I got this book for Christmas and many of the recipes have already become "regulars." I have no qualms about trying new dishes, even when serving guests, because you can trust these recipes to need little, if any, tampering. Though I have several Moosewood cookbooks (and I like them all), I can't recommend THIS book enough. Really!

Oh yeah, and I wanted to also mention that Moosewood also includes time estimates & nutritional informaton for every recipe. gotta love that.

66 of 71 found the following review helpful:

Great cookbook... wonderful soups  Nov 04, 1999

This is a great cookbook. I wasn't a big fan of soup before, but this book converted me. If you love soups and salads this book is for you.

Another great feature of this book is for each recipe there are tons of suggestions for what to serve with it. I love that ! Makes meal planning easy.

18 of 18 found the following review helpful:

Fast, Easy and Delicious  Mar 01, 2000

I always say that if a cookbook gives me just one fabulousrecipe that it was worth the money. So far, I have found THREEawesome recipes: Persian Rice (a recipe to feed six, my husband and I ate it all in one sitting!), Black Bean and Chipotle soup (the addition of OJ gives it a fullnes and vibrancy that is unusual), Roasted Cauliflower Salad (very unusual and tasty with a remarkable fennel seed dressing). My husband and I are making our way through the cookbook three recipes a week. The recipes are low fat, and the best part is that we can make a great meal after we come home from work. The recipes are that simple and easy.

15 of 15 found the following review helpful:

Vegetarian Never Tasted So Good  Jul 03, 2001
By Teantae Turner "sistert"
This was a pleasurable book to cook from. Each recipe was rich and tasty and leftovers, when there were any, made great lunches the next day. I loved the way my kitchen smelled!

"Black Bean & Chipotle Soup" was spicy and delicious. "North African Couscous Salad" was more filling than I expected and had a very exotic flavor. Even served at room temperature, the flavors were strong and tasty. This would make a great picnic salad. If you're a vegetarian who likes to entertain, many of these dishes will satisfy meat eating guests, and they'll probably not even notice.

These are year round recipes that I look forward making whenever I want something a little different yet satisfying. Vegetarian or not, I think most people will enjoy this cookbook.

21 of 23 found the following review helpful:

Delicious Soups!  Dec 27, 1999

I live in chilly northern Vermont and after a long day of skiing there is nothing more delicious than a bowl of homemade soup. This cookbook has lots of recipes and all the ones I have made thus far have been outstanding. This is a good cookbook to have. You'll enjoy it!

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