Review of Lisa Turner’s The 30 minute Vegetarian Cookbook – 100 Healthy , Delicious Meals for Busy People.
I got introduced to Lisa a little after I started blogging. She started hosting a popular blog event called – My Legume Love Affair which was previously hosted by another blogger – Susan.
I have hosted quite a few editions of this event and that’s how I got to know more about Lisa.And when she shared with me that she was working on a cookbook, I was super happy for her!
I offered to review her cookbook and she gladly sent me a copy .I am a little late in posting the review though as I was caught up with some personal stuff.
So without further delay, here is review of Lisa Turner’s The 30 minute Vegetarian Cookbook – 100 Healthy , Delicious Meals for Busy People.
Contents
- Introduction
- Fast and Easy Vegetarian meals
- Breakfast – 10 recipes
- Salads and Bowls – 15 recipes
- Pastas and Noodles – 15 recipes
- Stir Fries and Curries – 15 recipes
- Soups, stews and Chilis – 15 recipes
- Pizzas and flatbreads – 10 recipes
- Handhelds [has Sandwiches, burgers, and wraps etc] – 12 recipes
- Desserts – 8 recipes
- Quick Reference Guide to Prepping and Cooking Vegetables
- The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen
- Measurement Conversions
- Resources
- Index
The fast and Easy Vegetarian meals has the following sections
- Fast and Fresh in 30 Minutes
- Plant-Based Goodness
- The Challenge of Time
- The Convenient Vegetarian Kitchen
- About the Recipes
The table on protein comparison shows how vegetarian food stuffs are actually a good source of protein! Cooking faster: Tips from pro table gives you an idea on how you can save time in the kitchen and get things done quickly. There is a page on the essential equipments that are needed to set up a kitchen and also a list of gadgets for people who hate prep!
Here are some of the things that I liked in this 30 minute Vegetarian cookbook:
- Each recipe starts with the type of diet it can be used for like Gluten free / Nut free etc, number of servings, prep time, cooking time followed by the a small intro about the dish.
- The list of ingredients and the step by step method of preparing the dish comes next followed by a serving tip / substitution tip / technique/ leftover tip and ends with the nutritional information per serving.
- The steps are clear and easy to follow
- Most of the ingredients can be sourced in India.[With online delivery options, almost all the ingredients needed can be got!]
- The recipes are from different parts of the world and there are quite a few Indian based / Indian inspired dishes!
- The full page photographs at the beginning of each section are really drool worthy! It would have been great if there were more pictures of the dishes.
- The quick reference guide to prepping and cooking vegetables section has a columns -Name Raw / cooked food stuff ,cooking method , serving ideas. This table is definitely a useful one especially for novice cooks.
- I was intrigued by the title -The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen . Lisa explains this as -A nonprofit environmental watchdog organization called Environmental Working Group (EWG) looks at data supplied by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about pesticide residues. Each year it compiles a list of the best and worst pesticide loads found in commercial crops. Read the list in the book and find out what its all about.
- Last but not least, I like the color coded rectangles on each page which would make browsing the sections very easy.
Though all the recipes sound interesting here is a list of some of the recipes that I want to try out:
- Penne with Indian style tomato sauce and mushroom.
- Red Lentil and Cauliflower Tomato Pilaf
- Quinoa Soup with Corn
- Stove top baked beans
- Coconut Roti with Cilantro Chutney
- Mexican-Style Cheese and Pinto Bean Pizza
- Peach lime lassi
My verdict on this cookbook – Pick up a copy and enjoy cooking simple and nutritious meals in 30 minutes! This is a great book for people who have recently switched over to vegetarian cooking or for someone who has just started experimenting in the kitchen. This is also helpful for people who are looking to add some vegetarian choices to their meat based diet.
Click this link to grab a copy on Amazon. The Kindle version is available right now or you can pre order the paperback which is slated for release on November 12th 2019.
About the author:
Lisa Turner is the cook and recipe developer behind Lisa’s Cooking, found at FoodAndSpice.com, a blog that she founded in 2007 to share her passion for vegetarian food. She has been following a vegetarian diet for over 27 years. She currently resides in London, Ontario, Canada, with her husband and two cats.
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