"Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook" - Innovative, Healthy, & Delicious Recipes From Plant-Based Ingredients

Joe Stepaniak's "Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook" was among the first cookbooks I bought after deciding to adopt a vegan diet 3 years ago. For those not familiar with the term "uncheese", Stepaniak uses it to describe rich-tasting spreads, dips, sauces and blocks produced with dairy-free whole foods (primarily beans, nuts, or grains).

Cheese lovers be forewarned: you may be in for some disappointment if you're expecting tofu to taste like Feta cheese or chickpeas like Havarti. The book's introduction even acknowledges that "uncheeses are not going to be like dairy cheeses, so please adjust your expectations accordingly. "

Unfortunately I skipped Stepaniak's well-intentioned introduction and plowed in to the recipes, attempting Tofu Ricotta, Chick Cheez, Swizz Cheez, Buffalo Mostarella, Brie, Betta Feta, White Bean Boursin, Monterey Jack and Port Wine uncheeses. And while all were tasty (my favorite is the sharp Chick Cheez spread--made from Garbanzo Beans) they left me somewhat disillusioned and wondering whether I could actually live without real cheese.

As a result of not immediately finding perfect non-dairy replacements for my most beloved cheeses, "The Uncheese Cookbook" sat dormant on my shelf for some time. Little did I realize that I would come back to Stepaniak's book later (many times), finding it had improved with age. Its most valuable lesson is that it introduces unfamiliar ingredients, and uses them as well as more commonplace items--including raw nuts--in groundbreaking fashion.

For example, I had never heard of nutritional yeast, an ingredient employed in many of the book's recipes. Nutritional yeast is a rich source of vitamins and minerals that has a pungent cheesy taste, too. I later learned that Stepaniak is somewhat of an aficionado on the subject of nutritional yeast, having authored "The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook."

Among other new ingredients (and somewhat challenging to obtain) were agar and kuzu (both plant-based thickening agents used in place of gelatin), and umeboshi plum paste, used for adding saltiness. Chickpea flour (a.k.a. Chana Besan) while common in Indian cuisine, is also employed in many uncheese dishes.

The introduction to Uncheese Cookbook provides a detailed and useful reference to all the aforementioned ingredients as well as others. It also contains a well-documented background of how the dairy industry has influenced the evolution of the American diet (echoing T. Scott Campbell's "The China Study"), and provides detailed nutritional data on the benefits of non-dairy sources of calcium, protein, fat, and carbohydrates vs. dairy products.

Moving on to the recipes, I found many of the "Uncheese Dishes" to be superb. Among my favorites are:

Chocolate Almond Cheeze Cake (p170*) with Granola Nut Crust--Everyone who's tasted it are astounded it tastes more delicious than real cheesecake, without using eggs or dairy products (maple syrup is the secret)."Besto Pesto" (which imperceptibly substitutes cheese with miso)--How can a vegan diet be considered sacrifice when you can still enjoy a dish of linguine with Genevose pesto sauce?Chickpea Flour Pizza (p128), eaten alongside vegetable curries--It takes all of about 5 minutes to prepare, so it's very convenient, too!Beannaise (p150)--Used as mayonnaise substitute within other recipes, and also by itself, as a dip for vegetables or salad dressing.

*Note: page numbers refer to the 10th edition of the book.

Other recipes I would recommend include: Parmezano Sprinkles (p50), Eggplant Parmagiano Stew (p80), Spinach-Tofu Manicotti (p117), Zucchini Chedda Soup (p77).

Upon re-perusing "The Uncheese Cookbook", there are still many dishes I plan to sample, including: Classic Quiche (p102), Lemon Teasecake (p169)-the "Key Lime" variation, Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce (p63), Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip (p49), and Curried Cauliflower Cheez Soup (p76).

Other features of the book you will appreciate are the charts of nutritional values for each of the recipes, and the listings of food allergens (gluten, soy, nuts, corn). On the other hand, the book contains only 4 pages of photographs, and certainly could benefit from more.

If you already own "The Uncheese Cookbook" but haven't picked it up for a while, I suggest it's worth another look. If you don't, please get a hold of a copy and try its innovative and healthy recipes based on plant-based ingredients. Just remember to put aside your expectations of dairy-cheese taste, and you won't be disappointed!

I am not a nutritionist - just a guy with heaps of useful advice and encouragement to offer those considering eliminating meat and other animal products from their diets. Until age 44, I'm certain my diet consisted of more eggs, milk, and red meat than the average American's. I ate lots of chicken, too (especially liked parts with skin), low-fat yogurt every morning, and loads of cheese.

While a plant-based diet may at first seem a sacrifice, I assure you it is not. Therefore, if you are contemplating it yourself, don't let anyone discourage you. Give it a try and I assure you, you will begin to feel healthy and youthful. Take it from me - paying attention to the foods you eat (and don't eat) is the best way to maintain good health, and a plant-based diet is a great way to begin.

If you are interested in learning about benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, or attaining fitness through healthier diet and exercise habits, please check out my blog at http://www.vegandietguy.com/

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Cookbook and Food Magazine Addictions

Hi my name is Christine and I'm a cookbook-food magazine junkie. Can't collect enough, can't stop by any checkout stand or book store food section without picking one up, thumbing through it, reading the side-bars, looking at the photos, wondering when my next fix will kick in. I have a constant longing, craving and yearning for the next one with pretty pictures, will it ever end? I have a collection of about 200 books; food, wine, dessert, entertaining, beverage there are so many that they now serve as decorative adornments (dust collectors) throughout my home. And the magazines, I have finally succumbed to tearing out the photos or recipes I truly want and put them in my working binder and recycle the rest of the magazine to my hair salon (how Green of me! Not really I just cannot bring myself to throw away a $5 magazine that I bought for just one recipe!).

I'll admit in the beginning when the book was new I read it from cover to cover savoring every word, every photo and actually made some of the food porn that appealed to me the most. Speak to me in pictures don't give me a cookbook without photos because it will never work between us. I need to see the food; desire it, lust after it, make the recipe and then move on. It just gets old after going through it a few times, same old recipes, same old pictures, same old outcome. OK this is beginning to sound like an article for the Dating Examiner I digress; the hard cover book with the glossy photo for every recipe is the type of book that gets me. Gets me every single time. Think of it as the bad-boy, type-A personality book. The one you can't stay away from but the one you can't stay with either. It's the type of book that makes your knees buckle with its cosmetic beauty, makes you giggle with delight over its expansive and informative recipes with photos that take your breath away leaving you hungry for more.

OK this is a disease, the more you have the more you want, and for what? Let's do the math, 200 books x say (conservatively) 100 recipes in each book = 20,000 recipes. 20,000!!!!!! Holy Mackerel! (I hate math, it's so in your face). No I have never made, attempted to make or come close to making 20,000 recipes. That's insane, 20,000 recipes! I know it, I read it, I just wrote it, it's in black and white, and yet, the next pretty cover that catches my eye, I just may flirt with it but that's where it begins and ends. No first date, no innocent glass of wine to peruse with. Well maybe a cup of mocha-java-yahoo with lots of whipped cream in the coffee shop just to sit with the book for a bit...

My list of personal favorite cookbooks, entertaining books and beverage books run the gamut for a host of reasons. My all time favorite and personal best is The Junior League of Boca Raton's Savor the Moment, Entertaining without Reservations. Being a member of the Junior League of Boca Raton I worked on the committee that published this James Beard Award winning book; it's still so personal to this day after all these years later. I was a recipe developer, test cook, recipe sampler, photo design layout person, set-up/clean-up person but then again so were the 200 other extraordinary women who volunteered their time and expertise to what has become a legacy in Boca Raton as a magnificent work of art and brilliance. I sound jaded and biased, a little, but the truth is every recipe was tested 3-5 times and the photo shoots agonized over for hours. Labor of love? Yes. A collectible book everyone should have? Yes, because it is a great entertaining book.

The Williams-Sonoma books, any and all. They are professionally tried, tested and true. You cannot go wrong with any of their books and they have pictures for every recipe!

Just starting out? Betty Crocker. She's the one. Begin with Betty. The book is still the best introduction on basic and instructional culinary knowledge. Betty's got so many versions but whatever the latest is that's the one to give as a bridal shower gift, engagement gift or new apartment gift.

The Coastal Living Cookbook. For two reasons one because I am published in this book! And two if you're a seafood aficionado, live, work or play near the coast then you will appreciate this book and all it has to offer. The recipes are tested and true, the photos make you want to buy a home on the water and entertain and cook for everyone you know. It's a lifestyle, feel good type of book making you wish summer was a year-round season.

At Home with Carolyne Roehm. Just get this book for the pictures, you will learn so much about entertaining, setting tables, flower arranging and decorating just by looking.

Effortless Elegance with Colin Cowie. Exacting, Enchanting, Effortless. The recipes are delightful and delicious. The party tips and strategies, invaluable. My book is worn, tabbed, highlighted and used over and over again.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. Gorgeous pictures with each recipe. Recipes are doable no matter your level of expertise or lack thereof. The recipes are timeless and delicious over and over appealing to myriad of food lovers and critics alike.

The Silver Palate Cookbook. The one and only exception to my rule of cookbooks must have photos or I kick you to the curb! This is gourmet. This is WOW! This is edgy. This is the most dynamic recipe book you will ever lay your hands on. Now with that said, this book is not for the faint of heart whimsical cook or spice lacking pantry. Pretty much you need to know your way around the kitchen, culinary terms and procedures if not, think going from the 1st grade to 9th and skipping everything in between, you won't know what hit you. If you're ready, the 25th Anniversary edition is on store shelves now.

101 Sangrias & Pitcher Drinks. Unless you have what rivals the W Hotel bar in your home you will need some outlet of escape to serve cocktails to your guests and this book has got it all; sweet, sour, fruity, minty, creamy, you get the point, now get the book.

Wine Wise. Brilliant, witty and comprehensive. Want to know more about wine? This is the book that will take you on travels to countries and trails of vineyards that you couldn't even imagine existed.

That's 10 listed books. Didn't I say I had 200? I hate math, it's so in your face.

Christine is a lifestyle entertaining specialist and freelance writer focusing on food, wine and events in South Florida, from Palm Beach to South Beach. As the creator and editor of the South Florida Food and Wine blog Christine's focus is to write and compile up-to-date information on all things food, wine and events in South Florida. To contact Christine visit South Florida Food and Wine at:
http://southfloridafoodandwineblog.blogspot.com/

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"The New Best Recipe" Review - Cook's Illustrated Cookbook Review

From the people who bring you America's Test Kitchen, "The New Best Recipe" is a monolithic book with just about every American recipe imaginable. Have you ever wondered what would happen if you had brined your pork before breading and frying it? Or if you had used panko instead of Italian bread crumbs? Well, the people at Cook's Illustrated help to answer those questions by giving you a detailed account of about a dozen or more different techniques they experimented with for just ONE recipe. Admittedly this compulsively formulaic method sometimes results in strange and overly elaborate directions, but it is informative all the same and it's an excellent go-to book if you're ever stuck wondering exactly how to get something just right.

This is the perfect resource for beginners as well because the explanations of how to use the recipes are detailed and the side information detailing equipment and techniques to use is plentiful. And because you are practically guaranteed to create a delicious dish regardless of your level of experience, it is a very encouraging book to cook from.

For experienced cooks, it's an extremely interesting read that will never fail to teach you something new. Beyond the recipes themselves, you'll learn exactly why each choice is made at every step of the process. You'll also be exposed to a great deal of history behind the dishes and how different techniques came to be. The greatest joy might just be sifting through all the recipes and finding the one that blows your own classic recipe out of the water!

To see the new Top 5 Essential Cookbooks Reviews list, follow me to Globetrotter Diaries.

Globetrotter Diaries is a cooking food blog that explores the culinary cultures around the world by cooking a local dish each week and providing tips and techniques to help you in the kitchen. We hope you'll join us on our adventures!

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Allergy-Friendly Cookbook (No Eggs - No Dairy - No Gluten - No Nuts) A Review

When the author Alice Sherwood received her 2 year old sons diagnosis of nut and egg allergies she ended up putting together a collection of her own recipes due to her frustration with what was on offer in the market. Some allergy cookbooks try to cater for all allergens in each recipe - this can end up leaving the recipes bland and boring. What Alice has done with her recipes in this book is to provide a basic recipe with one or two of the 'Big Four', eggs, dairy, gluten or nuts omitted and then provide variations for each recipe so you can exclude or add ingredients depending on the particular allergens you need to avoid.

The book has a great introduction which explains why she wrote the cookery book, she loves good food and found that a lot of people she knew were having trouble finding useful recipes that would enable whole families to eat the same tasty meals together when one or more were allergic or intolerant to different foods. She then goes on to explain the differences between food allergies and food intolerance, with a good description of symptoms and a quick reference chart for anaphylaxis. The book then has a section for each of dairy, egg, nuts and gluten explaining about each and how to compensate in your diet for the missing nutrients. Alice then continues with chapters about, staying positive, allergy etiquette, helping your allergic child, eating out, special occasions, travelling, worldwide cuisine, shopping, what not to eat and your pantry.

Just before you get into the recipes - there is a handy quick reference chart about how to substitute ingredients with suggested alternatives and associated notes and tips. There are over 100 recipes divided into: breakfasts, side dishes, starters & light meals, fish, meat and poultry, pasta, noodles & rice, desserts, breads and baking, sauces, dressings and accompaniments.

My personal favourite is her recipe for carrot cake - the best I have found! This recipe book has been one of my best buys as our son was initially diagnosed with egg and peanut allergies, but has since been found to also be gluten and dairy intolerant - thus we have to avoid all of the major four allergens! Our second son is also allergic to eggs and I am gluten and dairy intolerant. Our whole family has benefited from eating a diet that is free from gluten, dairy, eggs and peanuts and this book is an essential for our kitchen bookshelf.

Please come and visit our website 'Sensitive To Food' where you will find more information about various food allergies and links to many more of the resources that we have found in the past 5 years of dealing with food allergies in our family.

What now?

Please feel free to browse my website where you will find symptom lists, information on specific foods, advice on identifying and dealing with allergies and/or intolerances, links to resources, diet links with autism spectrum disorders, book reviews, products, recipes, support and advice.

http://www.sensitivetofood.com/
or
http://www.sensitivetofood.com/allergybooks

Who am I? I am a mum of a child with allergies to egg and peanuts, intolerances to gluten, dairy and some fruits. Artificial food colours, preservatives and additives are also problematic. He also suffers with asthma, eczema and hayfever and has a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome.

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Clueless in the Kitchen: A Cookbook for Teens by Evelyn Raab and George A Walker

Know any teenagers who don't know how to cook, but should or want to learn? A little clueless in the kitchen yourself and you are over the age of 20? If you answered yes to either of the above questions, then I have a book for you.

Clueless in the Kitchen is a book I have known about since I was a teenager and I am well past my teen years, but I still use this book as a reference and for some tried and true recipes. This is a good book to start with for beginner cooks who don't know how to do things as simple as how to boil water because it gives basic knowledge, simple recipes and even includes menu ideas for the recipes it has shown you how to make. What is especially helpful is that the book is broken up into sections such as breakfast, baking, desserts, soups,etc. This is especially good for someone who wants to impress by planning a whole meal from start finish including an appetizer, main course and dessert. In the very beginning of the book after the chapter guides, you will find a guide to the kitchen that explains how to do things such as defrosting the freezer, clean the stove, how to properly use the dishwasher and other common things that you might not know how to do because you have never personally done yourself. In the back of the book there is also a metric conversion table to help those of us who have some difficulties converting teaspoons and cups to millimeters and liters. Right before the conversion table, there is a terminology guide as well to explain some of the terms that might not make sense and you have never heard of before.

I have tried many different recipes in this book and continue to do so, but over the years I have come love a few specific recipes and use them over and over. I am not that good at savory items, but I have yet to have a problem making the X-ray Vision soup or the Potato soup. Both items are simple to make and absolutely delicious, especially the X-Ray vision soup because it's a lighter(it's not creamy) and is full of carrots which are said to help with the health of your eyes. The Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake is another one of my favorites because it's quick and easy and it's not heavy and dense like most coffee cakes are.

Overall, I would say great book for everyone no matter what your age and skill level because there is something for everyone in this book.

Vanessa Ghilarducci invites you to check out her blog, Love to Bake at http://www.bakingobssessed.blogspot.com/ and become a follower. For more tips, suggestions and recipes visit http://www.bakingobssessed.blogspot.com/.

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"French Cooking in Ten Minutes" (by Edouard De Pomiane) Is a Charming Little Cookbook

French cooking in ten minutes? Yes, it can be done! Our modern life moves fast. Yet in 1930, Edouard de Pomiane - scientist, doctor, cooking show host, food author - wrote a little French cookbook called "French Cooking in Ten Minutes" because life was so hectic back then. (Oh, how we grow nostalgic for what we think of as the "quieter, simpler" past!)

Just finding time to eat, let alone preparing a meal, is sometimes a challenge. So here we are in a busy world eating fast food, take-out food or a quick microwave meal when what we really want is a good old fashioned home cooked meal made with fresh ingredients. Cooking quick and delicious home cooked meals can be done with a little planning, and Dr. de Pomiane shows us how. He writes for those who have only an hour for lunch or dinner, giving them the chance to eat a delicious meal and still have time to enjoy a good cup of coffee and a nice chat.

Edouard de Pomiane was born in 1875 and raised in Paris. He was a medical doctor whose specialty was gastroenterology - digestion and stomach juices. This led him to an interest in preparing food. So his writing occasionally includes bits about how and why food is cooked the way it is.

The best part of this gem of a French cook book, though, is that we are taken by the hand and shown how to prepare the basics. Dr. de Pomiane explains how to make a simple white sauce, then takes us further to transform it into a Bearnaise sauce or a Mornay sauce. He gives us the confidence to cook! And he does so with clear, simple instructions infused with a light humor.

How would you like to be able to put together the following meals in ten minutes or less?

- Noodles Czechoslovakian style, rib steak with onions, cucumbers with sour cream, cheese, fruit
- Smoked sausage and olives, loin lamb chops, sauteed potatoes, green salad, cheese, fruit
- Mussels with saffron, buttered spinach, tomato salad, omelet flambe, fruit
- Creme of mushroom soup, frankfurter sausages, potato salad, cheese, coeur a la creme

Many of his foods begin with pre-cooked meat and canned food. After all, you can't roast a chicken in ten minutes. But you can bring home a rotisserie chicken from the deli and use it to prepare a delicious lunch or dinner using a recipe from "French Cooking in Ten Minutes." Even if you never make any of these recipes, you will enjoy reading this book for its sensible ideas and friendly style.

I must admit there are a few ingredients in "French Cooking in Ten Minutes" that seem odd today, such as Larks and Hare Steak, but you can substitute more commonly available items for the recipes. The ingredients may vary but the premise is unchanged - creating delicious and quick French food.

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American Test Kitchen Recipes - The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook Every Home Should Have

My favorite family cookbook is home to American Test Kitchen recipes that are easy to follow and always produces an awesome tasting family meal at home. This article gives you a quick look at why this cookbook belongs in your home kitchen, and it will also help you find more information on the book and its authors.

Good old-fashioned "home cooking" is a hot and growing trend. From the brand new home chef, to the experienced head chef, every home kitchen needs a great cookbook! Your first and primary cookbook should not only be full of great recipes, but it should also provide you an education on food and cooking techniques.

The ONE cookbook every family and home should have

One of the best-selling cookbooks that every home should have is The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, by America's Test Kitchen. America's Test Kitchen is a company dedicated to researching, testing and publishing great recipes "that work". They produce a popular TV cooking show called "America's Test Kitchen", they publish several industry-leading magazines such as Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country, and last but not least they publish several best-selling cookbooks.

What separates this family cookbook from the others?

America's Test Kitchen is known for their exhaustive, well-structured testing approach. They take well-known recipes, apply different best practices and techniques throughout their testing, and ultimately come up with the one best recipe. It's common for them to test a recipe 30-50 times in order for their expert staff of chefs and tasters to determine one winning recipe.

Another great thing they do is share their key testing experience with you. They walk you through important points of their testing to help explain why they chose certain ingredients and applied certain techniques to come up with their best recipe. They strike a perfect balance between taste, quality, time, available ingredients to every home and simplicity. All of the American Test Kitchen recipes often take the easier techniques, as long as the end result produces a great tasting high-quality dish.

In addition to providing hundreds of recipes, this family cookbook also has little articles peppered throughout the book that provide helpful information, such as equipment testing, recommendations, cooking techniques and education on food and science. All of this together not only helps you cook great meals from the start, but it also helps you become a better cook over time.

Click here for the best selling cookbooks that every home should have in its kitchen.

We'll also show you where to find some FREE sample Test Kitchen Recipes from the book.

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Book Review - Simply Quick and Easy Recipes Cookbook

Being a mother and grandmother and running a busy household, I don't always have hours to spend in my kitchen preparing meals for my family.

When it comes to purchasing cookbooks, I look for versatile books that have easy to understand recipes with common easy to find ingredients. A big plus for me is if they don't take a lot of time to make!

One of my favorite cookbooks is called Simply Quick and Easy Recipes published by Parragon Publishing, first published in 2001. This cookbook was published in the UK, but is easily available here in the United States, matter of fact, I purchased mine at a local bookstore back in 2002.

If you are trying to locate this item, here is the ISBN number to make it easier, which is 1-84273-218-8.

This hardbound book contains over 180 quick and easy recipes that even the beginner can master. All of the recipes are illustrated in easy to understand cooking terms.

The book is divided into 5 chapters plus the introduction and index sections. You will find recipes for: Soups and Appetizers, Light Meals and Salads, Meat and Poultry, Fish and Seafood and a beautiful Desserts chapter.

Each recipe in the book will tell you how many people it will serve, an ingredients list, directions on how to make the recipe along with a few serving suggestions. I really enjoy the "Cook's Tips" that are sprinkled through out the book.

If you appreciate great photography in your books, you will really enjoy this one. The photographs are enough to wet your appetite before you even look at the ingredients list.

This is a very comprehensive 384 page book with quick and easy to prepare recipes, that you can make for your family on any given day of the week. I recommend this book to both new and well-seasoned cooks.

Shelly Hill enjoys cooking and baking for her family and friends. Shelly has an extensive cookbook collection and enjoys both vintage and modern day cookbooks. You can visit Shelly online at http://www.workathomebusinessoptions.com/ or her recipe and cooking blog at http://wahmshelly.blogspot.com/

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"On Food and Cooking" Cookbook Review - Harold McGee's "Science and Lore of the Kitchen"

If you've ever wondered what a scientist might say about food, here is your answer. Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen" is a 900-page behemoth filled to the brim with excellent information. Its charm is in its depth of knowledge but highly readable simplicity. This book has something for everyone, from the seasoned chef to the budding home cook.

The best place to start with this book is the final chapter, "The Four Basic Food Molecules" and the short appendix entitled, "A Chemistry Primer". For bakers especially, the information included here is essential. I know, I know, you're never supposed to jump to the end of a book before you finish it! But these two sections will help give you a solid foundation so that the rest of the book is a breeze (and a great joy) to read.

From there you'll find a world ready to open up to you, from how soy sauce is made to how egg whites turn stiff when beaten. This is not exactly a cookbook, but rather a reference for any cooking-related question you could ever dream up. Making your way through this book is like drawing back the veil on the wonders lurking behind the mundane in the foods we eat. If you are serious about cooking at all, or if you are just interested in learning more about your favorite foods, this book is a must-have. It is an essential reference, yes, but more than that, it is a fascinating and magical read.

To see the new Top 5 Essential Cookbooks Reviews list, follow me to Globetrotter Diaries.

Globetrotter Diaries is a cooking food blog that explores the culinary cultures around the world by cooking a local dish each week and providing tips and techniques to help you in the kitchen. We hope you'll join us on our adventures!

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"The Conscious Cook" - First Vegan Cookbook With Mainstream Appeal

Being vegan in Tokyo can often make one feel isolated in the world's most populous city, but last weekend my partner and I counted ourselves a very lucky minority to meet acclaimed vegan chef and author of the "The Conscious Cook" cookbook, Tal Ronnen.

While Japan is known for originating the predominantly vegetarian macrobiotic diet, and "macrobi" restaurants are ubiquitous here, veganism is extremely rare in Japan. As a result, our vegan cooking school and vegan recipe website came up near the top of the web search Chef Tal did before his recent visit to Tokyo.

We were aware Tal had cooked for Oprah Winfrey's 21-day vegan cleanse and catered Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi's wedding, but not of his fondness for Japan, inherited from his Australian father who had lived in Japan 3 years. Tal said Japanese food was his favorite, and asked our recommendation for Shojin Ryoori (traditional Buddhist temple food).

Not wanting to disappoint Tal, we consulted the Michelin Guide which led us to Atago-Daigo, a 2-Star restaurant where we enjoyed a most elegant and delicately prepared bento. Highlights included sashimi made from hearts of palm (a shoe-in for Awabi-giant clam), tempura using puffed rice seedlings, sweet potato necks simmered in white soy sauce, and matsutake mushrooms in a clear broth.

I observed that while Tal did not finish everything, he appeared to savor the items he ate with every cell in his being, fitting perfectly the "Conscious Cook" moniker. Tal said he doesn't eat much while he's working, either, because he's so focused on the act of creating.

While we would have been delighted to taste Tal's cooking firsthand, he did present my partner a copy of his attractive cookbook (#3 New York Times bestseller, highest ranking ever for any cookbook), inscribed "Keep spreading the vegan lifestyle in Japan".

In the private tatami-room overlooking a serene Zen garden, Tal guided us through his book, which contains not only dozens of mouth-watering plant-based recipes (accompanied by beautiful photos Tal styled himself) and techniques, but serves as a tribute to other chefs and partners he has worked with during his cooking career. 

Chef Tal, who graduated from a traditional culinary academy and conducts vegetarian workshops at Le Cordon Bleu, also shared his view on the importance--even for vegan chefs--to have strong grounding in French cooking techniques.  

Among Tal's other valuable advice:

Using cashew nuts to make cremes for use sauces, deserts, and raw cheeses (tellingly, cashew creme sauce is the first very first recipe in the book). I've already made a log of Chad Sarno's cashew cheese recipe from the book.  VitaMix blender--"most critical tool after a good knife" (he advised which type of VitaMix to purchase, too!). Secret of cooking meat analog tempeh (braising it a looong time).

Tal was excited there seemed to be more vegan eating options in Japan compared with his first visit 15 years ago. Although my partner and I wish for many more choices, Chef Tal's energy, creativity and passion inspire our own efforts to make vegan food as commonplace in Japan as it is has become in North America.

Note to vegans interested in visiting Atago-Daigo (Tokyo): the restaurant requires 2 days notice if you would like food prepared without using any katsuo (bonito) dashi or chicken eggs, or if you would prefer to substitute white rice with genmai.

If you're considering eliminating meat and other animal products from your diet, I'm just the guy to provide you heaps of advice and encouragement. Until age 44, I'm certain my diet consisted of more eggs, milk, and red meat than the average American's. I ate lots of chicken, too (especially liked parts with skin), low-fat yogurt every morning, and loads of cheese. While a plant-based diet may at first seem a sacrifice, I assure you it is not. Therefore, if you are contemplating it yourself, don't let anyone discourage you. Give it a try and I assure you, you will begin to feel healthy and youthful. Take it from me - paying attention to the foods you eat (and don't eat) is the best way to maintain good health, and a plant-based diet is a great way to begin. If you are interested in learning about benefits of adopting a plant-based diet, or seek coaching on healthier diet and exercise habits, please check out my blog at http://www.vegandietguy.com/

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A Unique Cookbook - Inspired By a Rabbit

Ever since Bugs Bunny appeared, munching on a crisp, delectable carrot, we've known that bunnies know how to eat healthy. Camelot's Kitchen, a new cookbook filled with innovative and delicious salad recipes inspired by - a rabbit named Camelot. Shoreh Pirnia is the founder and creator of Camelot's Kitchen and Rane Sevin is a gifted artist who created the illustrations and has worked in screenwriting, music and films.

Meeting Camelot preceded Pirnia's venture into the world of creative salads and later, writing a cookbook about them. Camelot's life story began pretty dismal. He was sold to a little horror of a child at Easter and promptly locked up in a rabbit hutch and left outside in the backyard. For his meals, he was only given "Rabbit Chow," little bullet-shaped pellets that had no taste or texture.

But, as we know from our hero, Bugs, rabbits are cunning -- and after a few weeks of miserable existence in the backyard hutch, Camelot escaped. He barely made it across busy streets, but he eventually arrived in a lovely garden where he met the woman who was to change his life and write a cookbook called Camelot's Kitchen based on his favorite things to eat.

Camelot taught Shoreh how to make innovative salads with the most unusual combination of spices, fruits, nuts and veggies that turned plain, tasteless salads into culinary delights. As Camelot dictated his preferences, Shoreh wrote Camelot's Kitchen, one recipe at a time, transforming "rabbit food" into creations that would win a Top Chef contest.

Camelot's Kitchen is chock full of beautiful and incredibly artistic backgrounds and images that make the book a visual sensation as well as a taste sensation. Rane Sevin played a crucial role in bringing Camelot's Kitchen to life with her artistic creations. Sevin's and Pirnia's joint venture to write a cookbook from a rabbit's point of view can teach us all how to enjoy a healthier diet that doesn't have to be boring.

Anyone reading Camelot's Kitchen can feel the love Shoreh Pirnia has for her furry little rabbit friends and see by the recipes contained in the book that she also has a passion for salads - and a passion for helping others to develop healthy eating habits. Shoreh believes the time has come for individuals and families to shun fast foods and other foods that pollute our systems and evolve into a state of mind that embraces healthy foods.

Camelot's Kitchen is a wonderful vehicle that can be used to inspire children and show them how to adopt a healthy diet and lifestyle. When the children get excited about eating healthy, parents and other adults will jump on the bandwagon - and who better to lead the revolution than a bunny named Camelot.

Lauren Smith is editor for the Virtual Book Review Network - reviews books by well known bestselling authors and books by soon to be recognized names. For more information, visit: http://virtualbookreviewnetwork.com/. This review covers Camelot's Kitchen by Shoreh Pirnia.

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Best Cookbooks For Beginners - If You Are Just Learning How To Cook, Then This Cookbook Is For You

The best cookbooks for beginners should not only have great recipes, but they must also provide a basic education on food and cooking. That first cookbook for a new home chef can be the difference between enjoying great homemade family meals versus giving up and resorting back to take-out and fast-food.

This article discusses important elements a cookbook should have for new cooks. We also recommend the one cookbook to get first, and how you can find some sample recipes to try out right away.

What Beginners Need In A Cookbook

Recipes - I know, pretty obvious that a cookbook should have recipes. But there are so many recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet that simply do NOT work! It is especially important for beginners to have real working recipes that are simple, easy to follow and works to produce a great tasting meal consistently.Basic Cooking Education - A beginner's cookbook must provide some basic cooking education. You cannot just pick-up a recipe with list of ingredients and steps, and then execute it. For example, a baking recipe that calls for 1 cup of flour may need to be lightly "spooned in" to the measuring cup and leveled off with a butter knife. A beginner might just scoop up a packed/dense heaping cup of flour that would be way too much. A simple step like measuring out a cup of flour is not that obvious to a beginner. Imagine what else they may do without some basic cooking education.Kitchen Equipment Guide - It is also likely that a new cook will not have all the equipment they need in their kitchen. With all the kitchen gadgets and infomercials on the market, they may waste money and clutter up their kitchen with junk they do not need. Beginners need a cookbook that discusses kitchen equipment, how to use one and even better, make solid recommendations on functionality, quality and price. Another great example is checking your oven. In my favorite cookbook, one of the first things it talks about is checking your oven temperature. Oven temperature readings are often inaccurate. You may follow and execute a recipe perfectly, but if your oven temperature is wrong, that dish is not going to come out right. A great cookbook will help a beginner (and even experienced cooks) to avoid these kind of cooking issues.

The ONE Cookbook To Get First

The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, by America's Test Kitchen covers all of these requirements perfectly, and more. It is a top-seller of the best cookbooks for beginners today. Many people would argue that it is even the "primary" cookbook kitchens go to for all their cooking instruction.

Click for FREE sample recipes in this best-selling cookbook, and also learn where to get it on sale today.

Review these Best Cookbooks for Beginners recommendations too.

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"The Way to Cook" Review - Julia Child Cookbook Review

Before the age of celebrity food personalities like Martha and Rachael, there was Julia Child. She is the woman who started it all. She brought gourmet cooking into American homes and made it possible for home cooks to learn professional French cooking techniques. In "The Way to Cook", Julia shows you exactly how to really cook.

This essential cookbook shows you step-by-step exactly how to prepare classic dishes and how to execute techniques that will seriously boost your skills in the kitchen. Julia Child's "The Way to Cook" is not a recipe book as much as it is an instructional cooking book that can literally take you from a beginning cook to a budding chef as it walks you through simple steps that build to more expert techniques. Ina Garten even praises this book as she cooked her way through "The Way to Cook" cover to cover when she was first starting out.

Julia Child's now famous reference cookbook is a must-have for anyone who wants a go-to for any and all useful cooking techniques. Many consider it the single most important cookbook to own. That's because Julia Child is straightforward in her explanations, making each recipe extremely easy to follow. The sections of the book divide up as follows:

-Soups
-Breads
-Eggs
-Fin Fish & Shellfish
-Poultry
-Meat
-Vegetables
-Salads
-Pastry Doughs
-Desserts
-Cakes & Cookies

Julia's chapter on eggs is particularly informative as a good foundation in the cooking of eggs is infinitely helpful in boosting your general cooking ability.

To see the new Top 5 Best Cookbooks Reviews list, follow me to Globetrotter Diaries.

Globetrotter Diaries is an international food blog that explores the culinary cultures around the world by cooking a local dish each week and providing tips and techniques to help you in the kitchen. We hope you'll join us on our adventures!

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Cookbook and Food Magazine Addictions, Part Deux, Hardcover

We all have our weaknesses, some a bit more challenging than others. If you read my article on Cookbook and Food Magazine addictions then you'd know about my publically admitted foibles. Apparently I still cannot show restraint as I have recently added to my growing addiction collection. I've come across some truly fantastic cookbooks and entertaining books recently; some are hardcover some are softcover, not that this even makes a difference but for my own increasing insanity of the 'ever-growing library' I've divided sharing my findings with you into Part Deux, hardcover and Part Trois, softcover. This is completely getting out of hand; I now have an on-going three part cookbook saga!

Let's start with the most endearing one, Junior Leagues, In the Kitchen with Kids Everyday Recipes & Activities. As you remember from the first article I am a former 'active' Junior League member of the Junior League of Boca Raton who with hundreds of other women played an important role in putting together Savor the Moment, Entertaining without Reservations, which ultimately became a James Beard Award Winning Book. Most Junior League Cookbooks have the reputation of being exemplary. And they are, (I have quite the JL collection as well, maybe that is Part Quatre!) because of the time and effort and enthusiasm that is poured into each 'project' nothing less than 'fabulous' is produced. Hard to understand this? Join the Junior League and you'll understand.

OK, soapbox! soapbox! I'm off. So with that said, it only stands to reason that I would hail "In the Kitchen with Kids, Everyday Recipes & Activities" as it truly is a great book for kids and their parents. First what makes this book so great is there are pictures on every page showing children making the recipe and what the item looks like finished. There are numbered blocks for each recipe 1-2-3, outlining the preparation steps in order for the child. This is a fantastic systematic approach in detailing how to get from beginning to end for the child cook without it being overwhelming. For every recipe there is a kitchen tools section that lists what hardware items are needed for your child to prepare the dish and most recipes offer a sidebar tip. This book makes cooking with kids fun. It is captivating and easy for both you and your child. This book is a great resource for finding quality time activities to do with children.

It's been unseasonably cold in South Florida this winter and quite frankly nothing keeps you warm like soup; no matter where you live, no matter how cold you are. I've discovered the New England Soup Factory Cookbook. I'm originally from New England and know a little something about cold weather and soup. I've had this book now for two weeks, I've made five recipes and I'm here to tell you each one is better than the one before it! Ok so that's no surprise because the author is Marjorie Druker the executive chef and co-owner of the New England Soup Factory. Marjorie's got it going on with her recipes. I'm a soup person, hot and cold. Soup fills you up. Rushed? harried? running here and there? Just take a swig of soup, you don't even have to chew and voila! you've had your nutrition-on-the-go (some people take being busy to the extreme!) The photos are gorgeous, the recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are easily obtainable in your supermarket and with each recipe Marjorie gives you a sidebar note of tips and useful information. Just a soup cookbook? Yes and every home cook should have one. I finally have mine.

In South Florida we have a vibrant Latin community so it is of no surprise that there are strong Latin culinary influences here as well. When something is different and new it comes with daunting impressions, Latin cooking and its respective ingredients are no different. There is so much more to Latin-American cuisine than chicken, beans and rice and salsa. Daisy Martinez the Food Network Star of Viva Daisy! Introduces you to a flavorful world of spices and ingredients and styles of cooking and preparing food that quite frankly opens doors you didn't know existed. Daisy's new book, Daisy: Morning, Noon and Night exemplifies the ease of Latin American Cooking.

Daisy has taken the mystery and apprehension out of preparing Latin Dishes. Daisy teaches you through her book that simple and wonderful is amazing and different and exotic will add a little 'zip' to your un-zipped life! I have this book because I am the biggest fan of Grilled Chicken Paillard, black beans and rice, I knew there was a world of Latin American tastes and flavors and styles out there I just had to find it. Daisy shows you how easy it is to make Empanadas and real Chimichurri (a parsley garlic sauce for steak), which by the way mine came out fabulous! But what is so great about this book is the introduction Daisy explains just how the book came to be. It's always about the stories and how they are told that makes them so compelling. I'm not going to tell you about 'the trips' what I will tell you is to go buy the book and explore just like Daisy did, you won't be disappointed, Morning, Noon or Night!

In my first article I wrote about Betty Crocker. Just starting out, you've got to have your basic Betty. Start at the beginning, learn your basics and grow from there. Well, I've discovered a new beginning. Didn't think any book could truly do what Betty's books have done for beginner cooks until I came across Your Time to Cook, a First Cookbook for Newlyweds, Couples and Lovers. You absolutely do not have to be a Newlywed, a Couple or a Lover to reap the benefits from this book. Pictures, explanations, instructions, substitutions it's all there and then some. This book is super-fantastic! If I said move over Betty there's a new game in town, I'd feel like I just drove the mother-ship into an iceberg and I simply cannot do that. The bookstores are plenty big enough for two real beginner cookbooks.

Now let's entertain. Cooking is one thing and entertaining is another. Put them together and you've got a party! The gracious and talented Rosanna Bowles has put together a seasonal guide to creating family traditions titled Coming Home (a seasonal guide to creating family traditions). Rosanna takes you down memory lane with her book of family pictures, stories and provokes recollections of your own childhood memories. Remember May Day breakfasts? Remember when your mom made you lunch for school? What about lazy, warm summer afternoons, just laying in the grass with your friends. Rosanna gets you thinking, she helps you create atmosphere and assists you in finding your lost traditions. This is a great read book. I sat on my patio last Sunday and read it from cover to cover with a few glasses of wine. It was the perfect thing to do on Sunday and when I was done with the book, I called my Mom and talked about May Day Breakfasts and Christmas Cookies. Bravo Rosanna! you've done so much more than write an entertaining book, you've given the world a little shake up of what's been lost.

So let my addiction continue, it's really not such a bad thing after all.

Christine is a lifestyle entertaining specialist and freelance writer focusing on food, wine and events in South Florida, from Palm Beach to South Beach. As the creator and editor of the South Florida Food and Wine blog Christine's focus is to write and compile up-to-date information on all things food, wine and events in South Florida. To contact Christine visit South Florida Food and Wine at:
http://southfloridafoodandwineblog.blogspot.com/

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Cooking For Friends by Gordon Ramsay - A Must Have For Your Cookbook Collection

Most people will no doubt know Gordon Ramsay from either Hell's Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares. In these shows he tries to get the best out of chefs. In Hell's Kitchen he tries to develop people with a passion into real chefs that can run their kitchens, and in Kitchen Nightmares he tries to kick those who have lost their passion back into operative mode.

Some dislike Gordon for his straightforward way of saying things, but I truly like his leadership style because I see the effect it has upon people.

His books are a real revelation in the world of cooking. Where others focus on fine dining or impossible recipes with lots of strange ingredients, Gordon is exactly the opposite. He uses straightforward ingredients and shows decent meals that anyone can cook.

You could say that Gordon Ramsay has already make all the possible mistakes anyone has done in his early years. He knows what is difficult and what is simple. When he says something is simple, you can trust him. He knows his audience, and that has made him a real best seller in the world of cookbooks.

In the book "Cooking for Friends", Gordon Ramsay has again shown his enthusiasm for good raw materials and a deep passion for allowing all to succeed in cooking well at all times. Whenever there is something that could be an obstacle for his readers to perform, he explains how to avoid things getting out of order, and you truly feel at home with a guide that wants you to succeed.

Gordon has built a million-dollar business around the concept of decent food for a decent price prepared in a suitable time - yet always seasoned well, and always at a standard that you would eat it yourself.

All recipes in Cooking for Friends have that special touch that allows you to think: "this is exactly the dish I want to make next time our friends come by." And it is that very talent of bringing both image and description together with such clarity that wins him a lot of extra sales. Once you have the first cookbook you want more. We already have three of his books, and they are worth every dime.

The recipe I would recommend most is the smoked salmon and horseradish cream tartlets This is one of the many favorites, and I believe anyone can emulate this recipe. Happy reading.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed the information, and I would welcome your feedback if you were helped by this article or need any clarification. It would also be nice to know if you have questions that could give ideas for new articles on a similar subject.
I administer numerous blogs, and you can find an overview of these over at http://sites.google.com/site/blunckmeister/
You might also want to see my many interesting hubpages over at http://hubpages.com/profile/h_blunck

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Buying a Cookbook - How to Choose the Best One

When looking to buy a cookbook, people often face a number of obstacles. For instance, they may walk into a bookstore with the intention of buying a book on how to make cakes. It's only when they get to the recipe book section that they see how many books are actually out there! Not only this, these books are in different price ranges and have different levels of difficulty. There will be recipe books for beginners as well as for advanced bakers. So how do you choose the right book for you?

Look Around

When you have an idea of the kind of cookbook you want to purchase, it can be a very good idea to go online and do a search. This might initially be a little overwhelming because you will find that there are a lot of recipe books online, as well. But the advantage of browsing these on the internet is that you can easily compare different pricings of books. Many sites also allow you to browse through a few pages of the books. These sites also offer an advantage that an ordinary bookstore can't give you: you can try some of the recipes at home before buying. If you find that they aren't what you are looking for or if the recipe is too difficult, then maybe that book isn't for you and you needn't buy it.

While price is certainly a deciding factor in buying the best cookbook, there are other things you need to look out for as well. In general, it is always a good idea to buy a recipe book from someone who has a good name. Renowned chefs or television cookery show hosts write many books. While these are usually a safe bet, it doesn't necessarily mean that their books will always be a good choice. Frankly speaking, it's not uncommon to find a book that has a big name on the cover and mediocre material inside.

The Checklist

When checking out a cooking book to buy, first take a look at the recipes. Remember that a recipe book is essentially an instruction manual. This means that if the instructions aren't clear, then the book won't be much use to you. Make sure that the ingredients are listed out clearly. If there are any measurements or terms you are not familiar with, ensure there is a helpful glossary provided. Read through the steps, as well. As you read them, check to see whether any questions crop up in your mind and whether they are dealt with in later steps. If you find that you have too many questions about the steps, the cookbook may not be right for you.

Pictures are also important in buying a recipe book, especially if it is for complicated dishes. These pictures aren't important for their aesthetic value. Rather, they are important to show you how the dish should look at different stages of preparation. In the cases of pastries, where different folding or crimping needs to be done, having clear pictures can help more than written instructions. Finally, make sure the cookbook has recipes you are interested in. Many may go the extra mile and provide some interesting trivia or history behind the dish. By browsing through different recipe books online, you can easily make the right choice for your cooking needs.

Know how cookbooks can help you learn cooking in your free time. Also know how joining an online cookbook club can help you share the joy of cooking with others.

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"Gluten Free Low Glycemic Cookbook For Diabetics & Allergy Sufferers" Review

Each and every recipe within this particular book addresses all three issues at the same instance as well as being nevertheless extremely tasty, gratifying, as well as fulfilling. Not one of the dishes make use of corn or soy. Scrumptious dairy-free alternatives are additionally provided. Very small amount of allergens are utilized, as well as alternatives provided with regard to the majority of recognized allergens, such as particular recipes which provide alternatives to nut products.

Diabetics that are living some sort of gluten free way of life tend to be experiencing a substantial decrease in their blood sugar levels. Combining the gluten free diet plan together with a frequent exercise routine and therefore a person will experience reduce blood sugar levels as well as an improved energy level as well as a much healthy view.

Initial you have got to fully grasp exactly what gluten is. Gluten is some sort of protein which is actually found in grains, this specific gluten protein can not be digested by individuals suffering with the condition known as Celiac. An important eating plan has been created in order to assist the enormous amounts of individuals which have Celiac disease.

Diabetes and Wheat Allergies.

Obtaining certain foods as well as recipes which are free from wheat, barley, rye, kasha, matzo meal, bulgur, semolina, farina and and many more can become a issue at times. Gluten can be present in food additive which stabilize as well as thicken foods which are processed which includes several alcoholic drinks. For all those with Celiac, and Wheat Allergies. Any diet plan that's entirely with out gluten is really a One hundred percent commitment to being free of all whole grain products.

Obtaining gluten free foods as well as dishes which your whole household would eat breakfast, lunch or dinner each day was a challenge until eventually I heard of a chef and proprietor of a allergy-friendly restaurant,which compiled all his recipes into a scrumptious gluten-free cookbook.

Vast majority of individuals on gluten limited diet programs, understand that gluten free isn't an either/or way of life this is a dedication to a method of eating.

For more information about this

If you would like more information Click Here.

This concludes the article on Gluten Free Low Glycemic Cookbook For Diabetics & Allergy Sufferers Review.

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The Champagne Taste-Beer Budget Cookbook

Got champagne taste and a beer budget? Here's the cookbook for you. A great meal doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. For the cost of burgers out, you can dine on filet mignon at home. Woodrow Wilson's "The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook" shows the way. This small volume is full of recipes simple enough they're a joy to cook, and tasty enough they're a joy to eat. Whether it's an intimate dinner for two, or having the boss over for the first time, you'll be proud to serve from this fine cookbook.

Enjoy restaurant quality meals without the quality restaurant prices. One meal eaten in rather than eaten out pays for the book. With the money you save cooking with "The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook," you could serve filet mignon every night. Better yet, the money you won't be spending will add up as fast as an executive's paycheck. Best of all, the government hasn't figured out how to tax these benefits...yet.

Serve something fancy, like pork medallions stuffed with bleu cheese or onion-stuffed sirloin. Serve something basic like meatball stew or pot roast. Serve something great every time.

The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook is about more than just eating well and saving money. With instructions like "marinate significant other, set aside" and "open the beer, drink half" Wilson puts fun back into the kitche Try a taste of the book below.

INTRODUCTION

Remember when money grew on trees? Well, on houses actually. Equity grew night and day. You made money while you slept. Everybody was a millionaire-or soon would be. You could afford to go out to a restaurant at the drop of a hat. You could pick up something fancy from the grocery store, pop it in the microwave, and dine like royalty. It was only money. Use all you want, the house would make more. Seems like only yesterday. It was.

Remember when you were in school or just starting out? You scrimped and you saved. Somehow you made it from paycheck to paycheck. Robbed Peter to pay Paul. Hit up Mom and Dad. Borrowed against your future. You finally got past that. Thank God those times are over.

They're back. It's not PB&J time...yet. But it is time to cut back. You can still treat yourself well. For the price of burgers out, you can serve chateaubriand at home. How about filet instead of fast food? A glass of wine at a restaurant or the whole bottle at home?

Here in The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook you can learn how to prepare fine meals at home without fine meal prices. You invest your time and reap the benefits. Time is better than money; the IRS hasn't found a way to tax it. You are in charge. Meals come out the way you like them.

Home cooking is not only economical; it's good for you too. You pick the ingredients-go organic if you like. You prepare them your way. Leave out what you can't eat or don't like. Salt to taste, not to cost. Those prepared foods you've been eating are loaded with salt. It's a cheap filler. It spikes up the taste and hides a multitude of sins. You have nothing to hide. Add just enough.

SAMPLE RECIPES

Pork Filet Mignon

The most tender, tastiest morsel in the whole pig is the tenderloin. When it comes from a cow, the tenderloin is called fillet mignon.

Other languages use the same word for the cut whether if comes from a pig or a cow. Do they know something we don't know? Treat the pork tenderloin with the same tender loving care you would beef tenderloin, and it will reward your taste buds at least as well for half the price.

Slice the tenderloins into 1 1/4" thick medallions and cook them like beef tournedos. They're on the lean side, so they are best wrapped in bacon to increase their fat content and boost their flavor. Wrap them in bacon secured with wooden toothpicks. Cook them like beef steaks. Remove the toothpicks before serving.

As a tasty alternative try the following special preparation for your pork filet mignon. You and your guests will love it.

1 lb pork tenderloin medallions

bacon

salt - kosher if you've got it

butter or margarine

4 or 5 cloves of garlic-crushed

Worcestershire sauce

lime juice

Kitchen method

Add salt to a frying pan and preheat on high for several minutes.

Wrap 1 1/4" thick pork filet mignon slices with bacon and secure with toothpicks.

Cook the meat on high for 5 minutes. Flip the meat and drop the temperature to medium. Top the filets with the butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more.

Move to a warm platter, and remove the toothpicks. Scrape the brown stuff from the bottom of the pan and pour over the meat before serving.

Charcoal barbecue

Clean the grill. Light a charcoal pyramid with a four briquette by four-briquette base. Let the charcoal burn until it is lightly ashed over, and then spread the coals into an even layer about two briquettes thick using a trowel or a small hoe.

Lay the steaks on the grill directly over the glowing coals, and cook for 5 minutes. Flip the meat and shift it from directly over the fire. Top the filets with the butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more.

Move to a warm platter, and remove the toothpicks.

Gas barbecue

Clean the grill. Light the burners and preheat on high for several minutes.

Wrap 1 1/4" thick filet mignon slices with bacon and secure with toothpicks.

Cook the meat on high for 5 minutes. Flip the meat and drop the temperature to medium low. Top the filets with the butter, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and lime juice. Cook 3 to 4 minutes more.

Move to a warm platter, and remove the toothpicks.

... with Bleu Cheese Sauce

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better ...

It's not just any sauce that can dress up filet mignon, but this bleu cheese sauce can. This is my most requested recipe. Friends tell me they whip up batches of the sauce and use it to boost the flavor of broccoli, cauliflower, baked potatoes and more. Double the sauce recipe if you like. It keeps all week in the refrigerator, though it seldom lasts that long.

Filet mignons

4 to 6 slices of pork tenderloin 1 1/4 " thick

6 - 8 oz Gorgonzola or Stilton cheese

fresh ground pepper

salt, kosher if you've got it

Sauce

3 tbsp dry sherry

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tsp granulated

1/2 tsp soy sauce

salt and pepper

Cut a pocket in the side of each slice of medallion. Cut small slices of the cheese-one for each medallion. Reserve the remaining cheese. Place one slice of cheese in each pocket. Sprinkle with pepper. Seal with toothpicks.

Preheat a frying pan over high heat. Put salt - kosher if you've got it - into the bottom. Add the meat and cook it for 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the meat over and drop the heat to medium low. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the meat and keep it warm.

Add the sherry, soy sauce and sour cream to the skillet. Crumble the bouillon cube and remaining cheese and add them. Cook for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place meat on warm plate. Serve with the sauce.

Woodrow Wilson is a Caltech PhD chemist who learned to cook in self-defense. He could live the life of a starving student as long as he didn't have to taste it. Spoiled by years of his mother's home cooking he'd have to do better. Besides, his roommates wouldn't tolerate mediocre cooking. Dinner might not cost much, but it had better not taste like it didn't.

Wilson brings his creativity out of the laboratory and into the kitchen. Toying with recipes-adjusting ingredients to improve taste or substituting ingredients for whatever he's out of-he presents new takes on old favorites. Cooking by the seat of his pants, and then reverse engineering the ones that turn out well, he produces some great new taste sensations. His best results are presented in his new book The Champagne Taste/Beer Budget Cookbook. This is a collection of recipes simple enough they are a joy to cook, but delicious enough they are a joy to eat.

Wilson is a research scientist, an author, a Toastmaster, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Visit his web site http://www.woodrow-wilson.com/ to learn more about him. As a special bonus, you'll discover new recipes there every month or so.

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Salad Cookbook Review of Salad 365

Salad lovers everywhere will be able to appreciate the recipe book, Salad 365. It features recipes for 365 salads, one for very day of the year. Readers will be able to find and try delicious salads of all types, cold ones, hot ones, those made with pasta and those with out. Salad 365 is an excellent collection of recipes that are easy to prepare, tasty and best of all, no matter what a person's tastes in salads are they will be able to find one in this recipe book that fits their fancy.

Often times the trouble with salads, at least for the uninformed, is that they can get boring. Unless a person is a good cook or really imaginative most people end up making the same salad over and over. After a while, no matter how yummy it tasted at first, it gets tiring eating a salad with the same ingredients and dressing. For those looking to add a recipe or two (or 365) to their repertoire, this book is an excellent buy. It goes into great detail regarding how to put each salads together. The instructions are step-by-step, which makes it extremely easy to toss together a delicious salad for oneself, family and even for guests.

Many people view salad as a diet food, a meal low in taste and calories. While salads can be great for dieting and weight loss, they can also be a satisfying, tasty and easy-to-prepare meal. The Salad 365 book includes hundreds of salad recipes of this type.

Below, are a few reasons why you may want to consider buying the Salad 365 book.

1. It includes hundreds of delicious recipes
2. All instructions are easy to read and follow
3. There are a wide variety of salad types to choose from
4. Many of the recipes included are great for serving guests
5. The book includes salads that are cinch to throw together and serve to ones family
6. The guide is affordable

Finding a book of recipes on salads can be kind of tough, especially a quality one that includes recipes that are actually appetizing. There are a number of ways to use this book. If you are especially adventurous and really like salads, you can try out one recipe a day or you can look through the book and try the ones that look the most appealing. Either approach is great. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for individuals who enjoy salads and who like to have instant access to a library of delicious recipes.

If you love salads you will want to try the salad cookbook with 365 different salad recipes.

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Vegetarian Cook Books - How to Choose a Good Vegetarian Cookbook

Are you looking for the first time to cook something vegetarian? In this case I would suggest to look for cookbooks with the "quick vegetarian recipes" in the title. This will help you to get started, and make quick meals, that will not take a lot of time and are simple to make. If starting I would also suggest to see if they have a good introductory about vegetarianism, that helps a lot to get you into the right mindset.

For all others, a good vegetarian cookbook has to have some nice pictures; I want to see how the meal looks like that I am going to make. I also look if by most of the recipes you have ingredients that you can find any were. Not that you have to go to India to get something you need for your recipe. Usually though in every big city you will find everything you need, even to make the most extravagant meal. You might have to look for some specialty stores, like Indian or Chinese shops. If you never have been in one of those stores; take a look, it's amazing what you will find there. The first vegetarian cookbook that I got, was a book with all these credentials. Although it was a cook book made up of Indian recipes, I found every thing in the shops in my neighborhood. At the time I was living in Vienna, Austria, and that was about 20 years ago.

Something else what I find important, well I guess, everybody would find that important, is easy to follow instructions. Seems logical, but there are some books out there were you just wonder how they made it into the bookstores. Sometimes the authors just assume you know how to do certain things; like how to make tofu... By the way, you can make your own tofu, but just to save you some time; just buy it in the store. I like to keep things simple.

So to recap, what does a good vegetarian cookbook (Yes, also a vegan cookbook), have to have?

1. Easy to follow instructions
2. Pictures
3. Easy to find ingredients
4. A good introductory.

That's basically it. If you take these factors into consideration you should not have any problems finding a good vegetarian (or vegan) cookbook.

Chris Hergenroeder has been a vegetarian since 20 years. He is very passionate about everything that has to do with vegetarianism. As Albert Einstein once said; "Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet." Get two free "starter kits" at this site; http://vegetariancookbooks.biz/healthy-vegetarian-diet

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