Take this book and shelve it: The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen

Usually I find two or three recipes that I love in a cookbook.  But Peter Berley’s The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen has provided me with an astonishing number of favorites.  I especially enjoy the heartier dishes, such as  Smothered Beans, Beer-Braised Seitan with Sauerkraut and Onions, Polenta with Butternut Squash, White Bean and Sage Ragout, and Rigatoni with Cauliflower, Pine Nuts and Raisins. Admittedly, several of his recipes rely on more obscure ingredients such as arame and kombu, and he recommends making porridge from whole oat groats that you crush yourself – who has time for that?  But there are so many other great, simple dishes that I can’t really complain. And the other day I made the vegan oatmeal cookies, which were surprisingly delicious. This is a must-have cookbook in my book.