college vegetarian cooking

while it's titled "college vegetarian cooking", i think this cookbook is perfect for just about anybody. it initially piqued my interest because it was labeled as a cookbook for vegetarians. however, what made me love it most was that it provided cheap, inexpensive and quick recipes that any vegetarian can come to love.
i think everyone has days where they just want something low-key and delicious. as a vegetarian, it's hard to find those options. if you want quick, you have to go with a salad. anything else, and it's pretty much you spend half an hour or more. i could stick with mac and cheese from a box, but i like to make everything fresh. the fresher the ingredients, the fewer the preservatives and other unhealthy additions. i eat it the way nature made it.

back to this cookbook, though. the recipes in this book range from simple recipes from your childhood, to unique dishes like pasta with broccoli and caramelized onions (yum!). this book also has many recipes influenced by both asian and indian dishes. two recipes which i can't wait to make are vegetable kung pao and spicy potato samosas.

the skinny vegetarian rating: B+

pros: many simple dishes that require little time to cook and few ingredients.
cons: the way the cookbook is divided is confusing; there is not the traditional "appetizer", "salad", "slow-cooker", etc. this cookbook divides the recipes by "cheap eats", "basics", etc.

ani's raw food essentials

i was looking at cookbooks yesterday at the bookstore, and i found this one. ani phylo is a raw food chef, which means that she only works with raw foods and vegetables. i've always been interested in cooking rawist, as your meals provide your with even more nutrients than you will normally have when you cook your food.
the recipes found in this cookbook all look really delicious. she has recipes for a whole variety of food types- breakfast, lunch, dinner, smoothies, desserts. in addition, she breaks her book down and even lists essential tools and ingredients to raw eating. this is perfect for someone who has always wanted to try raw eating, but has never attempted it before.
all in all, i really think this is a wonderful book. the recipes require no cooking, which means it's an ideal book for a busy vegetarian. while i did not purchase it yesterday, i am definitely going to pick it up next time i go to the bookstore.

if you're interested in looking at this book, you can find it at barnes and noble.