Hi there,

What follows is my friend Robbie Cheadle’s (https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com) review of the Moosewood Cookbook. In addition to being a fantastic cook, writer, and photographer, Robbie is passionate about the environment. Please check out her latest book, which combines poetry and environmental concerns. The title is Lion Scream: Syllabic Poetry About Southern African Wildlife. It is available through Amazon.

The Moosewood Cookbook: 40^th Anniversary Edition by Mollie Katzen

Introduction

This is a vegetarian cookbook, and as my family are not vegetarian and are, in fact, big meat eaters, I wouldn’t historically have bought this book. I have, however, been trying to move my family over to a more vegetarian lifestyle because I would like to reduce our collective contribution to global warming and climate change. As a result of this mindset, I was pleased to have an opportunity to consider the recipes in this book and whether they would work as part of my new eating plan for my family.

The recipes are nicely set out in sections headed Soups, Salads, Sauces and dips, baked things and sandwiches, and Entrees. 

I liked the recipes; they offered me new food combinations, especially in soups. Winter is approaching in the Southern Hemisphere, and I love to have soup at lunchtime, so I tried two of the soup recipes, Hungarian mushroom soup and Swiss cheese and onion soup. Both were delicious, and my changes to the original recipes were limited to substitutions of ingredients that I had in my pantry instead of buying a similar item, for example, garlic flakes instead of fresh garlic.

I also tried the spanakopita recipe and that was also very successful. 

Based on my three test recipes to date, I would purchase this recipe book. My family also enjoyed the three meals I made using this book. 

Swiss Cheese & Onion Soup

Ingredients

30 ml butter

2 medium onions 

15 ml garlic flakes (original recipe 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, minced)

10 ml dry mustard

5 ml salt

5 ml white horseradish sauce

30 ml cake flour

30 ml Fortified Wine (original recipe used dry sherry)

2 cups water

1 ½ cups warm low fat milk

200 grams Emmentaler cheese, grated (original recipe used 1 ½ cups Swiss cheese)

Method

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, add the onion, mustard, and garlic. Allow to cook for approximately 10 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly and then add the fortified wine, stirring all the time. Slowly add the cold water and blend well. Add the horseradish sauce. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the warm water and the grated cheese. Bring to the boil stirring constantly. It will thicken. Add the white pepper. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and homemade white bread.

Robbie, thank you again for your excellent review and for being such an essential part of our world community.