Archive for August, 2013

Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin

by on Friday, August 16th, 2013

Book Description
This delicious collection of more than 220 traditional Mediterranean dishes from fifteen countries makes it easy to reap the benefits of eating a Mediterranean diet, which has been linked to good health and a longer life by lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Samayal The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Viji Varadarajan

by on Tuesday, August 13th, 2013

Book Description
World Gourmand Award winning author Viji Varadarajan offers some interesting facets in the life of the ancient Tamil Brahmins of South India. The food cooked in a Brahmin home was sathvic paying special attention to the balance and nutritive value of the dishes prepared. The ladle of plain rice with cooked dhal served over the steamed rice and the topping of a dollop of homemade clarified butter/ghee; the balance of plain and spicy food, and the benefits of yogurt as a final course to set right any imbalance in the food eaten for the day. Different spices played an important role in the dishes; fenugreek as a digestive aid, cumin for its multiple usages, dried legumes and beans as nature s tiny capsules of proteins, pepper for colds and coughs, turmeric as a healer of wounds in fact, every ingredient used in the Tambram cuisine has a purpose that goes beyond taste and texture. The word curry is originally derived from kari a Tamil word for a preparation of a dry vegetable with spices. Gradually the British added water and meat to curry and hence it came to be known as the Madras Curry. Hence curry/kari is basically a brahmin word for a vegetable stir fry. First published in 2001 this newly formatted book comes with a complimentary yogurt cookbook that won The Best Single Subject in India and The Best Health and Nutrition Book in the world. Her unique Samayal book has already won her The Best Vegetarian Book in India.

The Spice Box by Manju Shivraj Singh

by on Saturday, August 10th, 2013

Book Description
A complete vegetarian Indian cookbook from appetizers to sweets with an emphasis on four varieties of main dishes: rice, vegetables, legumes & eggs.

Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman

by on Wednesday, August 7th, 2013

Book Description
Intensely flavorful and inherently healthy, Mediterranean food is one of the world’s most appealing cuisines. Mediterranean cooks know how to make eating a pleasure. They do it simply—with olive oil and garlic; with herbs and spices; with tomatoes and eggplants, peppers and squash, figs and peaches, and other seasonal produce. And of course there is crusty bread and local cheese, the freshest yogurt and endless wine.

In this authoritative and anecdotal cookbook, award-winning author Martha Rose Shulman captures the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean region in more than 500 delicious vegetarian dishes that will appeal to everyone. The book represents years of meticulous research gleaned from Shulman’s travels through France, Spain, Italy, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, North Africa, and the Middle East. She presents authentic contemporary variations as well. You’ll dine with her in Greek olive groves, feast on torecipes handed down from mother to daughter for generations, and she offers her own matoes and fresh sardines in Croatia, savor coffee gelato in the streets of Bologna. At every turn in the road there is a new culinary reward.

Whether you are a vegetarian or a dedicated meat eater, Shulman’s recipes are substantial enough to satisfy any appetite. Included are such tempting creations as Majorcan Bread and Vegetable Soup, Provençal Chick Pea Salad, Pasta with Ligurian Artichoke Sauce, Greek Cauliflower Gratin with Feta and Olives, Balkan-Style Moussaka, North African Carrot “Compote,” and Sweet Dessert Couscous with Citrus and Pomegranate. There is also an entire chapter devoted to the renowned “little foods” of the Mediterranean: tapas from Spain, antipasti and merende from Italy; meze from the eastern and southern Mediterranean, and more. In addition, the book features a glossary of useful cookware and indispensable pantry staples and the best online sources for hard-to-find ingredients.

Delicious Jamaica! by Yvonne McCalla Sobers

by on Sunday, August 4th, 2013

Book Description
Jamaica has been a melting pot of many cultural influences including the Africans, Spanish, English, Indians, Asians and Arawaks (native inhabitants pre-Columbus). Out of a diverse mix of foods, spices, and cultures has come this wonderful array of tempting dishes as lively as the people of Jamaica themselves.