Vegetarian Comfort Food: Meals Like Mom Makes, Without the Meat

Debbie Fyfe is the reference/Internet resources librarian in the
Information Services Division of the Edmonton Public Library.

Creative cooking tips, interesting anecdotes, retro recipes, and
vegetarianism principles round out this first cookbook from Jennifer
Warren. Warren’s parents are both chefs and she grew up enjoying the
classic cookery of their Ontario restaurant. A switch to a vegetarian
lifestyle as a teenager prompted her to recreate her favorite foods from
childhood—minus the meat.

Covering everything from main courses and soups to salads, delicious
dressings, and sauces, Warren’s book features such interesting recipes
as Tomato-Cream Penne with Vodka, a spicy Spaghetti “Bolognese,”
Toad in the Hole (with vegetarian sausages as the toads), the
Colonel’s Tofu (which is finger lickin’ good), and Vegan
Chocolate-Rum Cheesecake (a wonderful dessert to try).

Most of the recipes call for ingredients that are readily accessible,
except for the unusually large number of recipes using the British
staple, Marmite, a yeast extract. Many recipes do, of course, require
tofu, which can be found at most neighborhood supermarkets. Yields
average 4 to 6 servings per recipe, and both imperial and metric
measurements are given.

The book also includes a section on vegetarian cooking basics, a
glossary of cooking terms and ingredients, and an index to recipes and
key ingredients. The pages are peppered with funky graphic images, but
pictures of completed recipes and a lay-flat binding would improve a
second edition of the book.

Those who are thinking about becoming vegetarians, old-school
vegetarians who miss grandmother’s Shepherd’s Pie, or those who are
interested in preparing classic, meat-free meals will enjoy Vegetarian
Comfort Food. While the book is geared toward vegetarians, Warren does
provide information on how to modify it for vegan diets.