One-Dish Vegetarian Meals
I’ve added a new cookbook to my rather out-of-control collection: One-Dish Vegetarian Meals by Robin Robertson. The book is subtitled “150 Easy, Wholesome, and Delicious Soups, Stews, Casseroles, Stir-Fries, Pastas, Rice Dishes, Chilis, and More.” I’m always eager to try out a new cookbook from Robertson, currently my favorite vegetarian-cookbook author (this one came out last November).
I had it in my head that “one dish” meant that you’d need just one pot or pan to make these recipes, but that was apparently a faulty assumption on my part, since the two recipes I’ve made each required multiple pots. I suppose it really means that you can serve these recipes in one dish, which is a bit of a disappointment based on my desire to wash as few pots as possible.
At least the instructions for each recipe are routinely short, living up to the “easy” label; most take up only a short paragraph or two. There are some intriguing dishes here—Lime-Dressed Vermicelli wiht Green Papaya and Peanuts, Vietnamese-Style Tempeh with Lemongrass and Cilantro, Rotelle with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce—but there’s also too many pasta dishes for my liking (since I’m still trying to eat low-carb). And I think a chapter devoted entirely to chilis is a bit of overkill. Though, of course, if you’re looking for pasta and chili recipes, it would be right up your alley!
So far I’ve made Jamaican Jerk Tempeh (tasty and easy, although I left out the spicy ingredients) and Turkish-Style Stuffed Egpplant with Walnut Sauce. The latter is probably the most complicated recipe in the book, with six numbered steps, but it was unusual and worth the effort. It reminded me very much of the delicious Fesen-Joon tempeh dish from Sage Vegetarian Restaurant in Chapel Hill, with the pomegranate juice, mint and walnut sauce.
