Author(s): Robin Robertson
Publisher: Harvard Common Press
Publication Date: 1998-11-25
Pages: 160
Review: The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook is one of ten chili books I refer to when I want to make chili differently than the two recipes I usually use. We have chili a lot in our house and both my Dad and my Mama have their favorite ways of cooking it. I grew up with their recipes and I have documented them in one of my “Amazon So You’d Like to Guides” and I hope you take a look at it. Both recipes are delicious, but when you’ve had them as often as I’ve had ‘em, you sort of yearn for something a bit different. So, once a week, usually on Saturdays, I break out these ten books and search for a chili recipe I either haven’t tried, or one I haven’t made in a long time. Of course, like all cooks, I fudge a bit with the ingredients, but not all that much. I like to stick pretty close to the recipes, at least the first few times I make it, so I can get an idea of what the writer/recipe maker had intended.
And let me tell you, you’d be surprised at the subtleties there are in a chili recipe. As they say, no two chile recipes were created equal, but the recipes in The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook have never let me down. I’ve got a lot of chili books, have tried a lot of recipes over the years, but the recipes here, like the recipes in my other nine fave books, have been consistently good. You can’t go wrong with The Vegetarian Chili Cookbook.This is such a great book - prior to “going Veg” a few years ago I had a great chili cookbook that was similar to this but with meat all throughout When I first decided to stop eating meat etc I went in search of a new chili cookbook and came across this one and have loved it ever since. There are classic chili recipes from the tex/mex style to different types that are more like veg etable stews to chilis that use ingredients like coffee/wines/tequilla/beer etc. There’s a chapter n really spicy chilis and there’s a neat chapter on things to do with chili leftovers. I’ve been really happy with each ofthe recipes I’ve tried. I have a hard time just sticking to the recipe (love to play/invent in the kitchen) and this book has lots of ideas to draw upon for that purpose as well. There are chilis with beans, chilis with tempeh, chilis with textured soy, etc. The recipes have fun facts about chili sprinkled in and there’s even a recipe for homemade chili podwer. The ingredients are integresting and flavorful throughout. Definitely a 5 star cookbook for those with a hunger for chili!Simple, Delicious and Inventive. What more can you want from a cookbook! Chili is great work-day meal in the sense that it is one-dish, it reheats well, freeze well, and it actually tastes better on 2nd, or 3rd day!
This book opens my eyes on the ingredients that can go into a chili pot: orange, apple, raisin, tequila …etc. If you think chili all tasts the same, try this book. It is also healthful. Every recipe uses about 1 TB of olive and that’s it! And trust me, you won’t even care the chili is not fatty, because it tastes so good. I am actually not a vegetarian. So when I have left-over meat, I jump them in the chili pot. No problem.
Most of all, this book is E-Z. Every recipe may have a long list of ingredients (mostly spices), but to cook it is pretty much: dump everything in, stir, and walk away.
Price: $10.95 Buy This Book
