quintess, I think my husband is more thrilled with your cookbook than I am  ;) If he sees that I have the book out, he get so excited! I made the Roasted Cauliflower again last night & it's gone. I don't think I will ever make cauliflower any other way, ever again! I could eat it daily.

Red lentil, spinach, and lemon soup
This recipe intrigued me with it's interesting ingredients. I ended up using the juice of one whole lemon (after zesting it) & honestly, I could have added more. DH said it was perfect. Tess mentions in the book to start with 1/4 cup of lemon juice but go for it...add a little more. This soup is creamy & lemony & so delicious. Along with the soup, I made Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic & Rosemary & Rosemary White Beans with Artichokes & Sun Dried Tomatoes....supper was good  ;)b

Mommy's chocolate chip cookies

-I made these tonight, and they are good. They aren't our favorite chocolate chip cookies, but c.c cookies are P's favorite, so I've made a lot! But, they hit the spot, and they worked nicely. I used oil instead of EB, just because I didn't feel like melting it, and I didn't measure my chocolate chips, so I couldn't mix them all in! I would also add more salt next time, just because I like to taste the salt a bit.  I got 12 cookies out of it, but maybe I make bigger cookies. I also baked them about 12 minutes+. I'm glad to have tried a new cookie recipe!

for the red lentil, spinach and lemon soup, could i leave out the lemon zest or does it really really need it? i'd like to make this tonight, but i have all the other ingredients and i don't want to go to the store for one thing. i have bottled lemon juice (i know, i know fresh is better..) so i'd be able to have the juice in there at least.

ps: two of my mom's friends are going vegan, and i passed on a link to the rh/iw "sneak peek" website.  ;)b

for the red lentil, spinach and lemon soup, could i leave out the lemon zest or does it really really need it? i'd like to make this tonight, but i have all the other ingredients and i don't want to go to the store for one thing. i have bottled lemon juice (i know, i know fresh is better..) so i'd be able to have the juice in there at least.

ps: two of my mom's friends are going vegan, and i passed on a link to the rh/iw "sneak peek" website.  ;)b

Thanks so much for passing on the info!! :)

As for your question...I hate to say it, but making that soup with bottled lemon juice and w/o the zest won't really taste the same. I don't ever actually use bottled lemon juice because I think the taste is so different. However, you could always try it and do a comparison later...I just can only guarantee the recipes if they are followed exactly...I know, I know--I'm a perfectionist!! ::)

But...in my defense, I do have a cooking student (she comes to all my classes and has made about half the recipes out of my book already!) says she finds that if she alters the recipes they don't turn out nearly as well...
Partly why the recipes are so precise is because I wanted to make sure they would turn out perfectly for anyone who tried them, not just for me. Some people find that kind of perfectionism annoying, and others find it very helpful! You make the call...
:)

I have this book!
Here are the recipes I have tried:
The Magical Multigrain Mix--
I really like the pancakes made from this. I love that they are whole grain but seem very light.

Delectable Lowfat Eggrolls--
YUM! These are so easy to make and really delicious. They remind me of the egg rolls at the local Chinese restaurant, but way healthier!

Olive Oil with Crispy Garlic & Rosemary-
I really like this dip. It's so easy and you can never have too much garlic. I may take a bath in this at some point.

Garlic Mashers--
I actually have this recipe memorized, I use it so much!!! Really perfect and delicious, flavorful mashed potatoes. Yuuummmm.... I almost always serve them with:

Scrumptious Shiitake Gravy--
I never went near a mushroom before this gravy. Now, I actually eat them on a regular basis because of this recipe! So incredibly good, I could eat this by the cupful. Seriously. You think I'm kidding. I'm not. Get me a cup and I'll show you.

Kid's Choice Guacamole--
I leave out the cilantro because I hate cilantro, but otherwise I love the perfect blend of flavors in this.

The Peanut Sauce--
This is the best peanut sauce I have ever had. I cannot get enough of this stuff. Incredibly delish--lots of ingredients, but I always make it exactly because it is so amazingly scrumptious. Another bath item.

Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce--
I served this to my mom and she almost fainted. So incredibly good. I have used this with the Apple Turnovers recipe and also on other things. Really, really delicious. And it is really quick to make. I never used a vanilla bean before this, but it's worth it.

Deluxe Almond-Veggie Burgers--
I really like these. They hold together well, are neutral yet yummy, and go great with lots of different toppings.

Baked Tofish with Tartar Sauce--
Really good. I also like the beer battered tofish, but I feel less guilty eating this version! I love how lemony it is and the tartar sauce is the best I have ever tried. And I've tried a lot of tartar sauces...just sayin.

Soba Noodles with Tempura Vegetables and Ginger-Daikon Sauce--
Dear Goddess, this is amazing. I could eat this all day and still want more tomorrow. Soooo good, and really yummy with the sauce. So flavorful. My favorite vegetable to use in this is asparagus, but lots of veggies work really well (I even use broccoli, cut up in smaller pieces). I think this may be one of my favorites from the book.

Saag Paneer--
Less mild than restaurant saag, but I still really liked it. Which is unusual, because I don't usually like Indian food. This is so much healthier than the usual saag, as I didn't feel like I needed a nap after eating it!

Mulligatawny--
A real surprise, as I normally hate cilantro. But it was so well balanced in this that I didn't mind. This soup made everyone moan when I shared it with them!! So good, creamy, and lemony. I really loved it. I can't believe I actually ate cilantro.

Lemon Asparagus Linguine--
I love lemon and asparagus...and linguine. So naturally I liked this dish a lot. The balance of the flavors were spot on and it was a huge hit with everyone who tried it. Really easy to make since I have a new citrus zester too.

Chili-Lime Noodles--
I don't usually like spicy food, but I loved these. Again, I left out the cilantro but otherwise made it exactly. Super, super tasty and made me feel really good too! I love the boldness of flavor.

Crusted Tempeh with Mango-Avocado Salsa--
The crunchy crusted tempeh was the best tempeh I've ever made or tried--so delicious and crisp! The salsa was really great too, my favorite foods worked great together here (mango and avocado) for a very tasty and unusual dish that I will for sure make again and try out on people who have never eaten tempeh. Yummy.

Kung Pao Tofu--
I love this dish. So good. I am not a fan of orange-flavored sauces, so next time I think I'll use my favorite sauce instead. That would be...

Delicious and Quick Asian Brown Sauce--
I have the recipe memorized for this, it is so yummy. I have fed this to lots of people and they always want the recipe. I use this all the time, and I love how quick and easy it is. I always use TOASTED sesame oil in this, so much better that way.

Potato-Leek Soup with Caramelized Shallots--
A lot of work, but really worth it. This soup is another "moaner." Really spectacular. I served it with the Pan-Toasted Croutons along with the caramelized shallots and it was so good that way. I will be making this for special occasions (so my tofurky has some company!) and anytime I want a really superb soup.

Chocolate Decadence Cake--
I want to marry this cake. And have a honeymoon with the frosting. Easy to make, and chocolately bliss for sure.

Luscious Lemon Bars--
These are so lemony and flavorful, not like the bland ones you get anywhere else. I was so pleasantly surprised at how tasty these were, since I never liked lemon bars so much before. I had to give some to my mom and boyfriend though, way too tempting to have a whole pan around!!

Mommy's Chocolate Chip Cookies--
I make these a lot because they are so easy and delicious. I love how good they are as a vegan cookie--I'm trying to eat more vegan foods, and this book helps tremendously in that department! These cookies are addictive, and really good with earth balance as the margarine.

Cocoa-Mint Mousse Nests--
A lot easier to make than I thought at first. Really delicious, as I love mint and chocolate together. I really impressed my boyfriend with these, as they seem like quite a creation when they are served. I like to just make the pudding sometimes and eat it plain too, without the phyllo shell. A really nice, balanced flavor.

Chocolate Bliss Pie--
Can you bathe in a pie? I think I might have to try. This is soooooo good--one of my absolute favorites and I make this a lot for friends. No one can ever believe it's tofu! The extra chocolate topping isn't too hard to make and really sends this over the edge into serious bliss. I guess that is why it's called chocolate bliss! ;)

Orange-Spiced Baklava--
I hate nuts. I loved this. The sauce was divine, and everyone who tried this wanted more! Way easy to make too. A great thing for someone just getting used to using phyllo.

Flippin Fresh Key Lime Pie--
I haven't made this but tried it, since my friend Aliya has this book too. She made it exactly to the recipe and it was really flavorful and delicious. I love avocados, so it is neat to use them this way too! We both really loved this pie (she made it for Thanksgiving and it was gone that day!) and I will be making it myself very soon. The flavors were perfect and so bold and yummy.

OK, that's it for now! I'll post more reviews as I make more recipes. Also, I have to mention that I love the way it is written. My boyfriend once said he likes making recipes partly just to see what funny things will be in it and make him laugh! I agree--it's refreshing to read a fun cookbook for once. :D

Baked tofish with tartar sauce

-I know I'm like Quintess' worst nightmare because I don't really measure when cooking, so I'm always just reviewing my own variations of recipes. Anyway, I thought this was ok. I made my own tartar sauce, which was good, but my tofish wasn't crispy at all, and I think the tsp of kelp was a bit too much. I did use kelp powder, so that's probably different than granules? It is good with tartar sauce, though.

mmm! i just made the vitality noodles tonight for dinner. delicious!! i followed the recipe closely, but added a little more carrot, cucumber and cilantro. fortunately, i have more noodles and another half cucumber to make more, since we have no leftovers! and! even though i ate a good half of the recipe, i don't feel like a gross fatty, but i'm still full and satisfied.  ;)b yum.

I've made a lot of recipes from this book. Some of my favorites are:

the crusted tempeh with mango-avocado salsa: my family really loves this dish! I love tempeh and this dish is really perfect, especially with the crunchy coating and delish salsa.

sesame tofu--this one is awesome! my family loves this, and they don't usually even like tofu at all. i don't even make the sauce because we like this just plain, just the delicious tofu.

caramel corn--I made this for my kid's classroom snack and all the children were stalking me afterwards! They kept wanting to know when I would make it again. this is one of my favorite recipes ever.

black-eyed peas with kale--i make this a lot for our family. it is so quick, easy, healthy and delicious. we usually have it with rice and even my meat-eating husband loves it!

perfect pintos--this is a staple for us. really simple, yummy, and versatile.

lemon lover's cupcakes--these are amazing. sooooo delicious. my children were freaking out over these and i had to hide them!

tomato, basil, and roasted pine nut penne--really super delicious and very easy to make. this is a great one to serve my parents or anyone else who doesn't usually like vegetarian food!

Glad you like the recipes, K! You can sub other beans for the adzuki, in case you don't find them. If I remember correctly, my recipe testers subbed other beans and had good results. I think they used kidney, pinto, and anasazi, which would all be fine. thanks again for the review!! :)