 |
The Vegetarian Student Cookbook
by CosmicLove
~ Why I Bought It ~
I came across this book on amazon while browsing through their vegetarian cookbooks. It sounded like a really good book and it was quite cheap so I decided to buy it. It is aimed at vegetarian students however I am not actually either of those things but nevertheless I have found it to be an excellent ... book.
~ Price ~
I paid just under £5 for this book and the retail price is £6.99. I think that this is really good value as the book is packed full of delicious, easy recipes and I have already cooked ten or so of the recipes in the space of about a month!
~ My Opinion ~
Me and my fiancé decided at the beginning on this year to start doing mealtless Mondays, where obviously we don't eat any fish or meat on Mondays. At first this was easy as I already knew a couple of veggie recipes but after a while I found my self bored with the same old food, so I decided to have a look at veggie cook books.
This is one of the books that I decided to buy and I have to say that it is my favourite as all of the recipes can be made on quite a low budget and all of the food in the recipes is easily found in supermarkets so there's no searching around for exotic ingredients! The book is absolutely packed full of information too and it is really well written and easy to follow. I actually found my self reading through it as I would a story book as it was so easy to follow and all of the recipes are really yummy sounding.
As well as recipes it also has quite a lengthy introduction which goes into ways to save money, how to go about living with carnivores and it also has a lengthy list of must have kitchen utensils, a list of cupboard basics and a lot more things. It also has a preparation page which has information on how to prepare certain foods including onions and vegetables. Now I found this a little bizarre but then again I have been cooking for several years so this part of the book is definitely aimed at people who are learning to cook for themselves for the very first time.
One particular part of the book that I found interesting was the 'read the label' section which tells you which foods can contain animal derived ingredients without you actually realising and it even warns that toothpaste can sometimes contain glycerine. As I'm not actually a veggie this didn't bother me but I found it interesting to know. The book also has a section on kitchen hygiene which personally I found to be quite patronising and basic but again, this part is probably aimed at people who are learning to cook for the first time.
I also really like the section which tells you the food groups and the vegetarian friendly foods that are in that food group - I found this really interesting and it gave me ideas for meals while reading it. It tells you which foods to eat to get certain vitamins and iron too. There's also a menu planner which just has a list of different meals under 'breakfast' 'dinner' 'lunch' etc headings and then the page number which has the recipe for that certain meal.
The recipes themselves are in different sections including: breakfasts, soups and salads, cheap eats, Italian food, oriental food, cakes, sweet treats, cocktails, fruit juices/smoothies and so on. Each recipe has its own page and the steps are very easy to follow and the ingredients list is written clearly with the measurements/amounts needed clearly written. Unfortunately there are no pictures which is the only disadvantage - it'd be nice to see how the meal should look once made, but this isn't really that much of a disadvantage.
I have cooked several meals from this book (around ten!) and they've all been absolutely delicious. One of my favourites is definitely the spicy bean burgers which are soooo filling! All of the food in this book (minus most of the desserts obviously!!) is very healthy and full of vitamins and fibre while still being filling and not tasting like rabbit food. It is obviously not diet food but a lot of the recipes can be adjusted a little to make them even more healthier.
~ All in All ~
A great value, well laid out book but its a shame there are no pictures of the food. I am going to give the book five out of five stars though due to the wide range of recipes and it is a very informative book with plenty of information that someone who is a vegetarian or transitioning to be a vegetarian would find helpful to know.
Read the complete review |
|
|
Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook 200 Pasta Dishes: Over 200 Delicious Recipes and Ideas - Marina Filippelli
by xxfoxyredxx
Just recently I have moved into a new flat. This flat has a massive kitchen to which I thoroughly love and with a nice dining room table in there with chairs and my family and friends finally back around me I have decided to take advantage of the fact I have so much space and to learn to cook!
I, at 38 years old have mastered ... the basics of cooking and have my local takeaways on speedial though the way I eat is expensive. I came across a Hamlyn cookery book on Amazon a while ago with cupcake recipes in it and as I really have always wanted to turn out decent cakes and the likes I treated myself to it so when I saw that Hamlyn actually have oodles and oodles of books dedicated to certain things (I.E Slow Cooking, Curries, Salads, Spanish and so on) I decided to start collecting them as my first purchase had been so helpful to me and really had broadened my cooking skills!
I love pasta and its something that I eat often whether it be a pasta bake or a tuna bake however the only other way I do it is in a cheese sauce and that can get real boring so this little gem really did appeal to me!
These books from this range all contain 200 recipes. All the recipes are on the left page and the colour photograph shows you how it should look on the right page. My book has 240 pages and a lovely photograph of plate of pasta and what to me looks like watercress is on the front and we are told of course that it is Hamlyn All Colour 200 Pasta Dishes and that it is by Maria Ricci. This is not a hard backed book but paper back and its a quite thick but not overly heavy.
The book is split into sections which are Soups & Salads, Meat & Poultry, Fish & Seafood, Vegetarian and Homemade then at the back of the book there is an index to find what your looking for easier.
Before we get into all that though there is alot of informative and well laid out information about pasta, about how to cook it whether it be dried or fresh and pros and cons of each, we're told about creamy sauces and oil based ones and so on and even about how to make your own pasta, the differences of cheeses and the most common ingredients used with pasta. Another thing that is handy is telling us about the equipment we will need for the recipes and exactly what it is and what it does. You actually don't need very much equipment at all thankfully, in fact I needed nothing new considering I don't want to make pasta lol!
What I really appreciate about each recipe is that it tells us how many we can feed from following the recipe to the letter, how long prepping it all should take and the cooking time involved. The steps of the recipe on every single recipe given is simple to follow and well explained and there are usually alternatives on each about how you can change some of the ingredients to taste and to change the recipe so I find really you get more recipes than the 200 it says on the front of the book lol.
I have used loads of the recipes in this book since owning it. I have made the Autumn Minestrone soup, Chorizo Carbonara, Classic Meat Lasagne, King Prawn & Courgette Linguine, Macaroni Cheese, Pasta With Garlic, Oil & Chilli, Spaghetti & Courgette Frittata (A big fav of mine!), Spaghetti With Thai Flavours and Pasta With Fresh Tomato & Basil (As a side dish this is brill and really simple to make!). All of the recipes took me much less than an hour to make and the majority of the recipes (like the ones I have made) do use dried pasta.
There are no puddings or desserts in this book but quite a few homemade pasta dishes you can try should you want to and I do like the way that there are lots of recipes to choose from whether it be with or without meat or seafood and some recipes you may be surprised about like having Thai Styled Spaghetti however it has to be tried to be believed and some of the recipes I have made that I have listed I have now adapted to what I like!
Whether it be fancy cooking like Tagliatelle With Spicy Tuna Steak, Smoked Trout With Herb Butter Linguine or Fettuccine With Gorgonzola Sauce to impress with or simply just some comfort food like a Quick Carbonara this really does not only cover the basics of making some pasta dishes but some really interesting and more out there pasta dish making ideas and all of them seem to be very simple to do and that's coming from me who seriously is no master chef in the making!
I wouldn't be without this little pasta bible now and I highly recommend this series of books to anyone at all no matter the age. I bought my copy from Amazon and it cost me £3.74 for a new copy of it which I think is a fantastic price to pay for a book such as this!
Read the complete review |
 |
200 More Slow Cooker Recipes - Sara Lewis
by CarolineR-D
When I bought a slow cooker recently, I decided I needed a recipe book to get me started. This is the 2nd in the Hamlyn slow cooker series and I chose this instead of the first one because I thought the recipe selection was more to my tastes. I don't see any reason why you need to start with the first volume, as the introductory section ... to this book provides all the information a beginner could possibly need.
When I bought my slow cooker I didn't really know what to expect, so I wanted a book that was easy to follow and offered me friendly, inspiring advice. I appreciate recipe books that are practical rather than ostentatious, geared towards the needs of busy, working people who have families to feed and don't have time to make 'fancy' dishes.
The introductory section put me at ease straightaway. I am often daunted by a new kitchen appliance, but this book opened my eyes to the difference my slow cooker could make to my routine, how it could help me organise my day more efficiently, as well as saving me time and money. All my initial questions as a slow cooker novice were answered comprehensively from how to work out timings to safety tips.
I love the layout of this book. All the recipes in this book contain a modest number of ingredients. (I find long lists of ingredients off-putting) and the ingredients are all easy to track down in local shops, with nothing too exotic and elusive. I find it helpful that the ingredients are listed in bold type as I can quickly spot anything I need when compiling a shopping list. The measurements are given in both ounces and grams, which is so much handier than having to keep referring to a conversion chart. The clear, colour photographs accompanying the recipes are excellent and certainly helped to whet my appetite.
Although the title refers to 200 recipes, it is a little misleading. The 200 is made up of suggested variations on other recipes. For example, on the same page as the recipe for Vegetable Goulash, there is an alternative recipe for Pork Goulash. This doesn't worry me too much, however. I don't need to count the recipes in this book to know that there are a lot of very appealing ideas here. Whether you want to call them proper recipes or adaptations of existing recipes, the end result is the same - inspiration!
I find the system of alternative recipe ideas very useful. For example, the recipe for Cauliflower and Spinach Balti looks wonderful apart from one small problem, the fact that nobody in our family likes cauliflower. It was therefore very handy to know that you could tweak the recipe, making the sauce exactly the same way but replacing the cauliflower with mushrooms and sweet potato.
I like the fact that this book provides a good balance between traditional old favourites - Irish Stew, Chicken Korma, etc. and exciting new combinations such as Beetroot and Mascarpone Risotto and Tomato Braised Squid with Chorizo. The range of recipes are drawn from different culinary traditions and suited to different moods. If you're feeling adventurous and a bit avant garde you may be inclined to have a go at Spiced Date and Chickpea Pilaf. When you need comforting, nursery food, you might be more tempted by good old Fish Pie.
Many recipes make use of shop bought sauces and other convenience foods. For example, the Chicken and Sweet Potato Balti uses a jar of Balti curry sauce. I suppose some might consider that cheating, but frankly I find this quite a refreshing touch. I hate culinary snobbery and I would never dream of being a kitchen martyr who has to make everything from scratch. The point about this book is that it aims to provide workable solutions for busy people. It shows how you can legitimately use a few short cuts but still produce tasty, nutritious meals.
This recipe book has made me realise that there is far more to slow cookers than endless casseroles. Pates, terrines and warm salads are things I would never have considered using my slow cooker for. I certainly would never have thought pasta dishes would be suitable for slow cooker adaptation, but have been pleasantly surprised by a delicious recipe for Mushroom and Tomato Rigatoni. Admittedly, the pasta is a little softer than it would be if cooked conventionally, but the flavour of the dish is good.
Desserts have been another revelation for me. Along with some seriously calorific offerings such as Jam Roly Poly or Chocolate and Coffee Custard Creams, some healthier puds are also presented. A delicious Berry Compote made from blueberries and strawberries cooked for 2 hours until beautifully tender is meant to be served with naughty but nice Syllabub Cream but I have found it works very well with low fat yoghurt. Raspberry and Rhubarb Oaty Crumble and Cider Poached Apples with Granola also offer healthier alternatives for those with a sweet tooth.
Although I have sampled many of the recipes contained in this book, there are some that don't appeal as they seem to be a lot more complicated than the conventional version of the recipe. For example, Venison Puff Pie involves cooking the filling in the slow cooker but baking the puff pastry topping in a conventional oven. (There I was, getting all excited about a pie being cooked in a slow cooker!) I was even more disappointed when I saw the recipe for Toffee Apple Pancakes and realised that no, you can't toss pancakes in a slow cooker and that shop-bought pancakes are required to accompany the slow cooked filling.
I am glad I tried out the Mulled Wine recipe over Christmas because not only did the 3 hour cooking time intensity the flavour, but it also filled my home with a gorgeous, seasonal aroma. There is even a recipe for Hot Chocolate. (A big vat of this was most welcome when we were snowed in last week!) This might also be a popular offering for children's sleepover parties.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get the best out of their slow cooker. There are plenty of everyday meals as well as some more indulgent offerings. I love the user-friendly, down to earth style and I find that the included recipes often trigger my own creativity and lead me to come up with an idea of my own. This is good, as I don't always just want to follow recipes to the letter but want to be sufficiently inspired to improvise and explore.
This book can be purchased new from sellers at Amazon from £1.16 plus post and packaging.
Read the complete review |
