cover image 366 Simply Delicious Dairy-Free Recipes

366 Simply Delicious Dairy-Free Recipes

Robin Robertson. Plume Books, $18 (384pp) ISBN 978-0-452-27623-9

Just because you can't or won't eat dairy products doesn't mean you have to forego foods with creamy textures and flavors, maintains vegetarian chef Robertson (366 Healthful Ways to Cook Tofu and Other Meat Alternatives). Instead of fat- and cholesterol-laden milk, cheese, eggs and butter, she uses soy, rice and nut milks in addition to tofu to make everything from appetizers to dessert. Vegetable Stock is among the scant handful of recipes without ersatz daisry ingredients. Here are vegan recipes for such homey favorites as Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese and Pumpkin Pie. For the more sophisticated palate there are Champagne and Cucumber Bisque, Leek and Pear Quiche, Raspberry Mousse and a wide range of dishes influenced by cuisines the world over. Robertson is inventive in her choice of ingredients and flavor combinations. Instructions seem aimed at cooks who are somewhat comfortable in the kitchen: the recipes for Tofu Lasagna and some other pasta dishes don't indicate what size baking dish to use; there are no serving suggestions for Curried Tofu. With that minor caveat in mind, readers will find here a handy compendium of meat-free, dairy-free fare. (Mar.)