Like a caring mother, Katzen, in this logical follow-through to her last book, Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less
, exhorts readers to eat vegetables. Katzen's methods, though requiring some attention and high-quality ingredients, are low-key enough for novice cooks and maybe even exhausted working moms: “It is easy to make vegetables taste wonderful through simple preparations utilizing a very few choice ingredients... extra-virgin olive oil, fresh garlic, roasted nut oil, tiny touches of salt and pepper, an herb or two.” This is vintage Moosewood Cookbook
Katzen at her poetic best: “For many palates, dark leafy greens need a soft context... to frame and tame them. Polenta is perfect for this! Consider using some of the more elusive, serious greens, such as dandelion, mustard, or kale.” Katzen offers Tomato-Basil Jam as a ketchup substitute; exoticizes the lowly carrot with flavors of North Africa—cumin, cinnamon, garlic and citrus—or Jamaica, in a coconut-ginger gratin; and will surprise even veteran vegetable mavens with such imaginative dishes as Sautéed Fennel with Crispy Fried Lemon. With Katzen's signature hand-lettered text and charmingly homey illustrations, the book will be an inspiration to those who like meat with their vegetables, vegans and vegetarians alike. (Oct.)
