Foods from Mother Earth : A Basic Cookbook for Young Vegetarians (& Anybody Else)

Intended for ova-lacto vegetarians, this volume includes 100 recipes which can be prepared on the stove, in the oven, or with no cooking

Grade 6-8-A thorough guide for novice cooks to ovo-lacto (includes eggs and dairy products) vegetarianism. The nearly 100 recipes are divided into categories: those that can be cooked on top of the stove, in the oven, or require no cooking. Specific foods are listed in the index by type of dish. Shaw states in the foreword, "Being a vegetarian requires discipline, dedication, and creativity," and then shows readers how to create nourishing, low-fat dishes from scratch. For an international, political discussion of vegetarianism that includes a few recipes, see also Lila Perl's Eating the Vegetarian Way (Morrow, 1980; o.p.).
Carolyn Jenks, First Parish Unitarian Church, Portland, ME
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 6-10. There are now several books for young adults that explore the subject of vegetarianism, and a quick look at the adult cookery collection in the library reveals there's no shortage of vegetarian cookbooks accessible to teenage chefs. What makes this book especially nice for teens is that most of the dishes can be prepared in three or four easy steps and none are particularly fancy or outrageous: pesto with sunflower seeds and pastitsio with wheat germ are about as exotic as they get. The authors assume familiarity with kitchen equipment and techniques, though they do preface recipes with some basic how-tos. They also supply some very introductory information about vegetarianism, which can lead interested readers on to more comprehensive books like Krizmanic's A Teen's Guide to Going Vegetarian. The recipes are organized into three topical sections (recipes for stove-top cooking, recipes to make in the oven, and no-cook recipes), with a table of contents heading each. It's actually a handy arrangement. Stephanie Zvirin