Jeanne Lemlin - Simply satisfying: over 200 vegetarian recipes youll want to make again and again

[N]ovice cooks can whip up healthful, flavorful meals in record time. Lemlins latest, which emphasizes simple preparations and nutritious (e.g., low-fat, whole grain) ingredients, is as useful now as it was 25 years ago.

Library Journal

Jeanne Lemlin has always been one of my favorite vegetarian authors. There is so much variety and flavor in Jeannes simple seasonal preparations that I could cook a different vegetarian meal every night of the week.

Sara Moulton, host of the PBS show Saras Weeknight Meals and author of Sara Moultons Everyday Family Dinners

In a crowded field of vegetarian cookbooks, Lemlins stands out for straightforward good food.

Newsweek

Lemlins food is quick and comforting, the kind youre always in the mood to eat.

Washington Post

This is a compendium of hearty vegetarian fare with a relaxed approach to cooking and a particularly noteworthy extended section on desserts.

CSMonitor.com

The easy recipes are alive with flavor and zest. Whether one is a vegetarian is incidental. This book inspires a new and fresh direction for home cooking.

Marion Cunningham, author of The Fanny Farmer Cookbook

It takes enormous culinary flair and expertise, good sense, and also courage to marry the tastes of different cultures in a way that really works. Jeanne Lemlin has achieved this brilliantly.

Claudia Roden, author of The Food of Spain

All the elements are intelligently related to one another to give an overall sense of focus and balance to the meal... and convey a sense of cooking which is flexible and relaxed.

Deborah Madison, author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from Americas Farmers Markets

The recipes are light, flavorful, varied, and drawn from many international cuisines. I was especially happy to see desserts that no dessert lover could resist. Jeanne Lemlin really knows what tastes good.

Richard Sax, author of From the Farmers Market

Quick Vegetarian Pleasures: More Than 175 Fast, Delicious, and Healthy Meatless Recipes
Main-Course Vegetarian Pleasures
Simple Vegetarian Pleasures
Vegetarian Classics: 300 Easy and Essential Recipes for Every Meal

SIMPLY SATISFYING: Over 200 Vegetarian Recipes Youll Want to Make Again and Again
Copyright Jeanne Lemlin, 2012
Photographs copyright Cara Howe, 2012

All rights reserved. Except for brief passages quoted in newspaper, magazine, radio, television, or online reviews, no portion of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

The Experiment, LLC
260 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 100016408
www.theexperimentpublishing.com

Simply Satisfying was previously published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1986 in significantly different form as Vegetarian Pleasures: A Menu Cookbook.

The Experiments books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for premiums and sales promotions as well as for fundraising or educational use. For details, contact us at info@theexperimentpublishing.com.

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and The Experiment was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been capitalized.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Lemlin, Jeanne.
Simply satisfying : over 200 vegetarian recipes youll want to make again and again / Jeanne Lemlin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-61519-062-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-61519-160-4 (ebook) 1. Vegetarian cooking. I. Title.
TX837.L4485 2012
641.5636--dc23
2012024015

ISBN 978-1-61519-062-1
Ebook ISBN 978-1-61519-160-4

Cover design by Susi Oberhelman
Cover and interior photographs by Cara Howe
Author photograph by Kari Giordano
Food and prop styling by Mara del Mar Sacasa | ENNIS, Inc.
Photo assistance from Jeri Lampert
Photo production by Lukas Volger
Text design by Pauline Neuwirth, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Manufactured in China
Distributed by Workman Publishing Company, Inc.
Distributed simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen and Son Ltd.
The Experiment edition first published October 2012
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To Ed, as always

When I was approached to have my first cookbook reissued, I was delighted. I would get a chance to share once again the recipes that I love and know others will appreciate, but also to breathe new life into the work by updating it with new trends that are worth embracing. When it was first published, Vegetarian Pleasures was in a menu format. At that time vegetarian cooking was rather new to the burgeoning cooking scene in the U.S. Menu guidance became the focus to give readers the confidence to make plant-based meals that were nutritionally balanced. But a lot has changed in the food world over the past twenty-five years, and American cooks have become increasingly confident about nutrition and meal planning. As a result, this new format groups recipes into chapterssuch as are offered at the end of the book.

Having the opportunity to reissue my first cookbook is especially gratifying because I am continually approached by fans of the book who wish to purchase copies for their family and friends. This collection includes a variety of seasonal dishes that are simple to prepare, even for the novice cook, and the broad appeal of the dishes makes this cookbook a reliable friend in the kitchen with recipes for everyone to enjoy.

What an exciting time it is for those of us who love vegetables and favor vegetable-centered cooking. Everywhere we turn there is a new appreciation for the health benefits of vegetables and for the aesthetic contribution that fresh vegetables make to the menu. In fact, a meal without brightly colored fresh vegetables in some form seems lacking. It is also heartening to see how mainstream the vegetarian option has become in the twenty-first century. A plant-based diet is recommended by many high-profile nutritionists and medical professionals as a sure way to prevent and reverse heart disease, diabetes, and other lifestyle-related diseases. Gone are the concerns that a meatless diet might lack the necessary protein and nutrients for growth and strength. In fact, the vegetarian diet not only can provide all the essential nutrients for a healthy diet, but surpasses a traditional meat-centered cuisine with its generous supply of fiber and antioxidants. Maintaining a low-fat meatless diet along with regular exercise is considered the best strategy for improving ones health.

So now that we all agree about how indispensable vegetables have become, lets look at how to make meals that appeal to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. Its all about variety and balance. Meal planning should take into account a number of factors: the heaviness and lightness of dishes, color compatibility, flavor complexity, and nutritional balance. For example, if you are going to serve a Mexican entre that is protein filled, cheesy, and red, then a light vegetable side dish such as sauted spinach or simply prepared green beans would offer balance with weight (light), color (green), and nutrition (low protein/high vitamins and minerals).