"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison

"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison

Do you see that this book has won some awards? A Julia Child Cookbook Award Winner and Book of the Year. Whoa! So Julia likes it but did I?

I love the library. I go to the library at least once a week with my kids but we are often found there 2-3 times each week. I love books but I don't like spending money so I take advantage of the free ones. Since I have started eating more vegetarian cusine I have been borrowing more than my share of cookbooks and now its time for me to start letting you know what I have found. 

This is not my first time reading a cookbook but it is my first book review and here it goes:

I'm a visual person.

Have you noticed that even when I don't get a picture of a recipe or meal I always add pictures of the munchkins? That is because I like to look at things. I have always learned better and faster with colored highlighters and pens; diagrams and pie charts; and pictures. And not just since having kids, always. So while this book was hearty and had a lot of great things about it, it immediately looses major points with me because of the lack of photos. It looks like a giant text book.

Now, there are some pictures. There are 3-ten page sections of pictures. That is about 30 pages of images. 30 out of 742. Not enough. 

But will the lack of visual interest stop me from recommending this book to you?

No.

This book is amazing. 

It is very well organized. Everything is where it should be. The table of contents has 18 categories from 'sandwiches' to 'eggs and cheese'. There are wonderful tips on every page about what to serve with each recipe and simple ways to alter it. The font is easy to read and the descriptions really take over the need for pictures (I can't believe I just said that). This book is a monster but is fabulous. 

The only recommendation I can make though is to buy it. It is really 742 pages long. 

So full that I think you need to own it to appreciate it. This is a book I may have to just not return to the library. 

Bring on the late fines; I can handle it.