Reddit reviews Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi

Dude, I totally get you. I went to the supermarket high a few weeks ago and noticed that half of the produce there I've never tried. Some I know, like turnips and radicchio, others not at all, escarole and baby kohlrabi. It blew my mind that these veggies had been around me for my entire life and I'd never even tasted them.

So I did some research and found a cookbook that focuses on the flavors of a single vegetable and have been making my munchies from that. It's amazing how diverse the flavors of fruits and veggies are and how underappreciated they've become nowadays

Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty is incredible. All veg recipes with an Israeli and North African twist. It’s pretty easy to follow and one of my favorite cookbooks.

Edit: link

These three books are from incredibly talented chefs in the US and London and are truly outstanding: [Plenty] (https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1452101248&pd_rd_r=QS2966PJKEEF0GRXT77M&pd_rd_w=AGutm&pd_rd_wg=8W62G&psc=1&refRID=QS2966PJKEEF0GRXT77M), [On Vegetables] (https://www.amazon.com/Vegetables-Modern-Recipes-Home-Kitchen/dp/071487390X/ref=pd_sim_14_23?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=071487390X&pd_rd_r=QS2966PJKEEF0GRXT77M&pd_rd_w=AGutm&pd_rd_wg=8W62G&psc=1&refRID=QS2966PJKEEF0GRXT77M), and [Six Seasons] (https://www.amazon.com/Six-Seasons-New-Way-Vegetables/dp/1579656315/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1579656315&pd_rd_r=K5GB31833Y91YN058FX5&pd_rd_w=mrmpX&pd_rd_wg=A77Ay&psc=1&refRID=K5GB31833Y91YN058FX5).

Here are some ideas:

• Shun Nakiri knife?
  
  
• Microplane grate. This is what I use for finely mincing ginger and zesting citrus
  
  
• Spice dabba, indispensable for keeping whole (i.e., unground) spices in a compact form factor.
  
  
• Silpat baking mat, great for converting any baking pans into a nonstick version. I've used it to roast vegetables, bake cookies and even macarons.
  
  
• Mandoline, self-explanatory. Great for making uniform slices or strips of vegetables for gratins or casseroles. I made the ratatouille in Pixar's Ratatouille with this!
  
  
• Combination pressure-cooker/steamer/rice cooker/slow cooker. This is an electric pressure cooker that has the advantage of not requiring the same amount of babysitting as a typical stovetop pressure cooker. If your GF cooks with a lot of beans and lentils, then pressure cooking is something she'll appreciate.
  
  
• Plenty by Ottolenghi features highly inventive vegetarian cooking using a wide assortment of vegetables. The book has a middle eastern emphasis, but still contains recipes from all over the globe. My favorite is the Soba noodles with mango and eggplant.

One of my favorites that I just acquired is a cookbook called Plenty. It's filled with lots of really vibrant photographs and tasty, often Indian- or Middle Eastern-inspired recipes that always get my mouth watering. I'll sometimes find myself flipping through it for no good reason, just to admire the delicious food.

I agree with the ATK book posted here by /u/PM_ME_A_FACT, but would also like to add the book "Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi." The ATK book is more of a begginers book than Plenty, but both are great resources.

Plenty on Amazon

Yotam Ottolenghi has some nice cookbooks with great recipes and beautiful photos that I've given as gifts.

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Jerusalem-Cookbook-Yotam-Ottolenghi/dp/1607743949/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Ottolenghi-Cookbook-Yotam/dp/160774418X/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

My favorite is Plenty, it is a vegetarian cookbook and many of the recipes have dairy or egg products, however, there are numerous amazing vegan recipes and most of the non-vegan ones can be easily altered. The focus of the book is presenting vegetables as entrees.

Ah, so you'll probably mostly have to focus on vegetables and fruits:

this is a great guide for roasting vegetables. I imagine simple roasted vegetables being one of the easier things to feed a child of that age.

Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty is a good resource for a lot of amazing vegetable recipes. A number of the recipes contain eggs, dairy, and/or grains, which you can probably substitute, reduce, or leave out.

Should it be pareve?

A lot of indian recipes are adaptable to kashrut. Vegetable curries with rice and lentils or chickpeas can be festive.

Israeli chef Yotam Ottolenghi has some good vegetarian cookbooks. https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=asc_df_1452101248/

What exactly do you mean by 'healthy?'

Is it about calorie reduction or getting more nutrients? Or both?

A very simple, tasty one is roasted cauliflower. Cauliflower really benefits from browning. Preferably roasting. Just wash and dry it (thoroughly), cut into equally sized pieces, whether it be bite size or "steaks," toss in olive oil, salt & pepper (and garlic if you want), spread evenly on a roasting pan, but don't crowd it too much, and roast in the oven on the middle rack or higher at about 425-450F until brown... even nearly black in a few places. It's so simple and delicious.

It makes a great soup too, just blend it with either veg or chicken stock and either some fresh parsley or thyme.

Another veg that does well with char is broccoli. Steam, blanch (heavily salt your blanching or steaming liquid) or microwave (if you must) the cut broccoli stalks until about half done, drain and dry. Toss in olive oil, salt, minced garlic and chili flakes and grill on very high heat or broil until slightly charred. You won't believe how good it is.

Some great books for veg dishes are:

Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Tender by Nigel Slater (this one has a great chocolate beet cake)

The Art Of Simple Food II by Alice Waters (So many simple, classic veg preparations in this one.)

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Regarding Mac & Cheese, here is page from Modernist Cuisine at Home:

http://i.imgur.com/E4dd4lQ.jpg

It involves using Sodium Citrate. Calm down! Don't be afraid. It's a type of salt derived from citrus fruits. If you like to cook with cheese this stuff will be your best friend. The only issue is you don't need very much of it, so you will need an accurate scale that can handle very small weights, but they're not that expensive and it'll pay for itself quickly in the amount you'll likely save in cheese costs, because.....

What it does is it helps emulsify the fats and solids of cheese when it melts and it can be used with just about every type of cheese that can melt, so that means you can use it to emulsify multiple types of cheeses at the same time. Why this matters for you? If you're trying to reduce calories you can mix your favorite cheeses with some lower calorie cheeses (like drained cottage cheese) and still end up with a really creamy sauce without having to add cream or butter. This stuff doesn't make Pasta & Cheese "healthy" but it does help you reduce the caloric value of a cheese dish without sacrificing texture... in fact it improves it.

Check it out: http://youtu.be/gOLgLi5ZJOY

Hi! I would suggest finding a cookbook you like the looks of and getting into it. I usually really like Ottolenghi's recipes, for instance.

I also started my own personal cookbook/collection, too. I started with family recipes, and would take other people's recipes and add to it. It's huge now, but I still have a couple of great standalone books.

Some dishes that have kept me alive over the years:

Risotto. This took me through university. (I don't add butter, and I sometimes add mushrooms.)

Curry. I live off of curry. This recipe is an OK starter (but use chili pepper, not cayenne). There are a lot of bad curry recipes out there. It took me a lot of years to get the recipes right, so I might suggest finding someone who is good at curries and learning from them.

Peanut sauce. You can steam green vegetables, make some rice/soba noodles, and throw this sauce on top. Add a bit of tempeh for protein. Easy peasy.

If you can get into a cooking class and food is something you want to brush up on, I would highly recommend it. I took a bunch of classes, and even the most basic ones helped me learn tricks and tips that I still use.

Good luck!

Plenty and Plenty More are the absolute best cookbooks I've ever owned of any kind.

Yotam Ottolenghi came out with a followup on his Plenty cookbook a few months ago, its called Plenty More. Used to see vegetables as only a side dish but he really changed my mind and enabled me to see that they can really be the star of the table. There are many interesting combinations. And as a man who is an omnivore himself, he often makes his dishes hearty enough that many of us wont even miss the meat.

Another book which you should look into is Thug Kitchen. If you haven't seen their blog, you should really check it out.

You should also look into Deborah Madison's books. This one is practically the Bible among vegetarians due to how comprehensive it is. Ironically, she also is an omnivore.

Theres also the Moosewood Cookbook which is great for weeknight meals as many of the recipes are simple and quick.

If you like Indian, I would really recommend 660 Curries which has some of the best Indian food I've ever tasted. I often compare food I get in Indian restaurants to what I've cooked from this book. Yes, its not completely vegetarian but the vast majority of Indian cuisine is vegetarian so it should still be a valuable resource for you.

Speaking of Indian food, Madhur Jaffrey (who is known for her Indian cookbooks) has a great cookbook dedicated to vegetarian cooking.

I'm a vegetarian and I cook a lot. The best books i've used are:

America's Test Kitchen Vegetarian Cookbook (If you get one book, get this one, all the recipes are relatively foolproof)

Lucky Peach Power Vegetables

Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty and Plenty More

Food 52's Genius recipes (not vegetarian but some really excellent vegetable preparations)

there is a sequel to the phenomenal "Jerusalem" cookbook that is all vegetarian. I don't know the sequel, but the original is sooo good and middle eastern vegetarian cuisine is da bomb anyway.

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S1H085NHDF39ZZMKGKYZ

I borrowed Plenty from the library for this one. There are some amazing recipes in there that I am looking forward to trying!

I am giving in and going vegetarian until I no longer want to eat otherwise. We looked up non-meat protein sources today and started shopping around that. Hummus is my life now, and this book is my new bible.

Plenty.

I'm a vegetarian that is always craving variety too! Some of my favorite websites for inspiration are:

https://smittenkitchen.com/ (one of the originals, she is GREAT)

http://www.101cookbooks.com/

http://www.veganricha.com/ (a lot of Indian and international cuisine)

http://www.isachandra.com/recipes/

http://cookieandkate.com/

Finally, I recommend Plenty and Plenty More - two cookbooks celebrating vegetables from the famed Ottolenghi. His cooking is fantastic (ignore the pomegranate seeds on the front cover, I promise it's so much more than that, he just happens to be middle eastern!)

https://smile.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=J1TA1NT14PVDZVX7G173

https://smile.amazon.com/Plenty-More-Vibrant-Vegetable-Ottolenghi/dp/1607746212/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1607746212&pd_rd_r=J63PHF1F8H0ZEMPVJTSR&pd_rd_w=PCmMs&pd_rd_wg=dsz8A&psc=1&refRID=J63PHF1F8H0ZEMPVJTSR

One of the first veg. cookbooks I got when I was just starting out was Linda McCartney's World of Vegetarian Cooking (also known as "On Tour"): https://www.amazon.com/Linda-McCartney-Tour-Meat-Free-Dishes/dp/0821224875/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386369&sr=1-5&keywords=linda+mccartney

It has recipes from all over the world, from North Africa to Asia, Europe to North America and everywhere in between. They're great starter recipes in that the ingredients are simple (and easy to substitute if necessary), and the instructions are clear. They're great to build on - I've adapted quite a few recipes to my own tastes over the years.

A much more recent couple of books are Ottolenghi's Plenty and Plenty More:

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386476&sr=1-1&keywords=ottolenghi+plenty

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-More-Vibrant-Vegetable-Ottolenghi/dp/1607746212/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3YR260YE36YRJAQVCP9G

These are books that celebrate plant-based cooking which is of course inspired by many cuisines, but is itself a wholly original cuisine. Many of the recipes are not knock-offs of popular meat dishes (e.g. lentil bolognese) or existing dishes that happen to be vegetarian (caprese salad) but rather truly original compositions. It's really refreshing for simple but beautiful meals made of creative (but not pretentious) dishes.

I bought Martha Stewart's "Meatless" cookbook last year and it has great recipes too. https://www.amazon.com/Meatless-More-Than-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0307954560/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386647&sr=1-6&keywords=vegetarian+cookbook

It's Martha Stewart, so it's not going to blow your socks off with complex spices and heat, but the recipes are again a wonderful place to start. Well-balanced, visually appealing and reasonably priced to make, you can always jazz them up yourself.

Finally, one of my favourite cookbooks, vegetarian or otherwise, is Anna Thomas' Love Soup: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Soup-All-New-Vegetarian-Recipes/dp/0393332578/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482386804&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+SOup

The recipes are heavenly (and as they're soup, you can always tweak to your taste - it's the ideas that are important). But what's really special is the narrative. She really engages you with lots of personal anecdotes and context for the ingredients, recipes and meals in general. I sat down and read it like a novel when I was given it for Christmas one year! It's really lovely.

Yottam Ottolenghi's cookbooks have great salad recipes and plating examples. Check out Plenty and Plenty More.

https://www.amazon.com/Plenty-Vibrant-Vegetable-Recipes-Ottolenghi/dp/1452101248

It's not entirely French based but I highly recommend Yottom Ottolenghi's Plenty. Tons of great vegetarian options in that book, all exquisite.

I recommend Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty.

Or if you know that your friend likes Indian cuisine, here’s the bible on the subject: Pushpesh Pant’s India: The Cookbook.

Plenty (or any of the Ottolenghi) books sounds like a good fit based on her previous dishes. It's vegetable focused, healthy, not too complicated, and will definitely make her a better cook by introducing new techniques.