Silk Road Vegetarian
By Dahlia Abraham-Klein, Tuttle Publishing
Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Recipes for the Mindful Cook
Review by guest columnist Sarah Hodge
In "Silk Road Vegetarian" Dahlia Abraham-Klein has compiled over 120 vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free recipes that serve as an exploration and a celebration of the foods from the Silk Road, from elegant jeweled polos / palaus, curries and dal, Persian kookoos and soups/stews, stuffed veggies to shawarma-spiced potatoes, curried veggies, and a wealth of light desserts.
Along the way, you'll read about Dahlia's culinary pilgrimage and her family's roots in Persia, Afghanistan, Bukhara, India and Israel. The book begins with a compact illustrated guide to the spice pantry, tips on basic preparation for tofu, legumes, rice and quinoa, along with handy illustrated cooking instructions to the various types of rice available. She shares an excellent guide to food preservation via freezing, that gives a step-by-step overview of various cooking and storing methods.
You'll find quick and basic staples like hummus, tahini, harissa, za'atar, and chutney; light appetizers including stuffed grape leaves, kookoo (herb frittata), Sephardic leek patties, and an amazing Indian red lentil falafel. There are many fresh salads like orange and fennel, minted beet salad, curried spinach salad with apples and grapes, and roasted veggies. Curries and hearty stews tend to dominate the main dishes, including curried lentil burgers, chickpea and lentil curries and quick and easy veggie sides.
The chapter on desserts offers many lighter (mostly vegan) options, including several rice puddings, parfaits, quick breads, and fruit-based desserts. The instructions are clear, and most of the ingredients should be commonly available at your supermarket.
Silk Road Vegetarian offers many new, quick and healthy recipes. The exotic spices will transport your taste buds. Gorgeous full-color photos illustrate about half of the recipes, and there are step-by-step photos for some of the techniques, making "Silk Road Vegetarian" approachable for any level of cook. Take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure along the Silk Road.
Visit Dahlia Abraham-Klein at Silkroadvegetarian.com.
Sarah Hodge, guest columnist, is an Amazon.com Top Reviewer specializing in cookbooks. "I've been vegetarian for over ten years, and am always looking for creative, healthy ways to spice up my cooking. I've taught students from more than 100 countries, including many from Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan) who were eager to share their languages and cuisines with me. However, there are very few cookbooks that focus on this region, even less so from a vegetarian context, so this is one cuisine that remained relatively unknown to me."
Sara can frequently be found taking cooking and baking classes and cultivating her collection of more than 300 cookbooks. You can read more of Sarah's featured cookbook reviews and cooking adventures at her blog www.bundtlust.com ).
Begin your journey along the silk road with these sample recipes:
Bukharian Vegan Chopped Liver
Persian Green Frittata
Swiss Chard Pilaf
Cookbook Giveaway - 3 winners will be randomly chosen to win a copy of Silk Road Vegetarian by Dahlia Abraham-Klein
Giveaway limited to continental U.S. only. If not living in continental U.S, you can still enter and, if selected, "gift" your prize to a continental U.S. friend or relative. The winner will be notified by email. Once notified, the winner must respond within 48 hours or the prize will be awarded to the runner-up.
This giveaway ends at 11:59PM, February 8, 2015. Enter to win below:
If you just can't wait to see if you are the winner, you can order online here: Silk Road Vegetarian: Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free Recipes for the Mindful Cook [Vegetarian Cookbook, 101 Recipes]