The Moosewood Cookbook: Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, New York

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The Moosewood Cookbook: Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant, Ithaca, New York

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 16,759 ratings · 288 reviews

Among the most influential cookbooks of our time, the Moosewood Cookbook is such a powerful symbol that the publishers were tempted not to tamper wi th it. But times have changed, and knowledge about the foods we eat and their nutritional value has increased. So, after many inquiries and requests, the author has revised many of her recipes to be lighter and healthier. Illu...more

Paperback, 221 pages

Published October 1st 1977 by Ten Speed Press

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Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book by Better Homes and Gardens

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How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

The Whole Foods Market Cookbook by Steve Petusevsky

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Jul 03, 2007 Leslie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: hungry hippies!

To appreciate this cookbook, which is famous for being hand-lettered and illustrated by the author and covers both the fundamentals and specifics for cooking hearty, earth-crunchy, mostly vegetarian dishes, you have to acknowledge that it is very much a product of its times. Meaning that when it was published (the 1970's), you were pretty groundbreaking if you even knew what samosas and guacamole were, and vegetarianism was still fringe and undefined enough that this book, and the Moosewood rest...more To appreciate this cookbook, which is famous for being hand-lettered and illustrated by the author and covers both the fundamentals and specifics for cooking hearty, earth-crunchy, mostly vegetarian dishes, you have to acknowledge that it is very much a product of its times. Meaning that when it was published (the 1970's), you were pretty groundbreaking if you even knew what samosas and guacamole were, and vegetarianism was still fringe and undefined enough that this book, and the Moosewood restaurant itself, probably had to be flexible enough to serve the needs of vegans, vegetarians, pesco-ovo-vegetarians, "I'm a vegetarian but I eat chicken" vegetarians and meat eaters all at the same time!

As often happens with me and cookbooks, I started using the Moosewood after moving into a group apartment where it was already sitting in the kitchen. When I reported this to my sister, she responded with complaints - she and her friends had tried the cookbook and were annoyed with its approximation of Asian foods that they knew how to cook better. So I went into things with open eyes, deciding to look at the book as a representation of the food of not many different cultures from which it borrowed recipes, but of a particular American culture and time: the brown rice, beans-and-sprouts hippie culture which we so easily poke fun at now but which was responsible for so much of the diversified eating options we now take for granted, from the availability of yogurt and cottage cheese in normal supermarkets to the return of cooking with the seasons.

Later, as so often also happens with me and cookbooks, the Moosewood cookbook and I parted ways when the roommate who owned it ([http://www.zacharykeeting.com/]) moved away. I forgot to buy a new copy, and then moved to Germany, where I'm guessing it's not so easy to come by. But then again, here it is easy to eat whole grains and lots of veggies. So I thank the Moosewood Cookbook for preparing me, and I will keep cooking the many recipes I just internalized along the way.

Roasted beet salad, anyone?(less)

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Jan 27, 2008 Abigail rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Vegetarian and non-Vegetarian Cooks...

Shelves: cooking-food, p-l

Review Temporarily Removed.

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Dec 30, 2012 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

Excellent vegetarian cookbook! I have owned and used this book since it's initial release. It actually made my husband (a meat and potatoes farm boy) appreciate vegetarian meals and we eat meat-free at least once a week. The only downside is that we now know that vegetarian doesn't necessarily mean healthy and several of these recipes are high-fat cholesterol. Just use what you currently know to lighten them up. Still an excellent cookbook. Some favorite recipes are Cream of Asparagus Soup (p.3)...more

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Apr 10, 2007 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbook

The first cookbook I ever owned. Actually, I stole it from my mom when I went to college, and the recipies are annotated with her notes from when I was a little kid. I love the dated aspects of the writing, like when Katzen explains what tofu is and how its hard to find, or when she introduces you to this exotic, wonderful dip called hummus. Classic, hearty veggie cooking, this is before TVP or Morning Star, back when being a vegetarian meant eating vegetables. I've used this less as I've aquire...more

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Dec 22, 2007 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars

My mom's copy has been taped back together, set on fire, and covered in too many ingredients to list. That adds to the appeal for me because I know it is something that she has cherished. When I became a vegetarian I thought "oh yes now Moosewood is mine." Then I realized that probably 350ish days out of the year I don't have time to be a bloody gourmet chef, you know?

This doesn't diminish my love for the cookbook. It does mean that I can't really move past loving anything but the aesthetics bec...more

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Mar 01, 2009 Marguerite rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: now-we-re-cooking

I was introduced to the Moosebook Cookbook in the days when I had vegetarian roommates who'd buy the chow if I did the cooking. I was vegetarian by economic circumstance. Since I was on a tight budget, I ended up the house cook, and in those crunchy granola days I baked my own bread and had gleaning rights in some farm fields outside of Richmond. (When faced with a bushel of cucumbers, you learn to make raita, cucumber sandwiches and pickles.) When I saw The Moosewood Cookbook had been retooled...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Rhonda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: food-and-cooking

I have an original edition of this book and have used it prodigiously for learning how to cook. When I first looked at the book, not knowing it was a vegetarian cookbook, I said to my friend that I would buy it if it included a better recipe for split pea soup than the one I already learned to make in college.

I can still recall my humiliation when, on page 18, Molly proceeded to start on the soup where my own immature recipe left off. I recall that over the years I have added a ham hock and som...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: raw-vegan

A classic, this version is updated from the original, and so contains less eggs and oil for lighter, modern, healthier versions of vegetarian classics.
Even for non-veggies, there and many wonderfully 'comforting' dishes included within the pages.
For those new to cooking/cooking veg, there is helpful information at the beginning of the book on subjects from technique to measurements to substitution of ingredients for various dietary concerns.
My teenaged son has been learning to make delicious sou...more

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May 07, 2009 Jensownzoo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

This is a vegetarian classic and for good reason. The recipes are flavorful, varied, and just plain good. Like the Enchanted Broccoli Forest, this cookbook is hand-written and illustrated, making it an exceptionally charming. Sample recipe below:

Mushroom Curry

4 tbsp butter
2 cloves minced garlic
1 c chopped celery
1 1/2 lb. chopped mushrooms
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3 tbsp shredded, unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp honey
juice...more

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Apr 18, 2009 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: food

I suppose I opened this book with expectations that were too high. Everything I had ever heard about Mollie Katzen and her cookbooks gave the highest praise. I have relied on a few non-Katzen Moosewood cookbooks (Moosewood Sundays, Moosewood New Classics) myself over the past few years; in fact, I wouldn't want to live without them. So I opened the book prepared to be blown away. I wasn't. The hand-lettering is charming; I felt like I was reading a friend's recipes. However, I felt like I was re...more I suppose I opened this book with expectations that were too high. Everything I had ever heard about Mollie Katzen and her cookbooks gave the highest praise. I have relied on a few non-Katzen Moosewood cookbooks (Moosewood Sundays, Moosewood New Classics) myself over the past few years; in fact, I wouldn't want to live without them. So I opened the book prepared to be blown away. I wasn't. The hand-lettering is charming; I felt like I was reading a friend's recipes. However, I felt like I was reading a friend's recipes. They seemed to me very reminiscent of the cuisine with which I grew up, minus the meat. She uses tofu and meat-substitutes to approximate what is normally prepared with dairy, eggs, and meat, instead of creating fresh, beautiful recipes based on vegetables and grains. Katzen's recipes also seemed a bit too imprecise and safe to me. For instance, there are a few recipes titled "spicy." I assume she means "contains spices," or "spiced," rather than "spicy," because I don't recall a hot pepper in the book. Many of the recipes were things I already make in my own way, and her methods frequently seemed a little irrational.

However, I give this book 3 stars, because as everyone knows, it was groundbreaking for its time. It is the reason we have better vegetarian cookbooks today. It is the reason I can pick up Moosewood Sundays or Moosewood New Classics from my shelf and make beautiful, fresh, vegetarian food. It was also meant for a different audience. It was meant for people who only knew meat and potatoes cooking; it was meant for people who didn't already know how to prepare basic greens or salads; for people who looked at tofu like it was an alien substance, and asked tempeh...what? If you're one of those people, please, read this book!

If you know the basics of vegetarian cooking, I wouldn't bother. I did mark some recipes in this book to copy, and some of the tofu-in-place-of-eggs recipes were new to me. However, I'm taking this back to the library and won't be sad to see it go.(less)

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Apr 23, 2011 Erin1179 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think that this is my favorite cookbook of all time. My mom had a copy when I was growing up, and even though my family weren't vegetarians, this book was used to a good extent. At some point I became a vegetarian, snd so I used it a good deal more! When I grew up, my aunt bought me a copy of a previously loved hardcover version, which always makes me wonder: who would give this away? I learned to make eggplant parmesan from this book, and will say that yes, it's not the healthiest way to prep...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman added it · review of another edition

While there are many flaws in this cookbook by 21st century standards, it was a miracle in the mid-70's. I went to college n 1977 and this book changed my eating life forever--so while it lacks alot in the way of spicing complexity that would seem altogether common today, it had vegetarian recipes that were easy to follow, and they worked. it is whimsical and wonderful. It had things from my childhood that I could never give up (like quiche and sour cream coffeecake) and things I would never hav...more

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Oct 17, 2008 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've used this cookbook so much it is falling apart. My favorite: Carrot Soup. Unfortunately, I can't use it much anymore as most of the recipes have milk products and I have a husband who is lactose intolerant. Still, I've been able to substitute for a few of them. A great cookbook and inspiration for eating well.

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Feb 09, 2010 Rose rated it 1 of 5 stars

I sat down to meal plan one day and ended up reading this book cover to cover. It was a pretty interesting cookbook. I of course knew it would be, having hung out for a decade with interesting cooks who love it. I remember an unschooling advocate using Mollie Katzen as an example of a "glorious generalist," which seems funny to me now: "ZOMG she can cook AND draw!"

After I had read the whole thing, I knew why I had never made anything from this cookbook, and I knew that I never would make anythi...more

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Oct 18, 2007 Emily added it

Shelves: cookbooks

This cookbook is not without its flaws -- the "ethnic" dishes are frequently repulsive -- but there's some really good, hearty earnest-white-person food up in here. The hummus, pasta sauce, Brazilian black bean soup, refritos, and lasagna recipes are absolute staples.

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Apr 28, 2009 Miriam rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love the Moosewood cookbook. Even though I am not vegetarian anymore, I find cooking meat daunting - cooking in general really, but meat especially - so I like to use this cookbook. Also, the hadwritten, hand-drawn format feels less threatening than most cookbooks and she has these sidenotes that imply that even if you screw this up a bit or don't happen to have gingeroot on hand, it's going to be ok and maybe even delicious. Plus, a lot of these recipes were my mom's staples so it reminds me...more

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May 08, 2013 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

While not a vegetarian myself, I picked up a taste for vegetarian dishes from friends that are and the original edition of was my first introduction to doing veggie cooking on my own.

My original (much dog-eared) copy was lost somewhere amongst the many moves since Ann Arbor, but subsequently replaced with the newer edition.

The range of books available on vegetarian cooking has greatly expanded since the Moosewood first came out. These days I might recommend a number of other books about vegetar...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Marilyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Our daughter introduced me to this cookbook when she was a teenager and a vegetarian (she now also will eat chicken & turkey- but won't cook it herself!). I love its simplicity and its outlook on cooking. Have made several recipes. Within the last year, we actually got to the Moosewood twice, finally getting our daughter there! It's awesome. Incidentally, I now own at least 5 or 6 books either from the Moosewood Collective or by Mollie Katzen (since she left Moosewood). And I am not and have...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Libby rated it 5 of 5 stars

I love this cookbook, as well as really all of their cookbooks. But I think that there are a few things to consider when thinking about using it. If you're looking to cook authentic cuisine from different countries, this book is not really the book to use. Moosewood is more of an interpretation of different foods mixed with a hearty / homey / comfort / vegetarian style. Also, the ingredients for the recipes are usually spot on, but can often be adjusted proportion wise to fit personal taste (I o...more

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May 25, 2011 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Expert cooks

Shelves: cookbooks

This is a nice vegetarian cookbook if you can figure out how to make it work. It has some very appealing recipes in it. It’s heavy on vegetable salads and vegetable entrees, and very heavy on tofu and cheese. Katzen tends to recommend tofu as a substitute for cheese. I’ve tried the marinated sweet potato and broccoli salad, which is delicious, and I’m going to try the gado gado next because I love anything with a peanut sauce. (The potato, cabbage, onion and yogurt casserole was awful, but Katze...more This is a nice vegetarian cookbook if you can figure out how to make it work. It has some very appealing recipes in it. It’s heavy on vegetable salads and vegetable entrees, and very heavy on tofu and cheese. Katzen tends to recommend tofu as a substitute for cheese. I’ve tried the marinated sweet potato and broccoli salad, which is delicious, and I’m going to try the gado gado next because I love anything with a peanut sauce. (The potato, cabbage, onion and yogurt casserole was awful, but Katzen can’t be blamed for the fact that I picked up vanilla yogurt by mistake.)

As a real cookbook, however, it wants improvement. I don’t recommend it for beginning cooks, and particularly not for beginning vegetarian cooks. Judging from the introduction and notes within the recipes, it seems to be aimed at the nostalgia-for-the-commune crowd, not people who are going green now. For one thing, it doesn't seem very well organized. It does have chapters; but within the chapters, recipes are all over the place. There are nice color plates of some dishes, with page references, but once you're reading the recipe, there's no reference to the picture. It lacks any advice on nutrition or how to create a balanced meal—pretty much a must for a vegetarian cookbook. There’s a nice author’s introduction, but it’s an introduction to Mollie Katzen, not the book or the food, so don’t read it if you’re looking for anything practical.

Every recipe is accompanied by lavish pen-and-ink decorations by the author, cute little folk-art type things, and these are really annoying after about, ooooooooh, one page. Which is too bad because she has a degree in cutesy drawing and you can tell she worked really hard on them. She also worked reasonably hard on the recipes, but not as hard as the Moosewood Collective worked on The Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home which, as I mentioned, I much prefer. Cooks at Home is meant for the serious cook--someone who is actually going to set up a vegetarian kitchen, shop, plan meals, entertain guests, feed children, worry about nutrition, and clean up afterwards. It's got whole sections on stocking your kitchen, planning menus, and preparing basic things like dry beans, polenta, and greens. It's got a glossary.

By contrast, Katzen's book, like a lot of 21st-century cookbooks, seems to be aimed at readers, not cooks. The visually attractive recipes leave out some key instructions, like cooking times ("put the sweet potatoes in to cook, either in or over boiling water" is the not a sufficient direction. They turned to mush). There's nothing to suggest to the novice how you might construct a meal for your family, let alone for one or two people or for a party. It’s okay, but kind of a disappointment if you bought it to feed your boyfriend or something.

(less)

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Dec 07, 2007 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like to eat

Shelves: favorites

This is a great collection of vegetarian options and most of the recipes are pretty easy and you can adjust them easily if you want to include your favorite veggies. Some of the recipes are kind of bland, though, so I will tell you the best ones, okay?
Spanikopida-hands down, the best recipe in the world. I know this because I went to Greece and nothing there tasted nearly as good as this. I make this recipe (as did my mom in the 70's and 80's) all the time and it is always perfect. Filo dough is...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Meg Powers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: food

I really enjoy Molly Katzen's books. The recipes are really simple and use easy to find ingredients. Her writing is charming and devoid of the "simplicity snobbery" attitude sometimes found in other California cuisine books. Sometimes I wish she used more seasoning in her recipes, but that's easy enough to figure out on your own. The text is hand-written and she illustrated the book herself. Adorable. A great first vegetarian cook book.

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May 05, 2009 Sabrina Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-borrowed

I first heard about this book about two years ago - it had been explained to me as the "bible of vegetarian cooking." Well, I don't know about that, but there are a lot of fun recipes in here. It's a beautiful book, too, hand-lettered and illustrated. One of those cookbooks I just love to read - way too easy to get so lost in it there's no time to cook dinner! Plan on picking up a copy of my own.

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Oct 06, 2012 Heather Boyd rated it 5 of 5 stars

This handprinted cookbook, Moosewood Collective's first of many books, is a pleasure to read --the artwork is whimsical, the printing is lovely, the commentary is joyful, and of course the recipes are wonderful. It's already my 'go to' for dips and spreads, and it makes my Moosewood collection seem complete. Found it at the Kincardine Farmer's Market -bought it for $4 from an old guy who said "everybody should have this book". I can't disagree.

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Feb 14, 2008 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: instructional

I am posting this review for Connie, who bought me this book a few years ago and who just joined Goodreads!

Anyway, I love this cookbook! The first couple times I tried anything out of this book, I thought to myself, "Wow - that was a lot of chopping." But as I've become more aware of the benefits of eating much less meat and processed packaged food, and as I've become more adept at handling all those veggies (I finally got a full size cuisinart for Christmas!) this has become my fallback cookboo...more

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Sep 22, 2009 AJ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: first time vegetarians

Shelves: do-not-own, nonfiction, 2009

Not technically vegan but vegetarian. I know I've read this cookbook before and enjoyed it.

The recipes are pretty simple and I like the cutesy, handwritten style of the book. You can tell that a lot of love went into it. There are definitely a bunch of recipes that I plan to try out. Most of the recipes in the book are pretty standard, so it's probably a good cookbook for somebody looking to go vegetarian but who doesn't know how to cook.

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Jan 29, 2012 Frank Mcgeough rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

My very first vegetarian cookbook (along with tons of other people). The recipes are whimsically presented and some are quite delicious. I have made them over and over again in some cases (the lentil soup recipe is excellent). Definitely worth owning. It was re-released in later years with some recipes adjusted to cut down on fat - without losing the flavor.

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Mar 18, 2013 Jay Ginsburg rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cookbooks

One of the books that changed my life! I have such an early edition that the index is a nightmare! Many wonderful recipes, and memories of Foodstuffs deli --- using, learning and enjoying the look and feel of the book. In 2012 we made a pilgrimage to the restaurant (Ithaca, the middle of nowhere!), where the traditions live, very much in the present.

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Jul 13, 2010 Willow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cookbooks

great cookbook. obviously a reason my mom has called it a fave my whole life. i have been into cookbooks lately and getting stacks at a time from the library and compiling a little book of recipes. lots of these recipes made it into my book, most cookbooks don't make the cut. great for someone who is thinking about trying on vegetarianism too.

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Dec 30, 2012 Nelson Milum rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: trashbin

Not sure how people find this to be a good cookbook, of the many dishes my partner and I have attempted, there has been zero success. I will concede that I am an omnivore and vegetarian food can often be bland, it is rarely as horrible as this book mangles it to be.

Seriously, it's bad, and the author should feel bad.

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About Mollie Katzen

Educated at the Eastman School of Music, Cornell University, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Although her formal training was as an artist and musician, she exhibited natural cooking inclinations from a very early age, and cooked professionally - in restaurants and as a caterer - for ten years. In 1973 she was one of the founders of the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, and during her...more

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