Cook Without a Book: Meatless Meals—Recipes and Techniques for Part-Time and Full-Time Vegetarians

by Pam Anderson

There are a lot of compelling reasons to eat less meat these days, but the shift to a totally or even
partly vegetarian lifestyle is easier said than done for many beef, poultry, and fish lovers. In Cook without a Book: Meatless Meals , best-selling author Pam Anderson encourages readers to eat meat-free a day or two a week and makes it easy to do so with recipes for simple, fun vegetarian and vegan meals that are made from accessible, wholesome ingredients. To help readers prep their kitchens for meatless cooking, she includes tips and techniques for stocking the pantry and refrigerator. Instead of presenting complicated, inflexible recipes, she lays out blueprints with ingredient options for everything from hearty breakfasts and fun salads and sandwiches to satisfying main courses—so readers can craft a rewarding dish exactly to their personal tastes.


Colorful, comprehensive, and perfect for parents, caretakers, and singles and couples alike, Cook
without a Book: Meatless Meals will show all aspiring vegetarians that eating a little (or a lot) less meat can be simple, healthy, and totally delicious.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction

276 pages, Hardcover

First published October 11, 2011

About the author

PAM ANDERSON is the author of the best-selling The Perfect Recipe, Perfect Recipes for Having People Over, and the New York Times bestseller The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great. She has been the food columnist for USA Weekend for the last eight years, is a contributing chef to Fine Cooking and Runners World, and writes a weekly blog for the Asheville (North Carolina) Citizen-Times.

For more about Pam, please visit www.threemanycooks.com."

Reviews

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple, flexible recipes. I kinda think this is the perfect cookbook.

Update: The author has an odd obsession with evaporated milk. Almost every recipe calls for it. I have no idea why, but I most likely will find a way to avoid it and substitute whole milk instead.

[Nicole Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already cook a great deal so I'm often disappointed with cookbooks. With every recipe available at the click of a Google search, I'm not sure how such books even still get published. This one however is more of a blueprint, which earns it my approval. The author explains in a way that I wasn't previously able to articulate to my friends the idea of master formulas for meals. Great concept for teaching people to cook from the heart.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything that Pam Anderson publishes is brilliant and this book is no exception. I have been trying to incorporate more meatless meals into my diet, and this book is a great help. My one caveat is that there are many repeated recipes from prior cookbooks here, but I love the idea that you can use this book, follow the formulas, and make a great meal using items that you have on hand without running out to the supermarket. No weird ingredients here, just simple, tasty recipes.

[Mary Schumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

made one recipe so far - potato feta gyros - YUM. I'm very excited about this book - not because I need help cooking w/o a book, but because her ideas are just so clever. I've never been disappointed with her recipes. Extra benefit is that they are unusual enough not to be bored, but fast enough for weeknights. I'm a huge fan of her methods and, apparently, of her taste buds.

[Kjennings]

This is a cookbook to use if you are wanting to try to be a vegetarian but don't want to spend alot of time in the kitchen. Everything I have tried has turned out great and even non-vegetarians will like it.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked her suggestions for her options for cheesy grits

chopped spinach and feta
provolone and roasted peppers
pepper jack cheese and corn
mushrooms and smoked gruyere
sharp cheddar and scallions
smoked mozzarella and sun-dried tomatoes
fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and chopped basil (an italian caprese salad put into your grits)
roasted peppers and pepper jack with cilantro

---

variation - tomato grits with parmesan and basil

1 cup quick grits
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
2 cups tomato juice
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tea salt
1 table butter

(for more luxurious flavor stir in a small pat of butter along with the cheese)
(think of grits like polenta)

grate cheese, boil water, whisk for five minutes, wait till the cheese is melted

---

cheesy grits

eggplant parmesan sandwiches
strange potato and feta greek gyros
goat cheese pancakes with peach syrup

an odd philly cheesesteak without thinly-sliced beef! (i'm not yet convinced)
mushroom sandwiches au jus (i'm not yet convinced)
lemon and coconut stir-fry sauce

never a fan of vegetarian cookbooks, but there is a fair amount of interesting stuff in places

[Lesli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept. Not sure I love the execution. Teaching how to vary your meals is a very difficult thing. I always appreciate this concept in a cookbook; but I don't think it really translates to practice. Definitely have a personal problem with eggs in so many of the "meatless" recipes. Eggs = baby chickens. How is that not meat?

[Candace W · Rating 2 out of 5]

It didn't work for me. At first, I thought I would like the idea of being able to try variations for each recipe, but it turns out the book is more like a "Choose your own adventure" and it just kind of annoyed me.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, it's the only recipe book I've consistently gone to for recipe suggestions

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy-to-read book with easy-to-follow recipes. I mostly use cookbooks for inspiration and then make my own versions using whatever ingredients I have on hand. This book had nice illustrations and recipes that weren't too extravagant; I'd recommend this one to people who are starting to cut back on meat since it's pretty straightforward and non-judgmental.

[January · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never never ever read cookbooks cover to cover. I skim and extract interesting recipes and add them to my personal recipe book on Google Docs. The problem with this book is that EVERY SINGLE recipe looks good. So I painstakingly copied nearly the whole book over a 6 month period.

These "recipes" are exactly the type of recipes I like: healthy, vegetable heavy, vegetarian, and formulas. I like healthy recipes because I am constantly struggling with my weight. I like vegetable-heavy recipes because I'm a gardener and I have a CSA share from my local farm (I have TONS of vegetables to "get rid of"). I prefer vegetarian meals, because it's hard for me to source ethical meat (I am a "part time vegetarian" as Anderson terms it.). And I prefer formulas over recipes because I eat seasonally and locally and formulas give me the flexibility to cook with what I already have instead of going to the store to get all the ingredients for a traditional recipe.

For many people the idea of formulas instead of recipes will be frightening. You need flavor sense and a flair for pairing textures. There is a lot of room for error with these formulas. But there is a lot of room for creativity, too. If you are an intermediate or advanced cook, this book will take you to next level and add some great healthy dishes to your repertoire. If you're a beginning cook, I'd start somewhere else.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm trying not to be petty about the title so I won't comment (but I mean, come ON!)

In other news, I was really disappointed with this book. I'm a little shocked that turns out to be the case, however, since it is practically the very book I wanted to write (minus the meatless part) - a kind of "key" to making meals with variations - ie: pick a veg, pick an herb, pick a starch - prepare this way - you have dinner.

Unfortunately, the technique doesn't translate well in book format and this book's format is particularly confusing to me. I would basically have to sit down with a piece of paper and write out the recipe I would be preparing based on the options and that's way more work than just getting out my favorite cookbook.

In addition, none of the recipes are that exciting and I don't know why the emphasis is placed on "meatless" except for marketing purposes.

Perhaps this is a good book for the beginning cook, but I think when I first started cooking this would have overwhelmed me.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic cookbook. The author lays out a wide array of dishes, from appetizers to salads, to side dishes and main courses, and sets up a template for each recipe. She describes the dish and lists several proteins, grains, veggies, etc. that home cooks can choose to incorporate into their meal. Anderson also provides several of her recommended recipes - for those who aren't ready to branch off on their own yet, they can stick to her rules. But her main goal is provide a blueprint for cooks to follow to make a successful and nutritious meal.

I appreciate the level of guidance and explanation Anderson provides. She makes great suggestions about flavor and texture. I know the book is intended to give me confidence and knowledge so that I can branch off on my own with this dishes, but she has so many good suggestions and ideas, I'm considering buying this book to have on my own kitchen reference shelf.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another collection from best-selling cookbook author, Pam Anderson. Like all cookbooks, there were recipes I liked, others I didn't, but that is as it's supposed to be. I did enjoy that the recipes were easy to follow and without huge amounts of strange ingredients - instead using mostly stuff I already have on my shelves or can easily pick up.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to add more vegetarian meals to their diet. Trust me, you won't miss the meat.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a practical, handy cookbook for vegetarians. Over the years I have purchased or borrowed from the library many many vegetarian cookbooks, always searching for the perfect recipes. Turns out that the perfect recipe is the one that complements the food you have in the refrigerator and your staples in your pantry! That is why I like this cookbook. Its flexible approach in suggesting food combinations works for me.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

i actually didn't cook anything from this book; however, i liked the author's concept of a base recipe with different ways that you can prepare it. plus, most of the recipes weren't too fussy. i finally found a cookbook that reflects how i like to eat as a vegetarian.

[Mirien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been happy with every recipe I've tried from this book. I love the format of the book--basic templates and suggestions of ingredients to combine. So many new vegetarian meal ideas that are family friendly and easy to prepare. This is a book I can see my self using frequently.

[Jennifer Miera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up buying this book. Though most of the recipes involve eggs or dairy, there are certain ones that are easily adapted to vegan. I've made 2 - 3 recipes from this book and we especially like the Creamy White Bean and Noodle Soup that resembles a "chicken" pot pie without the pie crust.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just for vegetarians , this is a great cookbook for omnivores too! This is pretty much how I cook anyway, so it expanded my repertoire. I made several of these recipes and added meat to some. They were all very good. I want to buy this book!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great ideas for someone who knows how to cook or new cook that need some new ideas for meatless meals. You make the recipe fit your taste with multiple ideas for ingredients to fit the cooks taste.

Took this from the library but I am adding this to my must buy list.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book A LOT.
Simple fare and uncomplicated recipes.
Yummy.

[Hilary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have made several recipes from this book, and so far every single one has come out really delicious.

[Dawn D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this style of recipes with options. The breakfast fruit pizzas are worth the price of admission. I own both hardback and electronic copies.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like the way she helps you create your own recipes. The book is more about knowledge and creativity than recipes. I love that.

[Linda Hartlaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book to add easy, quick meals to your repertoire, or for beginning cooks to learn the basics and how to substitute. Enough variations to keep going back to this book indefinitely.

[Deyara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay and the concept is pretty good but nothing really earth-shattering here.

[Marianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the format.