The Accidental Vegetarian: Delicious Food Without Meat

by Simon Rimmer

When Simon Rimmer bought a small vegetarian restaurant he had no idea how to cook. Armed with two cookbooks and heaps of enthusiasm, he and a friend created the best vegetarian restaurant in Manchester, Greens, famous for its inventive, delicious food and terrific atmosphere.

The Accidental Vegetarian is the culmination of Simon’s culinary adventure. A confirmed meat eater, Simon had to rethink his cooking style as he opened his restaurant, and in this book he presents original and easy-to-prepare vegetarian recipes that will please even the most dedicated carnivore, and win over the most intimidated would-be chef. Simon borrows cooking styles and ideas from all corners of the globe to create unique combinations of ingredients that result in flavorful and interesting dishes such as Green Papaya Salad, Eggplant Tikka, Pumpkin Enchiladas with Mole sauce, Filo Strudel with Port Wine Sauce and Red Thai Bean Curry.

From his more exotic inventions to good old favorites, The Accidental Vegetarian will help forever retire the bean-sprout and tofu image of vegetarian meals from the minds of people everywhere.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Vegetarian

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Desi]

Really great collection of recipes, too few pictures for my taste, but I’ve been spoiled by modern hipster cookbooks. What I really liked about this particular cookbook is that the recipes did not contain weird and inaccessible ingredients. A lot of modern vegan/vegetarian cookbooks frequently make use of things like tempeh and other non-traditional ingredients. While I like those ingredients and think it’s amazing to incorporate them into European cooking, it can be incredibly daunting for a beginner vegetarian cook. This book is very much back to basics for me, it includes many, delicious recipes which can be made on any given work night. I like that some of them include little things that also bump up the flavor enormously. For example, I never thought of adding chocolate to my chili (I know, my life has been empty and sad until now) and the recipe for stuffed peppers is a great improvement on my own. Would definitely recommend to any vegetarian, whether they are just starting out or not, and anyone who wishes to include more delicious, plant-based food into their diet.

[TISHA]

This was an okay book to flip through. I didn't find anything really appealing, but there is one dessert that I would love to try.

[Sophie]

Great book with some delicious recipes, the moroccan spaghetti is especially tasty.

I haven't found a bad recipe in this book yet.

Nice vegetarian recipes that would be equally enjoyable to any meat-eater willing to give them a try.

Not every recipe has a photograph, but those that do are displayed nicely.

[Jocelin]

Can I just say yum! The food in this book was absolutely mouth-watering. This was a cookbook that even my husband showed interest in ( he always has to have meat with his meal). The recipes looked super easy and simply delicious.

[Rebecca]

A really quite decent Vegetarian cookbook, particularly as Rimmer creates dishes which are more than just simple vegetable stir fries, he creates recipes that even carnivors begin to salivate over while reading.

[H.L.]

This is a great introduction to vegetarian cooking. Good for anyone who wants to be vegetarian, has friends who don't eat meat, or really any open-minded omnivore. There are a few typos, but nothing that prevents one from using the book to its fullest.

[Daphne]

Interesting recipes. I've only made two things but they were both very good.

[Lori]

GOOD IDEAS/GOOD PICS...

[Ady]

I liked this cookbook.

There are several recipes I will try, and that I think would be great to serve to meat eaters as well.

[Mary]

one of the 10 best vegetarian cookbooks, according to The Independent