jillrenee in boston's Profile

it depends on the cookbook-

I find that restaurant cookbooks tend to have more expensive ingredients and more complicated recipes.

but then, there recipes are very well tested.

I find that as long as I carefully read through the recipe and give it plenty of time the first time, it's okay.

my favorite restaurant cookbook is "Real Food Daily"- from a vegan LA restaurant (they have wonderful mac and cheese, tempeh loaf, green bean casserole- it's my comfort food cookbook)

I'm making homemade gefilte fish and <A href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Cauliflower-Leek-Kugel-with-Almond-Herb-Crust-231889">cauliflower-leek-kugel for a potluck seder.

I'm the vegetarian/pescatarian one attending.

there will of course be matza ball soup; and the hosts are being super nice and making a veggie soup for me as well (the host says it's not passover without his grandmother's chicken soup with matza balls)

last year I made chickpea soup (minus the noodles, of course) with the matza balls. it was delicous.

I became a vegetarian for ecological reasons; I'll eat fish if it's on the "okay for the planet" list put out by monterey bay aquarium, for example.

I don't want to do anything to promote the eating of meat; but I don't evangelize or scold;

plus our kitchen is kosher (all vegetarian kitchens are automatically kosher), and my husband honors that.

he survived on mac and cheese, take-out, and freezer meals before he met me, plus he's gone down several pants sizes; and he loves the food I make.

pretty much; if the food is made well, he'll eat it; so I'm blessed.

and he gets his meat out of the house; everyone that comes over knows they are getting a vegan/fish meal but that it will be delicious :)

the tofu at whole foods is actually cheaper than at trader joe's (the house brand, anyways)

but their nutritional yeast is MUCH more expensive than at the local food co-op

that's a good starter list.

other things I keep:

tomato paste
molasses
pomegranate molasses
rosewater
tamarind puree (found at indian grocers)
rice vinegar
vital wheat gluten (for making seitan)
whole wheat pastry flour
earth balance margarine- tub and sticks
whole wheat couscous

pretty much; the ingredients to making my favorite ethnic dishes; which are naturally vegetarian and easy to make vegan.

my cookbook (clippings, internet recipes, photocopies)
veganomicon
joy of cooking
vegan with a vengeance
vegan lunchbox
vegan cupcakes take over the world
how to cook everything
vegetarian cooking for everyone
yellow rose recipes

I definitely count my green notebook (1st choice, above) as a cookbook!

I'm a vegetarian, and no one else in my family is; but they aren't minding an all-vegetarian meal.

it's the side dishes that are special, anyways.

I'm making tempeh loaf and golden gravy,and green been casserole (all from the real food daily cookbook);

mashed yams with marshmellows (yes, not vegetarian but only once a year...)

and pumpkin pie and pecan pie for dessert.

and fresh potato bread if I can fit it in. (luckily, all the baked items are with 25 degrees of each other in temperature!)

it will be yummy :)

tuna noodle casserole used to be my potluck meal of choice- everyone loved it!

I would bring it to the host house fully assembled, pop it in the oven once I got there; and then by the time it was done people were ready to eat- it was perfect.

hmm... i just found this:
vegan cauliflower marranca

I may have to try it

I had intestinal surgery, plus get migraines.

I maintain a web page with my restrictions- although I need to also put what I *like* up there since people are incredulous how I live.

in general: no meat, chicken, dairy, asparagus (landed me in the med center in college), cranberries, celery and corn kernels (hard to digest), chocolate, nitrates (present in preserved fish), no seafood, peanuts, lentils, or split peas.

in general, really small amounts are okay; I'm sensitive (will get sick) rather than allergic (go into anaphylactic shock)