Fields of Greens: New Vegetarian Recipes From The Celebrated Greens Restaurant

by Annie Somerville

Fields of Greens New Vegetarian Recipes from the Celebrated Greens Restaurant - 1993 publication.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Vegetarian

461 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last time I was at Greens, Robin Williams was eating there. Apparently he eats there a lot. If I had the money, I would, too.

Greens is more than just a vegetarian restaurant. It's a wonderful eating experience, whether one is vegetarian or not. It's true that there's an emphasis on their fantastic produce, but you won't miss the meat.

I'm probably the worst person to review cookbooks, since I tend to view recipes as inspiration rather than direction. Case in point: last night I made the Palak Shorva (curried spinach soup). I had some swiss chard that I wanted to use up, so I used half swiss chard and half spinach. I didn't have fenugreek, so I used a bit of curry powder instead. And I didn't have basmati rice on hand, so I used Bhutanese red rice. It was delicious. It was lick the bowl delicious. I had to force myself to stop eating.

There's a recipe for pizza involving an onion jam, sage, and gorgonzola that is legendary in our household. I think my son would drive hours to have some. Like many of the recipes in this book, it can be made laboriously (making one's own pizza crust), but it's easy to sub in quicker options (using a Boboli, for instance). The really important bits (like cooking the onions over a low heat for a very long time until they are jam-like) are spelled out clearly, and are worth the effort.

A fine addition to one's cookbook shelf, whether you're vegetarian or not.

[Gina]

So far:

Three Bean Salad with Jicama and Orange: Fantastic and worth the price of the book for me. I will be making this often. Used canned beans to speed it up, since it calls for three different types which must all be cooked separately.

Jicama-Orange Salad: Did a mix of oranges and grapefruit as suggested as an alternative. Might have been better with better produce. Included radishes, but I don't really care for the bitterness they added. Probably won't make again.

Corn and Bulgur Salad with Cilantro and Lime:
I really liked the bulgur, which I have never used before. I think I would have liked this better if the ingredients had been left raw, as in pico de gallo or salsa. In fact, rather than make this again, I will probably just add bulgur next time I make one of those things.

Lentil Salad with Curry Spices and Yogurt: This is pretty good. I liked that it didn't use a premixed curry powder, so I could adjust the proportions to my liking. I would probably make this again. It's a good recipe for French lentils.

Basmati and Wild Rice Salad with Tangerines and Pine Nuts: Really good. I substituted almonds for the pine nuts since pine nuts are so expensive. I used tangerines for the juice, but for the tangerine sections I used tangelos instead since they're so easy to peel and section. I also used dried cranberries instead of currants because I don't care for currants. I'm sure I will make this again. It's a good holiday side dish.

[Melipstick · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Buttermilk Ginger Lemon Muffin recipe is fantastic. So is the ginger marinated tofu recipe, and the peanut sauce. Some of the recipes seem a little on the fancy side, and I find some of the ingredients difficult to get my hands on, but the more basic recipes are worth purchasing this book on Amazon used for $1.99.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one has a wide variety of vegetarian recipes. Lately we have been making a lot of curried spinach soup with coconut milk. The children like the greens and the rice, and they love coconut milk.

[Mindy Kannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is worn and dogeared from use. Absolutely love it. A book I come back to constantly when I am looking for some great salads and vegetarian dishes.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent vegetarian recipes that I return to time and time again. It expanded my repertoire even more by adding twists to the usual fare that I've been able to incorporate into other things we'd been cooking for years. For example, making our own chipoltle sauce (which stores forever) to use on quesadillas as a base (besides cheese) has made the usual kid-food something delectable!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book. No pictures but that's perfectly alright. I think cookbooks which are accessible to the masses contain recipes which utilize what most of us have readily on-hand but in elevated combinations which inspire. This book does that. Branch out there and try a few things. They are tasty recipes!

[Siberia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent vegetarian cookbook. I've made many of the recipes over several years, and everything I've cooked has been excellent and visually appealing. The only drawback is that these recipes tend to be very time consuming, so in our house this is more a cookbook for special occasions than something for everyday use. Still excellent, though.

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book back in the 1980s after falling in love with Greens restaurant and have used it ever since. The recipes tend to be somewhat complex (though not outrageous like French Laundry Cookbook or anything) but they are ALL absolutely FABULOUS!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love love love the lemon ice cream recipe. The Moroccan Lentil soup is perfect for cold days when you feel the need for warmth and nourishment!
A lovely vegetarian cook book if you want something spectacular and delicious.

[Dioscita · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're just beginning to test the waters of this book (and are already immensely fond of the original Greens cookbook) but so far this is promising!

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few vegetarian cookbooks I've ever found worth a damn. Recipes are slightly complicated, but 100% reliable if done well.

[Kelly Lack · Rating 5 out of 5]

My go-to cookbook.