Cafe Flora Cookbook

by Catherine Geier, Carol Brown

For more than a decade, Seattle’s award-winning Cafe Flora has been serving up ingenious vegetarian and vegan dishes, which have become so popular that even meat lovers long for the taste of their Portobello Wellington or Oaxaca Tacos. Their modern, sophisticated approach to vegetarian cooking is inspired by international culinary traditions and informed by a decade of chefs working toward a goal of common good and uncommonly good food. For the enterprising home cook, the chefs at Cafe Flora are the perfect guides for an incomparable culinary adventure. Their dedication to discovery has led them to develop unique ways to transform classic favorite recipes into meat-free dishes, often with greater flair than the original. And now they are sharing their flavor-enhancing tricks and preparation techniques that make every dish at Cafe Flora memorable. From beverages and brunch dishes to appetizers and main courses to sides, salads, and condiments, the 250 original recipes are given with easy-to-follow, detailed instructions, to save time cooking and cleaning up. Along with serving and presentation suggestions, substitutions where appropriate, and a host of other culinary tips and advice, The Cafe Flora Cookbook embodies the true genius of this inventive restaurant.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Vegan, Cooking

272 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2005

Reviews

[Stina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome vegetarian cookbook! Almost everything I have made from this book has been fantastic. I've made soups, sandwiches, wellingtons, salads, grains, and sauces, and after each one I've been even more impressed than before. I know this cookbook will continue to be a staple in my cooking. The satisfy vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The enchiladas (I think called something like smoky tomato yam mushroom enchiladas?) are a favorite at our house, and this is the recipe I use when making my own enchilada sauce. The seitan fajitas are also a big hit. I love brunch at Cafe Flora, especially waffles with mascarpone, but only really tried the dinner recipes from this book.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

From one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle. Only use this cookbook if you have lots of time to cook.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sat on the bookshelf for some time - the recipes are a bit more labor intensive than most for vegetarian meals. BUT - we love the restaurant and I have been plowing through this book lately (COV-19 lock down) - the recipes are worth the work and show stopper vegetarian meals just like the restaurant.

Very impressed and highly recommend.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice PNW cookbook, focusing on vegetarian dishes. Worth reading.

[Kaitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an impulse purchase when I lived in Bellingham. The bookstore in Fairhaven wrote these great little in-store reviews of their favorite books and I'm a sucker for cookbooks, especially cookbooks after interesting vegetarian restaurants based in nearby Seattle, so I bought it!

Updated 2/11/09: This impulse purchase is collecting dust on my shelf, since after making two or three recipes from this book, I've realized they're overly complicated. I'd rather splurge a little and eat at the restaurant than attempt to make three recipes in one recipe. I'll still keep the book and flip through it every once in awhile, but it's not on my top list of favorite cookbooks.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ate at Cafe Flora a few times, years ago when I lived in Seattle. I stumbled across the cookbook in a used bookstore and had to buy it. A good selection of vegetarian and vegan recipes. I have many recipes tagged to make but the Roasted Garlic Dijon Lentil Soup was the first I tried. Excellent flavor. Here's a link to the recipe/post: http://kahakaikitchen.blogspot.com/20...

[Jamie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best cookbook I've ever had. It's classy yet simple enough to be the kind of ingredients you have hanging around your kitchen anyways. My favorites include the Oaxaca Tacos and the Curry Lentil Quinoa Burgers.

On top of the unique combinations and surprises this book will offer you, know that about 50% of this book is vegetarian, and about 50% vegan.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is fun. I keep thinking, i should give it away... and then im charmed by it again, thinking im totally going to make that recipe this time...and it survives every cookbook purge and stands smug in its self value. Just a really nice cookbook!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Bellevue of vegetarian cookbooks. This is full of recipes-to-impress, but not for anyone looking to whip something up in a hurry from what is in your cupboard. Each recipe will require a run to the store.
Excellent for turning omnivore foodies into vegetarians.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yum! Great recipes. Great read - fantastic restaurant. Thanks Steph.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent recipes. Most of them are even nutritious if you add a little meat.

[Elizabeth]

Mmm... Pecan lentil pate...

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many not-in-my-pantry ingredients.