A Modern Way to Cook

by Anna Jones

From the author of the brilliant A Modern Way to Eat, a new collection of delicious, healthy, inspiring vegetarian recipes – that are so quick to make they’re achievable on any night of the week. Many more of us are interested in eating healthier food on a regular basis but sometimes, when we’re home late, tired after work, and don’t have time to buy lots of ingredients, it can just seem too complicated. In this brilliant new collection of recipes, Anna Jones makes clean, nourishing, vegetable-centred food realistic on any night of the week. Chapters will be broken down by time (recipes for under 15, 20, 30 or 40 minutes) and also by planning a little ahead (quick healthy breakfasts, dishes you can make and re-use throughout the week). Anna’s new book will be a truly practical and inspiring collection for anyone who wants to put dinner on the table quickly, without fuss, trips to specialist shops or too much washing up, but still eat food that tastes incredible and is doing you good.

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

352 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2015

About the author

Anna Jones is a cook, writer and stylist, the voice of modern vegetarian cooking and the author of the bestselling A Modern Way to Eat, A Modern Way to Cook and The Modern Cook’s Year.

Her books are sold in ten countries and have been translated into five languages. In 2018, The Modern Cook’s Year won the coveted Observer Food Monthly Best Cookbook Award and The Guild of Food Writers Cookbook of the Year. Her previous books have been nominated for the James Beard, Fortnum & Mason and Andre Simon awards.

She also writes a weekly, well-loved column for The Guardian.

Anna believes that vegetables should be put at the centre of every table, and is led by the joy of food – the spritz of freshness when you peel an orange or the crackle and waft of deep savoury spice when you add curry leaves to a pan of hot oil.

She lives in Hackney, east London with her husband and young son.

Reviews

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a vegetarian, so don't think I'm the usual sort who picks up this cookbook. And my husband is light-years from being a vegetarian, so he will provide a perfect test subject for the recipes of this book.

I read the book and I tried a recipe. Oh my. We are talking flavor, folks, and it isn't the kind of amazing flavor that fades once you start considering the harm you are doing to your body from the actual sugar, salt, and fat that often comes with those huge flavor sensations. No, this is intense flavor and it's the Good Jedi kind.

Sometimes it helps to have photos, so I'll include those, too.

I will say that you won't find everything you need in your cabinet, and you may even (I did) have to ask the checker at Kroger to send you in the right direction for a few ingredients. On the other hand, the meals are as fast as anything I've ever cooked, and you can creatively substitute this and that for what you have on hand.

Want to try vegetarian? This is probably a great first book for you.

[Kym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Jones is called the new Nigella. I don't know. I think there is a hearty dose of Jamie Oliver thrown in. She is a chef so there is a chefiness to some of the recipes. Like a lot of steps. The cookbook is organized by the amount of time it takes one to prepare the dishes. Therefore, even though some recipes have a lot steps, you get an idea of how much time all of that is going to take you.

The recipes are interesting and contain many of those "weird" ingredients my mother refuses to acknowledge. If you are fine with quinoa and making your own coconut yogurt, you will be ok with these recipes. I'm looking forward to trying many of these. The photos are lovely and a nice complement to the recipes. They are a little artsy and show how these might be served in a hipster restaurant. They won't look like this on your table with your paper napkins.

My complaint is the layout. Um, when it takes three pages to present a recipe, it makes it seem unwieldy. When I have to turn the photo page to get to the rest of the recipe, I get annoyed. I don't always do a mise-en-place when cooking weeknight dinners and flipping back and forth from the directions to the ingredient measurements is a pain. I'm also more likely to soil my cookbook. It is just not a user-friendly format. Fine for a coffee table book, though.

[Critterbee❇ · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible undertaking by the author! This book is packed full of endless options and delicious recipes, and is a great reference to have in every kitchen. At times, I felt that there were too many recipes, and that perhaps Anna Jones should have saved some for her next cookbook. This is a really, really good value!

Some words that kept coming to mind include casual, honest, easy, and enormous. In the beginning, the recipes are divided by the amount of time they take to prepare. The recipes are simple, they look delicious, and they are vegetarian. Every recipe is introduced with alternate ingredients listed so it is very easy to make the dishes using ingredients that you have on hand, or to tweak per dietary requirements. Included at the end of the book are lists of recipes are vegan and gluten free, and recipes that can become vegan or gluten free with slight tweaking.

On top of the tons of recipes, there are charts in the book that help provide countless options for making omelets, grain bowls, one pot meals, baked potato meals, one pot meals, salads, stir fry meals, breakfast smoothies, overnight oats and fruit desserts.

If that were not enough, there are also how-to sections on making nut or seed milks, cooking and freezing beans, making paneer, and more.

This is a complete, all around manual for making interesting, original, delicious and nutritious vegetarian meals every day of the year. Highly Recommended.


**eARC Netgalley**

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman]

I only allow myself to formally review cookbooks that are more biography or travelogue with a few recipes thrown in. But I just wanted to point out a couple of things I noticed, other than the impossibly short cooking times:
- not enough pictures
- recipes split across two pages when they didn't need to be. I HATE having to flip back and forth with greasy hands.

Publisher's fault, of course. But I can't blame the publisher for these ingredients:
a handful of coconut flakes
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp smoked paprika
So you grab a "handful" of coconut flakes--would that be a 6-foot tall man's hand or a 4-foot tall woman's?--but you use exactly 1 Tbsp of maple syrup and 1 tsp paprika. I find that unbearably annoying--be loose or be exact, but not at the same time!

I am happy to report that Ms. Jones doesn't put pepper in everything, but I still say there's too much of it. I like her chatty attitude--it's encouraging. It almost had me believing that I could actually be turning pasta every 30 seconds or so as it cooks, and at the same time be removing any tough stems from the kale and coarsely tearing the leaves.

Sound easy? For a three-handed space alien, easy. Or maybe with a lot of caffeine....

[Haidy Geismar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is filled with vegetarian and vegan recipes and many of them are organized by how long it takes to cook. Lots of great images and some really innovative use of ingredients. However I think that many of the recipes have not been tested...when making the quantities were sometimes off and on occasion there are ingredients missing or instructions missing. One of the recipes for beans and chard was pictured in a lovely tomato sauce but there were no tomatoes in the ingredients list! Overall it feels as though it has been put together too quickly and the recipes simply aren't as dependable as they should be. Fine if you like improvising and are flexible. Not so good if you are banking on an easy to follow template....

[Cherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this out of the library. I normally find that I'll only make a couple of recipes again so don't buy cookbooks, but there are plenty here I'll be making many more times so I'll be dusting off the wallet and buying a copy. They really are quick and easy, and all but one that I made were delicious.

The timings are rounded down a bit - you can't grate 4 courgettes, grill them for 20 minutes and then grill them for 10-15 more minutes, all in 30 minutes.

Because the recipes are vegetable-based, I've eaten more veges by using these recipes - always a good thing.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this one a lot! Everything's organized by the amount of time it takes to make, starting with 15 minutes (I can handle that!), and ending with 40-45 minutes, which I definitely like. Yay for knowing up front how long something should take to cook! Yay for having things in here that you can cook that fast!

The other thing I absolutely love is her sections on different variations--like a formula for omelet fillings with a chart full of about 40 different ingredients and how you can combine them in different ways to change things up, or a similar chart for easy salads to pack and take to work with you for lunch, with 30 or so ingredients. There are also charts for grain bowls, stir-fries, baked potatoes (both sweet and regular), easy things to throw together using different veggies you have on hand, and one-pan dinners. So helpful for nights when you haven't planned anything and just need to cook using whatever you can scrounge together right at that moment (aka every night in our house)!

But also the flavor combinations totally work for me and these aren't the same bunch of recipes I see in every other vegetarian cookbook--there are a lot of things I'd never thought of before, like using white beans as a quesadilla filling with roasted red peppers and Manchego cheese, or savory beet pancakes with goat cheese and olives. I really want to eat just about everything in this book, and not only that, but I actually feel inspired to make them for myself!

So yeah. This one is a definite hit for me!

[KayW4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest, when I first glanced through this cook book I didn't think I'd like it - the pictures were just so over-the-top glossy, screaming "unattainable lifestyle that you should envy rather than learn from." But - then I tried a few recipes! And they really are wonderful. With a young child at home, I'm always on the lookout for these type of meals: healthy, quick and tasty with an ingredient list that isn't too pricey or rare. In my opinion, Jones' book ticks all those boxes. The first recipe of the entire book, the one pot pasta with lemon, kale and cherry tomatoes, is a great example: so simple, but incredibly tasty and it was a huge success on the dinner table last night at our house. I made it with wholegrain spaghetti and frozen chopped spinach rather than kale, but it was wonderful all the same. Another personal favorite is the way she gives lists of suggestions of fillings in things like omelets and grain bowls; that way you can quickly and easily adapt to whatever you have in the house. Five stars for sure!

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the book with the recipes that are full of "normal" ingredients, specially if they have the pictures of (almost) all the dishes in the end. So this book is going to be one of my favorite and I will buy the paper version the moment it goes out on sale.

Mi piacciono i libri di ricette i cui ingradienti sono "normali" e specialmente quelli in cui molte, se non tutte, le ricette hanno la foto alla fine. Quindi questo libro si annovera tra i miei preferiti e cercheró di comprare quanto prima la versione cartacea.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND TEN SPEED PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Shagufta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book and this book, as well as her earlier book "A Modern Way to Eat" were my Ramadan cookbooks. Not every recipe is something i would eat but this book has definitely made me more joyful and confident in the kitchen. So glad to have come across this book.

[AnnaP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this! It's probably a bit too healthy for me day to day, but even so, the recipes are simple and tasty.

[James Ingram · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a decent tomato and miso soup, but found everything else either irritatingly written, cliché, or tasteless

[Nora St Laurent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve made several wonderful tasting recipes from this author last book titled, “A Modern Way to Eat,” I was thrilled to see she had another book out. I also like the philosophy in which this author views food and health. She states, “I want standout, delicious food that leaves me feeling energized, light, bright, and satisfied. It’s this intersection between wellness and deliciousness that I strive for with every plat of food I make to eat. And with all the talk of health and wellness in the food industry, I think this sweet spot is becoming ever more important. Wellness doesn’t come at the expense of deliciousness.”

She continues …”It’s important to make a commitment to eating well, but it’s also important to be realistic…To me, eating well is far simpler than it is often made out to be. Buy good ingredients, cook at home, and make the majority of what you eat plants and vegetables, and listen and react to your body. I don’t think it’s much more complicated than that.” Amen to that!

I agree with the author when she says … “Right now, too many sweeping generalizations are being made in the world of food. Foods like bread are being vilified, and chefs and nutritionists are making blanket statements about how certain staple, cheap, and useful nutritious foods are unduly bad for our bodies. I think this is damaging, as it, means our psychology around these foods changes. We attach guild and a “forbidden” label to food, increasing our anxiety around it and causing us to crave it even more.” (So true!)

I found the lay out of this book very helpful. She has the recipes listed in the time it takes to make them. For example the first chapter is titled In the time it takes to set the table. Two Ready in Twenty; Next is On the table in Half an Hour, then Forty-Minute Feasts, and Investment cooking and Super-fast Breakfasts. Last but not least are the chapters titled, Quick desserts and sweet treats.

The authors’ recipes have easy to follow instructions. Most recipes have several ingredients listed that can be found in most grocery stores. Above most recipes the author talks about the dish you are about to make. I found this interesting. I also liked that the author included a chard that tells the reader of other ingredients that can be substituted. It allows the reader to be creative in making the recipe.

I look forward to trying the following recipes; Carrot and Chickpea Pancake with Lemon-Spiked Dressing, Zucchini Noodles with Pistachio, Green Herbs and Ricotta, Crispy Cauliflower Rice with Sticky Spiced Cashews, Sweet Roasted Zucchini with Crispy Chickpeas. There are Salted Almond Butter Chocolate Bars and Fruit frozen Ice Cream type bars that look yummy too.

I like how this author helps the lay person realistically get a flavorful, healthy mean on the table most days of the week. My whole family loved the other recipes I made from the last book. This book is a beautiful hard back book filled with great information, outstanding looking recipes and lovely color pictures throughout. I can’t wait to try the recipes I mentioned and the many I didn’t!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Blogging for Books site. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Magazine www.bookfunmagazine.com

[7jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book from this author, 150+ recipes, photographs for many, but not all, recipes, in color. These recipes are generally vegan, but a list of vegan and gluten-free recipes (and ones that can be made into such) is included at the end of the book. At the start are some ingredients and tools lists, and she talks about wise use of time and having ingredients ready.

Recipes are grouped by making-time, plus there are some batch-cookings and desserts. Each recipe has making time, and introduction with possible tips. Here and there are occasionaly some meal combinations suggested in just ingredients-list forms (fe.baked potatoes, stir-fries, flavor boosters.

Some favorites:
Kale tomato and lemon magic one-pot spaghetti, Spiced pea and paneer chapattis, Lemongrass peanut and herb bun cha, Charred broccoli with cucumber noodles and peanut sauce, Black bean and corn fritters, Persian pea and herb little bakes with beetroot labneh, Sweet roasted courgettes with crispy chickpeas, Fragnant herb and star anise pho, Lentil ragù agrodolce, Crispy chickpea and harissa burger, Honeyed rye bread, Amazing crackers, Carrot cake flapjack bars, Peach and raspberry ripple breakfast, Coconut rhubarb and lime panna cotta, Instant raw salted caramel chocolate mousse.

I gave this book 3 stars, because I’m picky and don’t always like her favorites that often pop up in the ingredients lists (like quinoa, squashes, avocado, certain coconut ingredients, and sweet potato). But this was still worth owning for recipes like those above, even if the book won’t ever be seen by me as essential. The photography was quite likeable, and the recipes felt quite doable. So that’s how I experienced this book!

[Ming Suan Ong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been on my radar for so long but finally found it at the library and wish I had checked it out it earlier. Vegetarian and healthy but so many interesting recipes - def a modern way to cook. Not just recipes but many useful tips - components of salads and goodness bowls lso you can invent your own, omelette filling ideas, baked potato ideas, one tray dinner ideas: how to cook dried legumes etc I made the crispy cauliflower rice with sticky spiced cashews - my rice wasn’t crispy but still very tasty. Also made the modern moussaka which was a nice side (though did add cheese at the top for the kids). Also really liked the Nordic morning bowls (porridge with spices) and the amazing lemon cannellini cake was a big hit. I also made the amazing crackers which were delicious if a bit messy and crumbly and the beetroot walnut and date dip (very tasty). I liked the ultimate pecan (walnut in my case) banana breakfast bread made with oats but the texture was too stodgy for my kids. It’s a really good book with lots of things I want to try to make and which sound good for you too.

[Elske · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I definitely prefer Anna Jones' first book (A Modern Way to Eat). I've tried a lot of recipes from this one, and whilst some of them are great, some not so much. I do like the time indication though. It's an easy one for family cooking during the week, but I would recommend her first book over this one!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been moved to review a cookbook before but I am in love with this book and want to share that love. It can get hard eating a vegetarian diet without getting bored by the meals I can make at home. This book mixes things up with fresh flavors and easy to follow tips for getting creative. Love it!

[Lynne Borsos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made about 20 of the recipes in this book and most of them we loved and would make again. These recipes were all vegetarian but she does such a great job with flavor profiles and textures, you don’t miss the meat. I also loved that almost every recipe has a photo. I would have given this book 5 stars except for two significant drawbacks: first, the book is organized by how long recipes take to cook which is a great idea except I found the timing was way off. Most of the recipes took me twice as long as she said they would. I often chose recipes based on how much energy or time I had and was frustrated when they took much longer to come together. My second drawback impacted the first: I found the writing very difficult to follow. I had to read and reread the recipe over and over again to understand what she was instructing me to do. The final product almost always turned out well but it was frustrating to have to try so hard to understand the instructions. I ended up crossing out and rewriting confusing sentences so that next time, the recipes will come together faster.

[Emlikescake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh heck yes. This book is awesome!! I’ve been vegetarian for years, so little of this was unfamiliar to me, but this is an excellent collection of easy and tasty recipes. The way it’s organized by time to cook threw me at first, but turns out it’s a great idea. Definitely going to buy this for my permanent collection!

[Joanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this from my library- and really want to keep it forever. So, I guess I'm going to be investing in a new cookbook. There are so many things I wanted to try that I lost count. The use of a kettle in this book is also so, so smart.

[Chris Styler · Rating 5 out of 5]

You're a vegetarian, you're not a vegetarian. It doesn't matter, here are a ton of really good, really simple dishes for any occasion. Love the recipes, love the writing style. If you love to cook or just need inspiration, this is the book for you.

[R M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Anna Jones and this collection of recipes is no exception. Only reason it’s not 5 stars from me is the printing quality of the paperback version is not great. After cooking one recipe the spine has completely come off. Definitely get the hardback version!

[Caroline Berg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of great ideas for when you prep for food, you can actually make things - like rice - that work for a number of future recipes. I mostly enjoyed the soups from this book, and have made several - it is nice how fast they are to make too!

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of interesting recipes that sound fresh and healthy also, they look straight forward for the most part - I'm trying my first one this week.

[Laura Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant vegetarian cookbook! I haven't made many of the recipes yet but plan on a Easter weekend of cooking from this book.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of interesting ideas, but to me it was too text heavy and the recipes had too many components.

[JoJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a few interesting recipes to try and helpful hints to improve your cooking.

[Ashley {_xamountofbooks} · Rating 2 out of 5]

The recipes weren't really for me and I feel it took way more pages than it should have for a single recipe.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own this book. It has been the book that taught me how to cook (still learning). This book does not seem to have a recipe I don’t like.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good photos but just not the style of recipes I was looking for.