The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen: Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Dishes from the Healthiest Region Under the Sun:A Vegan Cookbook

by Donna Klein

After years of research, scientists declared that the Mediterranean diet was the best one for overall good health-and the exciting news was that it tasted great, too.

With recipes for everything from nutritious appetizers to dairy-free desserts, this unique Mediterranean vegan cookbook is ideal for vegetarians, those with a lactose intolerance, and anyone who wants to make gloriously delicious dishes without meat, eggs, or dairy. Dishes

* Sicilian Eggplant Relish
* Catalan Grilled Vegetables with Almond Sauce
* Classic Italian Minestrone
* Moroccan Fresh Tomato Salad
* Black Olive Bread
* Zucchini-Lemon Couscous
* Greek Currant Cake
* Braised Pears in Red Wine
* and more

Genres: Cookbooks, Vegan, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Health

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2001

Reviews

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mediterranean food, but many cookbooks in this genre are weighed down with recipes that rely heavily on animal products (especially cheeses). The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen is a welcome, high-quality exception. It's easily among my favorite vegan cookbooks.

Yes, it has no pictures, but if you're relatively familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, who cares? Most recipes are super fast (20 min. or less), require very little prep time so long as you stock some basic essentials (tomatoes, orzo, olives, chick peas, olive oil), and are so nourishing and fulfilling. There are also sections with advice on how to get the most out of your spices and beans and how to safely cut your fat content to help make this even healthier. I personally adhere to a low-sugar, low-salt, low-fat diet, and it's hard to find recipes that don't substitute fat for flavor in order to carry the texture, weight, etc., of a vegan take on a typically non-vegan recipe. This is not one of those books -- I've tried about 1/2 of these recipes, and all of them are flavorful and great while maintaining a lot of health-oriented baking options (don't worry, she leaves the high fat versions in there also!).

[Shoshana · Rating 4 out of 5]

We just got this one and I'm eager to put it to the test. I've been reading it (yes, I actually read cookbooks before I use them) and drooling over recipes for days. There are a lot of things I remember from my travels and am eager to try out -- I do not expect to be disappointed! The recipes seem relatively simple and, with few exceptions, quick to produce. I love that there is a list of seasonal menu ideas in the back (with appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert). I only wish it had photos, because I'm a sucker for pretty cookbooks).

[Plant Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I like most about this book is that none of the recipes include any meat analogs or soy products. It is all just whole grains, vegetables, legumes, fruits and healthy oils. What a great idea! I haven't made too many of the recipes, but I have been satisfied with what I have made. The dishes are healthy, most of the ingredients are common/easy to find and they are not too overwhelming for the palate. Nutrition information is included with each recipe, which is also quite helpful.

[Gem2wrtr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has two to three recipes per page and no photos -- too many photos waste valuable recipe space!

So far I've fixed two recipes: the Crostini with pureed white beans/sauteed wild greens and the Quick Farmer's Paella. Both were delicious -- the paella was as the author says, almost too pretty too eat. We used mainly Trader Joe's ingredients: the veggie broth in the cartons, red bell pepper, a can of tomatoes, aborio rice, frozen baby lima beans, frozen artichoke hearts, young carrots, and some petite frozen peas, plus some pine nuts! We already had the saffron threads (buy them in an oriental market, not the grocery store) and of course, we're never without garlic. We're looking forward to trying this when our fresh peas are ready in the fall.

I'm looking forward to making more from this book -- yum!

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this cookbook mostly because the "Mediterranean diet" is so popular for its health promoting benefits, but most Mediterranean diet cookbooks contain at least some animal products and those aren’t that healthy. These recipes are 100% vegan and healthy. The book isn’t at all fancy and I find it somewhat difficult to read as it’s pretty much straight text. But the recipes are true to the region, even if the vegan only ingredients are slightly untraditional for some of the dishes.

[Whitaker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really great book shows us how everything is great and worth to die for

[Jodi Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have owned this book for several years, and I have truly loved most of what I have made. Currently, I am experimenting more with occasional vegan menus. Klein has a lot to offer! Some favorites:
1. Bouillabaisse of Spinach, Potatoes, Chickpeas, and Saffron
2. Classic Italian Minestrone (long a favorite in my house)
3. Tomato-Lentil Soup with Brown Rice
4. Romaine Salad with Lemon-Date Dressing
5. Ditali with Cauliflower
6. Fettuccine with Spicy Raw Tomato, Herb, and Caper Sauce

Well worth the investment! I may have to consider replacing my copy soon as the spine is wearing out.

[Ann Stoeckl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great content: poor format.

I'll be trying several of these recipes, but that's almost in spite of the book. There is no table of contents nor a clickable index. Thank goodness for bookmarks.

[Elizabeth Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cookbook!

I particularly liked that substitutions for cheese made from nuts r whatever, we’re not included. This is a straight up way to cook Mediterranean food without animal products. Will inform recipes from other sources.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to making some of these recipes

[Barbara Ab · Rating 3 out of 5]

there are a lot of interesting recipes but the fact that that there are no pics makes difficult to imagine the dishes in your mind

[Jade Geary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good content but bad format.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a little biased against this cookbook. I bought it when I was a college undergrad trying to make the vegetarian-to-vegan transition as a novice cook. It had rave reviews on Amazon so I thought I would give it a try. However, I don't think this is the right book to start with if you are just becoming vegan, are fairly green in your cooking skills, or are on a student budget. I found it pretty worthless at the time. I am no longer in college and have made significant progress with my cooking skills, so I am trying to come back to this cookbook and give it another shot. I am still on a pretty tight budget, though, so most of these recipes will have to wait until summer because I don't have the cash to pay for artichokes, red bell peppers, etc. when they are out of season. I have made the Eggplant Croquettes on special occasions and those are quite good.

Note: I agree with past reviewers about not liking the bad attitude in Donna Klein's books about using soy-based products. I have a lot of people around me who eat all kinds of things and that is fine by me - to each his own. So, I don't appreciate it when a cookbook gets all high-and-mighty about eating tofu and the like. It reminds me of some of the bad attitude vegans I've met who lecture non-vegans while they're eating.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made the grilled eggplant sandwiches, the new potato and bean salad, and lemon Italian ice the other night for dinner. I liked that the recipes were so simple I could make them again without the cookbook and, as much as I love tofu and soymilk, it's nice to use a vegan cookbook that doesn't simply substitute soy products for meat and dairy. Oh, and the Italian ice was AMAZING.

p.s. - Since writing this review, I've tried - and loved - the bouillabaisse and crostini with pureed white beans/sauteed greens. Three months later and this is still one of my favorite cookbooks.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cookbook has NO PICTURES, and yet I'm still rating it 4 stars because everything sounds sooooo gooooood! Even the desserts! This is probably because none of them involve chocolate and mostly seem to consist of some sort of fruit with some sort of liquor, and I wholeheartedly approve of that. The recipes don't have too many ingredients or take a long time to prepare or cook, include nutritional information, and there are no weird meat or cheese substitutes to be had. I love it! Anyway, this is one I'm definitely buying, especially since I can get a used copy for only like $4.00. SOLD!

[Julie Merson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Donna's cookbooks, and this is no exception. I love trying new cuisine and flavors, and this one definitely fills that requirement. Highly recommended. The Polenta with Stewed Peppers and Tomatoes is fabulous. Utterly fabulous. The stuffed zucchini is time consuming but so, so worth it. The zucchini couscous is cheap, easy, and delish. The bouillabaisse and Garlic-Potato soup was also very tasty.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a vegan, not even a vegetarian, but I go to this book when I want a flavorful and healthy meal that doesn't include meat or dairy. Every recipe I've used has been delicious, the instructions easy to follow (I'm an experienced cook), and I really appreciate having the nutritional information. I've given this book as a gift to friends who wanted to move towards more vegetarian meals.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last year I picked up this cook book at a local food co-op and have used it a bit and decided it's not bad. Yes, this thing is heavy and extensive. Sorry, no pictures are available, so you have to use your imagination. From basic to elaborate recipes you'll find it all and everything in between.

[Charis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olives, artichokes, pastas... It can't be scoffed at. Excellent food. Except that too many of the recipes call for random bean additions; an undesirable attempt to increase the protein. Otherwise, sosososososo good food.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just made the best paella from this book. And paella, as Ryan will tell you, is a vitally important subject to understand for anyone interested in Spain. The mighty paella, singular virtue of Spanish culture. And it was really delicious.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trying to pull the heart/life healthy elements of this diet. There are so many styles and elements, but not all in our dietary plan. Fun to read through. Wish I could visit one or many of these countries.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great vegan recipes, but I would have gladly paid more for color photos to accompany many of them. Same for her book on Chinese cooking. I'm a fairly experienced cook, but photos make the difference in how I feel about a cook book. Regardless, this is an excellent vegan cook book.

[KarenE Frost · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great vegan book, this is the method I used to lose over 100lbs and helped reverted my heart disease. When I started following this programs so many years ago there were not to many interesting recipes now I have found a Mediterranean and vegan book this is GREAT! THANK YOU

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for mediterranean food! And who knew that most mediterranean recipes are vegan/vegetarian anyway?! I mean, I did, but I needed to read a vegan cookbook to prove it...

[Happyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be vegan to feel comfortable using this book. All veggies, grains, and legumes. The recipes are easy and taste great. I love the tomato fennel soup.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hardly every use this one.

[Moonstar83 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contains great healthy recipes

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent collection of recipes that don't rely on meat and cheese substitutes.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay, Donna! A friend for over 25 years, I would trust her recipes more than anyone's!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of Variety, Delicious!