Cooking Light: Way to Cook Vegetarian

  This photo is used with permission from the book.  That's cheese there on top.  I obviously skipped that garnish.  Diced avocado would be a nice vegan replacement.  

I was skeptical.  I assumed that most of the recipes in Cooking Light's new vegetarian cookbook would be filled with non-fat milk and light cheese products.  And there are a number of these sorts of recipes, but there is also a ton here to recommend this book to the vegans.  From Malaysian Noodles to Tempeh Fajitas, there are loads of crowd-pleasing healthy recipes for realistic meals.  I've made the Mexican Bean Soup with Corn Dumplings three times now, for five different families, to universal raves.  It's a simple, flavorful, hearty winter meal of a soup, with an ingenious twist in the form of masa harina dumplings.   You essentially make tiny balls of corn tortilla dough and plop them into the simmering soup near the end of cooking.  I just love this idea.  And it turns out as delicious as I had hoped.

The book is also filled with appealing photos and really informative step-by-step photo diagram how-tos that make this a great introductory cook book.  There's one on how to saute tofu and another on how to prepare spaghetti squash.  Yet another teaches you how to properly roll maki which I plan to study before my next sushi making adventure because, man, my rolls are sloppy.  

I have a list of a dozen recipes from this book that I still want to try and leafing through the pages right now I find myself getting excited about it all over again.  I had forgotten about the flaky dinner rolls that look just perfect for a holiday table and oh! the stuffed Moroccan flatbreads.  The baking recipes list ingredients by both weight and volume.  Thank you.  And it's this sort of attention to detail and recipe precision that really sets this book apart.  

Here have a taste -

Mexican Tomato-Bean Soup with Corn Dumplings 

Soup:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 cups organic vegetable broth (I used the cooking broth from the chickpeas.)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained

Dumplings:

• 1/3 cup masa harina
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Remaining Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. To prepare soup, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven (or big pot) over medium-high heat.  Add onion; saute 3 minutes or until tender.  Add chili powder and garlic; saute 30 seconds.  Add broth and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes.

2. To prepare dumplings, combine masa harina and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons hot water and 1 teaspoon oil; stir until a soft dough forms (dough will be dry).  Divide dough into 24 pieces, shaping each into a ball.  Add dumplings to soup; cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until dumplings float.  Stir in cilantro and juice.  Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls.  

Yield: 4 servings