The Clueless Vegetarian

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SEP 11, 2006

This vegetarian cookbook feels like a flashback to a time when vegetarianism was a virtually unknown lifestyle choice. A nutritional pyramid revised for vegetarians is helpful, but advice for vegetarians who wish to face the "challenge" of dining out sounds dire (suggestions include pizza, Indian, Chinese and sticking to salad and bread). In general, not eating meat is presented as problematic and strange, with recipe titles like Seemingly Normal Chocolate Pudding (made with soy milk) and Nearly Normal Shepherd's Pie. The latter, like many of the recipes, feels like a throwback with its filling of vegetables, ketchup, and TVP (texturized vegetable protein). It's not that Gazillion Bean Salad, made with canned beans, and Zucchini and Basil Strata aren't good, but they're '70s classics, not new ideas. A section on crepes hearkens back to a good idea that is often overlooked, and a few pizzas--such as Pizza with Sweet and Sour Caramelized Onions--bring back the '80s. Raab employs a tone more suited to her earlier effort, Clueless in the Kitchen, which was geared to teens. For example, she describes Mexican Meltdown as a "wonderfully gloppy cheesy goop," and the headnote to Sweet and Sour Roasted Beet Salad promises: "Remember those yucky gluey beets with the sweet sauce you always hated? Well, this is not them. Totally."