Book Review: Market Vegetarian

I've often been told that I am a hard person to shop for. As a result, it is very rare for me to be too surprised by a gift because I always make sure to keep my Amazon list up to date for my friend’s sake. This last Christmas however, I was very surprised when my friend David showed up with a present for me that I had never mentioned, never heard of and certainly wasn't on any of my lists! It was a beautiful cook book called Market Vegetarian: Easy Organic Recipes for Every Occasion.


This book is by Australian chef Ross Dobson who is not a vegetarian. I think coming from that background, he has been able to craft recipes that, while they don't contain meet, are still mouth watering and fulfilling. Coming from a very carnivorous family, this is not something I usually encounter in vegetarian cooking. Another wonderful thing about many of his dishes is that you could easily add meat to many of them, or use them as a side dish to a fresh grilled lamb chop or marinated chicken breast. Lastly, the book tends to go for simple over elaborate (always nice), although he does use a decent amount of fresh herbs, so those could get pricy if you don't have an herb garden going. Being for every occasion, the book also has a good section of appetizers and desserts. Though, I think desserts are generally vegetarian anyways!

For those of you who don't like to try a recipe without seeing it first, this book will not disappoint. Every page is bedazzled with beautiful photography by Richard Jung that dares you make a trip to the farmers market. NOW.

So I encourage you to grab this book. Be sure to have post-it notes in hand when you sit down with it because if you're anything like me, it will only take you a few minutes to have this bad boy loaded down with bookmarks!