The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook

Tanya Petrovna
Shambala Publications (2003)
ISBN 1590300769
Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (8/06)

Tanya Petrovna is passionate about changing the world one customer at a time with healthy vegetarian food through her restaurant, Native Foods, in southern California.  But she can’t change the world alone.  She needs cooks all over the world to help her in this challenge.  She provides the tools to do this in her cookbook “The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook”. 

Tanya puts the knowledge and skills she has applied to her business into the cookbook.  Readers can gain these skills and knowledge.  But you can’t just jump into the recipes.  You really need to read the book first.  The first 80 pages are devoted to topics such as why people choose the vegetarian lifestyle, reasons to cook with and eat organic foods, and a glossary of food terms and utensils.  Then you get to the recipes.

I was a bit overwhelmed at first as many of the recipes referred back to another recipe. For example, I tried the Tempeh Scaloppine with Shallot Mushroom Gravy.  There were only three ingredients listed, but two of the three referenced other recipes.  And those two recipes referred to two more.   I thought,”This dinner will take all night to cook!”  But as I dived in, I realized it wasn’t so hard.  I served my masterpiece with mashed potatoes and my meat-eating husband really enjoyed it.  I can’t wait to try more recipes such as the Sauteed Chard with Onions, Kasha Varnishkas, and Elephant Cake.

A great thing about this cookbook is that the recipes are all vegan.  Some are even macrobiotic.  But, “The Native Foods Restaurant Cookbook” is really for all types of vegetarians.  Some cookbooks in these stricter versions of vegetarianism can be a little pushy and adamant about food choices.  Tanya makes it fun and I felt like I could throw in a dairy product here or there if I wanted to, without betraying her.  A few basic techniques are taught, such as how to make your own seitan with step-by-step photographed instructions, as well as tempeh and reconstituted soy techniques.  Once these basics are mastered, the entrée recipes are just variations on these themes.

Tanya Petrovna writes in her book, “Your mission: to cook and invite friends and family to enjoy a good vegetarian meal so they may be encouraged to eat this way regularly.”  I am ready to accept this mission!  The Naan recipe is already a new staple in my household and my next challenge will be to make Harry’s Hummus to go with it.  I will then venture out to potlucks armed with the new recipes that can be enjoyed by all.  My vegan sister, me as a vegetarian, and my meat-loving friends and family will all be able to enjoy a spectacular meal of Jerked “Save the Chicken”.

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