If you thought you had to be a nutritionist to figure out a vegetarian diet, it’s actually a lot simpler than you think. Eating vegetarian, in addition to being healthy and delicious, is just plain fun. Discovering new and exotic vegetables like celeriac or kohlrabi will widen your palate as well as your sense of adventure in the kitchen. Plus, vegetarian cuisine is chockfull of dishes that are robust and flavorful, and a match for any standard meat dish. And, most important of all, eating a plateful of vegetarian lasagna or pasta primavera, or any other scrumptious dish prepared vegetarian style will let you indulge—without guilt!

With Vegetarian Cooking For Dummies, you’ll get the skinny on just what lacto-ovo, lacto, and just plain vegan diets are all about and how to create nutritious meals from the rich cornucopia of whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, and dairy and egg substitutes that are the staple of the vegetarian menu. You’ll also find out:

• How to get your full complement of protein and vitamins, including calcium, iron, C, B12, and zinc—and from what, often surprising, food sources
• How to successfully convert to a vegetarian diet
• How to stock up a vegetarian pantry—including tips on where to shop, starting a kitchen garden, as well as handy weekly and monthly food lists
• Vegetarian cooking basics—including preparing ingredients, cooking beans and grains, handling tofu and tempeh, washing and cutting fruits and vegetables
• Simple cooking techniques—including baking, boiling, steaming, sautéing, and stewing
• The ins and outs of vegetarian etiquette

George Hirsch presents an eating plan that actually helps people to lose weight as they eat delicious food.

The popular host of Food Network’s Good Eats presents an offbeat look at kitchen gadgets and equipment that explains how to select the best–and simplest tool for the job and offers practical advice on what is needed, what is not, what works, and what does not, along with twenty-five recipes that use the featured tools. 150,000 first printing.

The acclaimed book that demystified Japanese cuisine for home cooks returns with a newly designed cover as lovely as the photo presentations within. Over 90 exquisite recipes cover every aspect of modern Japanese meals from elaborate kaiseki dinners–to simply prepared noodle bowls for a casual family supper. The dozens of step-by-step technique illustrations make preparing even the most complicated dishes as easy as ichi, ni, san. Vibrant color photographs take fans of Japanese cookery on a culinary tour of the country , exploring the feasts and festivals, restaurants, sushi bars, street stalls, and even the temples for a taste of this intriguing land. Along the way discover why, as a result of their diet, the Japanese live longer than anyone else in the world. Itadaki masu! Enjoy.

Advance Praise for Trattoria Cooking “Who wouldn’t love doing Biba’s research, tracking down the simple, down-to-earth, tasty food that makes Italy such an irresistible destination? For everyone who wishes to know how it is done (and where to go in Italy to find it), she’s written a cookbook full of delicious-sounding recipes from the trattorias where real regional cooking goes on. Her recipes are straightforward and easy to follow, and I particularly like all the good tips she gives, like little asides to good friends in the kitchen.” –Carol Field, author of The Italian Baker “My friend Biba has done it again with her new book in which she brings the trattoria scene to vivid life.” –Giuliano Bugialli “If you are an insatiable cookbook collector, as I have been for the past thirty-odd years, you may feel that the last word has been written about all categories of food. I felt that way until I browsed through Biba Caggiano’s Trattoria Cooking and was positively impressed that she does have a great deal of admirable things to add to the subject of Italian cookery. Her book is marvelously inspired and original and it would be an asset to anyone’s library.” –Craig Claiborne “Biba Caggiano’s Trattoria Cooking brings out the Italian in all of us. Her simplicity of method and use of fresh wholesome ingredients make every recipe exciting. Trattoria Cooking has Old World quality and authenticity, making every dish a winner.” –Bradley M. Ogden