by Dale and Melissa Kent
Vegetarian cookbook review
Tassajara is a remote zen center and retreat near Big Sur, California. Cooking in the monastic kitchen is considered a spiritual practice, and the vegetarian food is usually local, seasonal, and organic. The recipes in Tassajara Dinners & Desserts also favor these concepts, and the book explains how to choose the best ingredients.
Despite the title, Tassajara Dinners & Desserts includes recipes for every part of the meal, with a mix of classic recipes and unusual options:
- Starters – Ginger hummus, Gyoza (pot stickers), Sweet and sour marinated asparagus…
- Vegetable Side Dishes – Sesame soy slaw, Mint-cilantro chutney, Crispy baked kale…
- Vegetable Entrées – Mushroom ragout, Sweet and sour vegetables with deep-fried walnuts, Coconut curry…
- Baked Entrées – Goat cheese enchilada pie, Baked muffaletta crêpes, Tofu lasagna…
- Beans & Legumes – French lentil salad, Chickpea stew with collard greens, Chana dal with potatoes…
- Tofu – Dragon’s head tofu, Mu shu tofu, Neatballs…
- Grains & Pastas – Saffron rice, Sesame noodles, Orzo with red chard and feta…
- Desserts – Coffee flan, Mexican chocolate cake, Marzipan-stuffed dates…
Color photos throughout the book show not only finished recipes, but also snippets of life at the monastery. Tassajara Dinners & Desserts also offers some cooking basics, information about the retreat center, and words of wisdom from guests.
Buy Tassajara Dinners & Desserts:
Website: Tassajara Zen Mountain Center