Vegetarian

WHETHER you are vegetarian, just trying to consume less meat or simply searching for new ideas, Alice Hart’s attractive and very informative book will change the way you think of meat-free eating.

Tricky cooking and exotic varieties are not necessary, although Alice urges us to try less familiar vegetables and think outside the square.

For example you don’t have to steam vegetables every time –try sprinkling them with toasted seeds or a knob of butter, slow roasted in a pan.

Alice’s garlic-herb butter or blue cheese and black pepper butter offer extra zing.

She espouses lemon, garlic and onion as kingpins that raise dishes from dull to delicious.

Mushrooms and herbs are sometimes overlooked when it comes to extra flavour. Parings of salty cheese can be added to enliven salads.

This treasure trove of 101 recipes ranges from delicious breakfast ideas like pear and walnut bircher muesli, baked ricotta with avocado to main meals like hearty cashew fried rice.

If you’ve wanted to know how to make nut milks (with nuts of your choice), guacamole salsa, lentil hummus, pressed leek terrine or labne cheese, follow Alice’s clear and simple instructions.

Whether warm, gratifying dishes for chilly months or light and airy summer salads, you’ll be spoiled for choice.

Oddly, there is only one dish containing silverbeet and one for spinach, and none for that healthy staple, kale.

Soups, sourdough breads, sauces, tapenades, stocks are included alongside main meals of risottos, lasagnes, gratins and Asian-style tempehs, and sweets are not forgotten either.

How about a rich almond tart with red berry compote? It’s worth the effort!