I am starting my first cookbook review (the first of many to come, I hope!) with a writeup of one of my favorite cookbooks: Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. It's near and dear to my heart because it was one of the very first cookbooks I owned, but also because it was the cookbook that first turned me on to healthy, mostly-vegetarian cooking.

This cookbook was originally published in 1978 but it is, by all definitions, a true classic. According to the New York Times, it's one of the ten best selling cookbooks of all time.

Favorite Recipes 
I personally have made dozens of recipes from this cookbook and they are WONDERFUL. I have not met one that I didn't like. My favorites are Hungarian Mushroom Soup, Multi-Bean Salad, Tahini Lemon Sauce, and Tabouli.

What I like about this book
  • It has an old fashioned charm. The recipes are hand-written and the illustrations are sketched by hand. It is simply a pleasure to read and to cook from.
  • The food is FANTASTIC. Healthy, delicious, and never complicated. 
  • No fancy or unusual ingredients. Basic vegetables, beans, grains and pantry staples.  (Plus everything can be found KOSHER! A real plus for me!)

What I don't like about it
I was hard pressed to come up with anything I don't like about this classic. Just one small point: it doesn't have photos of the finished dishes, which I've gotten so accustomed to in newer cookbooks.
 My ratings 

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How’s the food? Yuk.         Nothing to write home about.Good enough to make again. Wow. I’d eat it every day.
Is it a good read?Yuk. Readable but nothing special. Pretty good. Great reading. Keep it on your night table!
How do you like the design of the book?Yuk.Alright. Attractive and appealing. Flat out fantastic.

If you don't own this cookbook yet, go out and get it! If you do, what are you doing reading this review? Get the cookbook off your shelf and USE IT!