R. Hanson says:

Rating

I wonder: what am I doing writing a review for a cookbook? I rarely write Amazon reviews and the few reviews I have written are related to a completely different genre of book. Plus, I’ve only recently taken a renewed interest in being in the kitchen – I don’t suppose that makes me an “expert” by any stretch of the imagination.

But I wanted to share my opinion of this book with other readers. It’s fantastic and the recipes are delicious.

Never before have I enjoyed a cookbook so much. Reading through the table of contents was enough to get my palate fired up. At the time of this writing, I’ve created over a dozen of the recipes in this book, and each one is a sure winner, not one is a reject. I might have tried more recipes by now, but the temptation to go back to a dish I’ve already tried is just too great. (We’ve done the Coconut Tofu with Sweet Chili Dipping sauce four times, now.)

How about a really wonderful Portobello Wellington with Madeira Sauce? Now THAT was a Thanksgiving dinner! Yam and Mushroom Enchiladas with Smoky Tomato Sauce? Spinach, Mushroom, and Gorgonzola in Puff Pastry with Red Pepper Coulis? Despite what I – a carnivore – have always thought, vegetarian cooking can be great. That’s a claim I’ve never been able to make regarding any other vegetarian or vegan cookbook.

The book is extremely well laid out with timing suggestions, “prepare ahead” ideas, and handy tips for getting through the process without any unexpected surprises. Each recipe is preceded by a good description that makes you want to try it immediately. If a recipe has multiple components, each is presented as a logical and timed subsection of the overall plate.

I only wish I knew about this restaurant when I visited Seattle last year. Next time… next time.

Five Stars for the book that got me back into the kitchen after a long hiatus. Feel free to contact me with any questions, but I’ll be busy cooking up the next Flora meal.

~R~

Gayle Schmidt says:

Rating

For almost 15 years, the most popular dish I’ve served to friends and taken to potlucks has been one cut from a magazine and attributed to Cafe Flora. Knowing this dish appealed to both vegetarians and non, I would periodically check to see if there was an entire Cafe Flora cookbook “out there”. Then, just before a spate of seasonal visitors were scheduled to descend, I googled up what is now my most used and reliable partner in terms of taste, nutrition and dependable results. I ended up amazoning another one to a vegetarian family member who, like me, is always trying to bridge the tastebuds of meateaters and veggers. And, the recipes are FUN to make.

N. Pearce says:

Rating

So far I have made three recipes from this cookbook and they all turned out great. Most of the recipes seem very simple, no unusual ingredients which helps since I am living in Alaska. I see this becoming a staple of my everyday cooking.

D. Dekker says:

Rating

By the time I die, I will have cooked every recipe out of this cookbook. I am in love. Everytime I decide to cook from this book, I start drooling and get really excited in anticipation. I always use this book for company and it never fails. Yes, the recipes are involved. There are some that aren’t so much, but for complex flavor, expect to work a little. It’s completely worth it. I’ve made yam quesadillas w. cilantro pesto, coconut tofu with sweet chile dipping sauce, lentil pecan pate, smoky split pea soup, ceasar salad w. herbed croutons & fried capers, soba salad with spicy peanut sauce and vegetables (best peanut sauce recipe to date), wasabi potato salad, the house balsamic vinagrette (a go to!) & the dijon curry vinagrette (YUM with apples on your salad!!!), mac & cheese, roasted vegetables vindaloo, pumpkin enchiladas with roasted tomatillo sauce, english pea pancakes with colorful vegetable saute and basil butter, black eyed pea fritters w. spiced coconut sauce and tumeric basmati rice (WOW!), spinach mushroon, & gorgonzola puff pastry rolls w. roasted red pepper coulis, portobello wellingtons w. madeira sauce (BEST BIRTHDAY DINNER!), fried green tomato sandwich, falafel, baba ghanouj, nutburger w. tomato jam (go to sauce for all burgers!), chickpea and roasted yam wrap with tahini sauce, asparagus tarragon scramble w. sundried tomato aioli (BEST AIOLI EVER!), wild mushroom scramble, tofu scramble w. fu sauce, hoppin john fritters w. cajun aioli, rosemary roasted potatoes, soy sausage (will never buy veggie sausage again!), and lavendar nectar. That’s not even scratching the surface-I still have a long way to go to meet my goal of making everything from this cookbook. You should too!

Charles Nickel says:

Rating

We have had the opportunity to dine at the Cafe Flora on a recent trip to Seattle. As vegetarians, we find it difficult at times to find restaurants that serve outstanding vegetarian/vegan meals. We were certainly impressed with Cafe Flora and were delighted to find their cookbook online. Since receiving the book, I have prepared a number of the dishes and they have turned out very well.

It is nice that the book provides recipes for the complete meal and not just singular recipes that you then have to integrate with other items. The Cafe Flora meals are well rounded and each dish complements the other. I’m looking forward to hosting many parties for our carnivorous friends to show them that vegetarian dining can be a fine experience. They have sampled my earlier, meat-laden creations so this will come as a very pleasant surprise thanks to these recipes.

The one thing about gourmet vegetarian cooking is that it can be technique and ingredient challenging. I have been cooking for many years so most of the tasks are not that difficult, but are time consuming. This book is probably not for the truly inexperienced cook nor for those that can’t acquire many of the ingredients. If you have the skills, time and availability of ingredients, this book is fantastic!