A Cookbook That Just Might Make You a Vegetarian: A Modern Way to Cook by Anna Jones

I'm not a vegetarian, so don't think I'm the usual sort who picks up this cookbook. And my husband is light-years from being a vegetarian, so he will provide a perfect test subject for the recipes of A Modern Way to Cook: 150+ Vegetarian Recipes for Quick, Flavor-Packed Meals by Anna Jones.

I will say that you won't find everything you need in your cabinet, and you may even (I did) have to ask the checker at Kroger to send you in the right direction for a few ingredients. 

I read the book and I try a recipe. Soft Green Herb Omelet. It is in the very first section of the book, the one that promised a meal in fifteen minutes, a meal in the time it takes to set the table. Anna Jones is right. It takes no time at all. 

Jones asks us to start with four free-range or organic eggs. You can't get much more free-range or organic than these beautiful eggs, acquired from a friend who raises chickens as a sideline. Aren't they lovely? 

We crack our eggs in a bowl and then add salt, pepper, and two small bunches of soft herbs. I add mint, basil, and tarragon. We heat our frying pan over medium heat, and pour the eggs into the pan and allow them to sit untouched for twenty seconds until they begin to set. 

You don't have to fill the omelet but I do. I use a small handful of feta cheese with a good grating of lemon zest and a handful of shredded spinach. 

I finish by flipping the other side over to form a half-moon shape, and cooking for another thirty seconds.

Oh my. We are talking flavor, folks, and it isn't the kind of amazing flavor that fades once you start considering the harm you are doing to your body from the actual sugar, salt, and fat that often comes with those huge flavor sensations. No, this is intense flavor and it's the Good Jedi kind.

Yes, you may have to spend a bit of extra time to find what you need for this book. On the other hand, the meals are as fast as anything I've ever cooked, and you can creatively substitute this and that for what you have on hand. Nutrition and flavor are astonishingly high.

Final assessment from our test subjects (my husband and me): Two big (green) thumbs up.






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