The Real Food Daily Cookbook: Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian

by Ann Gentry and Anthony Head

Book Overview

Really Fresh, Really Good, Really Vegetarian With three bustling restaurants located throughout the Los Angeles area, Real Food Daily boasts a loyal clientele of ravenous vegetarian diners and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580086187
• ISBN13: 9781580086189
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A Fantastic Guide for Vegan Cooking

Real Food Daily is a superb all-purpose vegan cookbook. Ms. Gentry's recipes are delicious, wholesome, attractive, and inspiring. I most appreciate her enormous contribution to making vegan food choices tasty and exciting. Be assured that you will receive value many times the price of this cookbook. Some of my favorite recipes are: Hummus, Guacamole, Pico de gallo, Carrot Salsa, Cucumber Raita, Golden Gravy, Black Bean Soup, Tortilla Soup, Corn & Black Bean Salad, Southern Corn Bread, Pear & Apple Compote, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans, Cranberry Relish, and Carrot Cake. How impressive that Ms. Gentry shares her discoveries and culinary wisdom with the owners of this fantastic book. She is truly a pioneer/leader for all of us who eat a whole-foods-plant-based diet. Rebecca Wolfe Monroe, NC

My favorite vegetarian cookbook!

I recently moved to Austin, TX from Los Angeles, CA. While my husband and I have managed to find some very good restaurants here, we've yet to find a vegetarian restaurant we love as much as Real Food Daily. Imagine our delight at discovering Ann Gentry had written a cookbook! The recipes in her cookbook are excellent! We've made the Lentil Walnut Pate, Hummus, Miso Soup, the Chocolate Chip cookies, the Double layer chocolate cake, and the Double layer Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting and they all came out just as delicious as the restaurant's versions. We've also made the Creamy Broccoli Soup with Red Pepper Cream, the Turkish Lentil Soup, the Thai Rice Croquettes with Udon Noodles and Peanut Sauce, the Tofu Quiche with leeks and Asparagus, the lasagna, Barbequed Tofu and finally tonight we enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Tempeh with Vegetables served with Basmati Rice Pilaf with Roasted Peanuts and Cilantro. I am bragging about having made all these dishes in order to point out how "do-able" they are. Not one of these recipes disappointed us, and they were all easy to make. Some require a little more planning and prep time than others, but there are several that are super simple. If we have any criticism it would be about the enormous amount of food each recipe makes! Perfect for dinner parties, but for two or three people you may want to consider cutting the recipes in half. My two-year-old son also approves of these recipes! He especially loves the Lentil Pate served with rice crackers and of course he loves the cookies!!. I must also point out that my husband is a meat-eater and loves these recipes. He is always fully satisfied after eating one of these meals (and usually gets to the left-overs before I do!) I've never cooked so many recipes from one cookbook before! Thank you Ann for finally sharing your great recipes with the rest of us!

I can hardly wait to see the looks on my guest's faces!

You know a vegetarian restaurant is good when celebrity sightings are a regular occurrence. Real Food Daily has seen the likes of famous veggies such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Tobey Maguire, and Moby, just to mention a few. Located in Southern California, owner Ann Gentry steered away from the "granola" image of health food and created instead two hip, sophisticated and very successful restaurants, one in West Hollywood and the other in Santa Monica. Comfort is the key word to this food. This beautiful cookbook with magazine styled food pics, is a joy to thumb through. I am one of those people who likes to see what the finished product will look like, so this is a bonus for me. I also love to read cookbooks, so I appreciate when they have good introductions. This one meets all my requirements. The book opens with Gentry's story, a Real Food Daily Profile, and information on eating organically and with the seasons. There's also a useful Guide to Real Food, which tells you step by step how create a fabulous atmosphere and an unforgettable meal and lists all the tools you'll need to do it. Then, if you don't have much experience cooking with whole foods, there's a section on preparing grains, legumes, soy foods and more. Wouldn't you like to know the "top twenty real foods to always have in your kitchen"? I can't list them all here, but the list includes maple syrup, quinoa, and root vegetables just to give you an idea of the variety (and peak your curiosity, of course). Finally, the recipes. Oh, the recipes. I started with guacamole. I figured if they could make it special, then they'd have me hooked. The intro boasts that their guac is "so rich and sinful tasting that people never believe we make it without sour cream." First, I was horrified to think that I'd unknowingly eaten sour cream with my last Mexican meal, then my interest was piqued. Honestly, this is the best guacamole recipe I've ever made, and I've made many a bowl in my time. There are raw recipes sprinkled throughout the book, and I loved how the entrees were divided into four sections corresponding to the seasons. Real Food Daily is closed every Thanksgiving, but they provide a long list of loyal customers a complete ready-made Thanksgiving take-out meal, and yes, the recipes are included here. We were traveling this past Thanksgiving and didn't celebrate it for the first time in my life, so these dishes will grace my Christmas dinner table, and I can hardly wait to see the looks on my guest's faces! This beautiful book has become one of the most treasured in my collection, and it would make a great gift for that special someone - veg or not - on your list.--Melanie Wilson

Non vegetarian meat eater and cave man review

Ok, I am NOT a vegan, nor a vegetarian, nor macrobiotic. I dont particularly like vegetables. In traveling to LA, I had the good fortune to eat at ann gentry's restaurant in santa monica, real food daily, where this cookbook was on sale... Never, have I eaten food that literally ten minutes after eating do I feel stronger, healthier or invigorated. Based upon the great food at the restaurant, I purchased the cookbook, simply to make my dish from the menu, soba noodle surprise. At home, the effect was the same as the restaurant, so, I made a few more dishes. I am hooked! EVERY dish in this book is flavorful, rich, visually appealing and DELICIOUS. I have not gone wrong with ANY recipe. Ms. Gentry is a true master of this interesting cuisine. This book can be used by vegetarians and non vegetarians alike. I made the acorn squash with savory brown rice stuffing and golden gravy and brought it to a dinner party for 8. by the end of dinner, they all went online and bought this book. For my mom's garden club meeting, I made udon noodles with thai rice croquettes... again, by the fruition of the evening, I sold ten more copies of the book. Per week, I prepare at least 50% of my meals now from this one cook book. AMAZING - Stelle