Cookbook: Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes

Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes

Meatless Meals Marathon:
Vegetarians Never Had It So Good!

Interview and Excerpts from:
Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes
by Linda Gassenheimer

If you're like most of us today, you're always running out of time. When it comes to meals, especially weeknight meals, you want ones that are fast, healthy and effortless, but you can't bear the idea of sacrificing vivid flavors and zesty tastes. What if you're also vegetarian—or simply strive to eat more meatless meals? Can you actually make a balanced, meatless meal in record time—one you not only want to eat but would serve to guests as well?

Ha! No way! you say. Can't be done. Well, eat your words because Linda "Dinner-in-Minutes" Gassenheimer just did it, with her latest book Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes. Of course, she's made a profession of what I call "no brainer" meal plans: quick to fix recipes that taste great, complete with shopping lists, countdowns and helpful hints. Her earlier book, Dinner in Minutes, won a James Beard award and her syndicated column by the same name appears in hundreds of newspapers across the country.

~~Those of you familiar with our AOL site may also know Linda from our "What's for Dinner?" column and her chats (at AOL keyword: eGG).~~ "I love hearing from my readers and listening to the chat members," she says. "It makes writing a two-way street. Their questions help me understand what people are looking for and the problems they have in getting their dinner on the table." Connecting with people comes easy for Linda. If you live in Miami, you may very well run into her, as she is the Director for Food & Public relations of Gardner's gourmet markets, where the patrons keep her constantly abreast of their food needs and today's cooking trends.

I asked Linda to share a bit about the making of Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes, since I know that vegetarian recipes can often take longer to prepare than other meals. Her quick-cooking tips and comments are illustrated by two exotic meal plans from the book, one Asian and the other a perennial favorite, Italian. with 75 recipes, organized into quick menus with shopping lists and terrific hints, Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes makes it easy for anyone to savor the world's flavors quickly, easily—and meatlessly.

—Kate Heyhoe

Vegetarian Dinner in Minutes
by Linda Gassenheimer
Chronicle Books, $16.95 paperback
144 pages; March 8, 1998
Reprinted by permission.