Vegetarian Times (1-year)

well i am excited to start experimenting in the kitchen. but i havent gotten my first magazine yet so im just waiting for it.

First, the disclaimer. I am not a vegetarian. I have, however, planned many vegetarian menus and cooked thousands of vegetarian meals, both professionally and at home.

This magazine has a rather quaint approach to cover art and illustrations that reminds me of magazines that my mom read in the sixties. Apart from its appearance, the recipes are wildly inconsistent. Some are very good, fast, and easy to prepare. Others are bland and lifeless, reinforcing the misconception that vegetarian food is uninteresting and "healthy tasting." Some of the recipes contain obvious errors and omissions or call for such odd proportions that one wonders if they were tested prior to publication.

Vegetarian Times seems to try reasonably hard to avoid the sanctimony and self-righteousness that afflicts so many publications in this genre. Nonetheless, there is enough polemicizing to annoy when it intrudes on the culinary purposes of the magazine.

My final observation is that this magazine has one of the worst advertisement-to-content ratios that I've ever seen. In a couple of recent issues, the ratio of ads to recipes is nearly one to one. I don't mind paying a reasonable price for a useful publication but I do object to paying for the privilege of reading marketing hype.

Bottom line? There are better vegetarian cookbooks readily available through Amazon or other dealers. Robin Robertson and Madhur Jaffrey both offer superior alternatives.

The October issue of Vegetarian Times arrived yesterday and its already in use in the kitchen! Were they reading my mind? Opening the magazine and instantly inspired I quickly regretted not putting beans out to soak the night before. No problem! A handy little article by Mary Margaret Chappell - "Bean Basics" with four nicely illustrated simple recipes with shorter soaking times took me immediately to the kitchen. There were so many useful articles I can't wait to prepare and share: bistro-saavy gluten-free recipes to delight my friend with Celiac Disease who always has to drag baggies of alternative foods to dinner parties and Morrocan vegetarian recipes to surprise my friend traveling there next month. I carefully studied an insightful piece on headaches including foods that may trigger migraines along with a plan to test reactions. I was dazzled by the menu creativity in a piece about a vegetarian cruise. Wow! This is just what I was hoping for. I'm an accomplished cook and know the health food territory - but I like gorgeous and tasty food. I'm not a vegetarian now, but evolving naturally more and more in that direction. The food styling and photography is first rate - and yes, sexy! You would have to stretch your mind to notice the meat wasn't there. The text is meaningful and supplies just exactly what I want to know. The recipes are very accessible and perfectly express my wish for healthy art from my kitchen.

Vegetarian Times is a fun, user-friendly publication for those who'd like to eat healthier. The recipes are easy and budget-friendly. As the "green" frosting on the cake, there are environmental and eco-friendly tips for the everyday. Vegetarian Times succeeds because it's primarily focused on recipes rather than polemics. It also takes into account that there are more vegetarians (or occasional vegetarians) than vegans. MOST people don't completely eschew dairy and eggs. Vegetarian Times is realistic. It isn't preachy, nor does it bash those who like cheeseburgers and milkshakes. It simply offers a healthy alternative.

Vegetarian Times is good enough to eat!

I've been a subscriber of this magazine for many years. It's an important tool for vegetarian cooking, but a good resource for non-vegetarians as well. It has limited recipes for vegans, but most non-vegan recipes can be altered. The price was right for this magazine, at full price I would not have ordered a subscription.