Salads
First course and side salads
Asian style spinach and mushroom salad with hoisin vinaigrette
Good.  Nothing exciting here, pretty run of the mill recipe.  I like the sweetness of hoison in this dish.  I did not add the extra tablespoon of brown sugar she calls for. (tweety)
Avocado, corn, tomato, and zucchini salad

Cucumber and tomato salad with tahini

Edamame, chickpea, and kidney bean salad
This hearty salad of beans is good.  The addition of edamame enhances the nutritional value and taste and presentation of the dish.  It's pretty run of the mill with olive oil, lime juice and cumin as the dressing. (tweety)
Fennel and pink grapefruit salad with balsamic orange vinagirette

French potato salad
As is, i thought it was bland but it's easy to jazz up… i used red wine vinegar since I don't have tarragon, added more mustard, added celery (the celery added a lot to the dish), red onion in addition to the green, and paprika.  I thought it was fabulous and I will make it again.. the recipe is a really good starting point. (thirteenblackbirds)
This recipe is very good.  Pretty simple basic recipe and I've made similar stuff from other writers...her's comes together real well.  I used larger golden potatoes, sliced them, and probably overcooked them a bit, (her method is to use smaller potatoes and leave them whole), but no matter it was still good.  She calls for you to after you peel the potatoes to moisten them up a bit with 3.5 tbs of veggie broth for three minutes until absorbed and I found this interesting and effective.  The other ingredients are basic...dijon mustard, olive oil, scallions, parsley and tarragon vinegar.  They all came together real well for a nice tangy taste. (tweety)
Greek style black eyed pea salad with scallions and dill

Grilled hearts of romaine with balsamic shallot vinaigrette

Italian style artichoke and white bean salad
This was...alright. I wouldn't make it again though. I also ate it right after I made it. I've noticed two things that I don't really care for in this cookbook which is 1.) She calls for sugar in almost every recipe and it's never necessary 2.) A lot of the recipes need to be made and then refridgerated for x number of hours. (minke)
Jicama, bell pepper, and red onion salad

Marinated mushroom salad

Mesclun salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette

Mixed greens with fresh herb vinaigrette

Moroccan style carrot, currant, and orange salad with sunflower seeds

Quick Greek salad
Used everything except for the cucumbers. This is great and I usually hate salads! (minke)
Radicchio and walnut salad with cranberry balsamic vinaigrette

Southwestern style marinated four bean salad

Southwestern style sweet potato and black bean salad
Pretty good.  I love the blend of spicy hot of the chipotle chili powder alongside the sweet potatoes.  I love that this is super healthy. (tweety)
Spanish style zucchini salad with poppy seed vinaigrette

Tomato and parsley salad

Tuscan style chickpea and spinach salad with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes

Warm mushroom and arugula salad
Very tasty combination of a few ingredients...mushrooms (I used baby bellas), garlic, olive oil, red onions and balsamic vinegar.  I used a 50/50 mix of spinach and spring mix for the greens...tasted very good warm. (tweety)
Main course salads
Arborio rice salad with black beans and toasted corn

Bow tie pasta salad with peas and sun dried tomatoes

Brown rice salad with apples, celery, raisins, and walnuts
Loved this.  The salad also has some lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, canola oil and maple syrup.  The maple flavor with the walnuts and everything else is genius to my tongue. (tweety)
Bulgur salad with cantaloupe and walnuts
Most excellent.  What's unique to me about this recipe is that she cooks the bulgar in a mix of orange juice, lemon juice and a tad bit of water which makes for a tasty bulgar base.  It's kind of like a tabouli in that it has fresh parsly and mint, but the addition of cantaloup and walnuts makes it unique.  I did not have enough scallions for this dish so I just used minced yellow onions in a small amount.  Very good! (tweety)
Thanks to Tweety for providing me with the recipe <3 I really liked this a lot! I did fiddle with it a tiny bit. I changed the proportions of bulgur to melon (I used two cups of the bulgur made in the recipe and 4 cups of melon rather than 2), nixed the scallions altogether because I don't have any, and was going to add in hazelnuts rather than walnuts, but forgot so I just added them to individual bowls. I really liked the slight citrus flavour, and I love love love melon in salad. Super simple, and will make again! (dannibazaar)
I also made this after your high praises. A simple salad but I really liked it! I used an entire small cantaloupe (4 cups) with medium-sized bulgur and freshly squeezed OJ. I used 1/2 cup mint and 1/4 cup parsley because I don't really like parsley. I also used hazelnuts because that's what I had on hand. Your cantaloupe will make or break this dish. I thought mine was wonderful with a just-about-to-be-ripe but still firm cantaloupe. Yum! Thanks for the tip, guys! (blinknoodle)
Cinco de Mayo Mexican salad
Very good.  Nothing really unique here.  I've made similar dishes many times.  The salad dressing is olive oil, cumin, mustard and lime juice.  Instead of the brown mustard she called for, I used a Bajan pepper sauce I'd made that is mustard based for some spice and it was perfect for this salad.  (tweety)
Couscous and chickpea salad with olives and walnuts
this was quick and easy to make. tasted pretty good but i wasn't overwhelmed. LF didn't care for it (not enough flavor but she likes spicy stuff) and DR really liked the olives. I would make it again if asked or if I had the stuff laying around and was hungry (bp)
Very good. I loved the tanginess of the kalamata olives and vinegar in this.  I used almonds as she suggested for a substitute.  Everything blends together nicely.  I didn't have the optional parsley and added a little bit of cilantro.  I used whole wheat couscous. (tweety)
Curried pasta salad with grapes and chutney
Very good...a bit too sweet for my tastes as it has mango chutney, grapes and raisins, but still was a unique blend of flavors that worked well. (tweety)
Grilled Tuscan bread salad with summer vegetables
this was absolutely amazing... next time i have guests for dinner i am definitely making this.  i ate it for dinner, then for "dessert", then lunch the next day, then dinner.  I used red and yellow peppers, and pugliese bread. definitely get italian bread if you can. it was fantastic. (thirteenblackbirds)
Japanese style soba noodle and red cabbage salad with pumpkin seeds
we really liked this. really easy to make as you cook only the soba noodles. i made up a batch of this for lunches at work this week, so i left it in the fridge o/n. i cut back the sesame oil a little and added more soy sauce and 3tsp or so chili garlic sauce to spice it up. i used Eden Organic Dry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds (the best) and it could have used more than 1/4 cup (but pumpkin seeds are my fave snack, so I'm inclined to think so). overall it came out excellent. it's probably not something i would have as a main course for dinner, but perfect for lunch or a side dish.  light, refreshing, and tasty. (thirteenblackbirds)
Orzo salad with lemon, corn, olives, and basil
So far this is my favorite recipe from this cookbook. Next time I'm going to up the lemon though but that's because I love lemon. I used dried basil instead of fresh because fresh is too expensive at this time of the year. (minke)
Very good.  No complaints about this dish, all the flavors come together real well.  I used only 2 of the "2 to 3" tablespoons of lemon juice called for and omited the optional pine nuts or almond slivers.  The orzo is whole grain. (tweety)
Pasta salad with grilled balsamic summer vegetables

Quinoa tabbouleh salad
Very good basic tabbouleh recipe using quinoa instead of bulgar.  Nothing excited, but I love tabbouleh a lot and enjoyed this.  I didn't have any fresh mint so when when the quinoa was done I stirred in some dried and it added a nice mint taste to the whole dish. (tweety)
Southwestern cornbread salad

Spicy Thai tofu salad with cherry tomatoes and basil
very excellent dish.  I ate it room temp and didn't chill prior to eating.  Nice combination of spices.  For once I used the sugar she suggested (her love of sugar like Mr. Robinsons can be annoying) since I know that's what the Thais would do.  I used a lot less scallions because I want to take it to work without blowing my patients and coworkers away.  I love using lime juice in salad dressings like this one did.  (tweety)
Sandwiches, wraps, pizza, breads, and other lighter fare
Artichoke garlic bread
i used this as a topping for sliced french bread instead of using the method described, and added the sun-dried tomatoes and also some basil. It was tasty but not something I would likely make again.  (thirteenblackbirds)  
Avocado tostadas

Black bean and avocado wraps with shredded cabbage
fantastic. my husband said it tasted "professional". i used red cabbage and let mine sit in the fridge o/n and it was delicious. the ones on the next day weren't quite as good -- i think it's because the tortillas got a little mushy. so i will make the filling next time and only wrap the ones i'm planning on eating the next day. this makes 5-6 wraps. it's perfect for summer because it requires no cooking! (thirteenblackbirds)
Tasty, easy and quick to make.  No cooking involved, as it is to be eaten cold.  I did not add the optional sugar, and did not wait for it to be chilled and at it as soon as I made it.  Delish! (tweety)
Excellent! I bought 8-inch tortillas so I was able to make a lot more than 4 of these so I refridgerated some and ate some right after making it. I used 1 whole lime instead of half and didn't use any sugar. At first I thought they had an off taste but when I tried one that was in the fridge it was 10X better. (minke)
Cajun style black eyed pea and corn patties

Chipotle cream sauce
Tasty sauce! Makes a good amount. The coconut milk in it gives it a little something special. Tasted good with the enchiladas (bp)
I made this to top burritos, and it was amazing. So easy and delicious. I added some cumin and oregano, and next time I think I will add one more chipotle pepper, because it wasn't all that spicy. I will make this one a regular. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
delicious. i used this on top of some baked chimichangas and will make this again.  i omitted the sugar and used regular coconut milk. (thirteenblackbirds)
Seriously rocked the taste buds...the combination of tomato puree, chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and coconut milk was genius.  I used it in the recipe "three-bean barley enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce" reviewed separately. (tweety)
Chutney peanut pita pizzas with broccoli
This was one of the more bizarre recipes I've ever cooked.  I did happen to have all the ingredients on hand, so I thought I'd give it a try.  It works and was pretty good.  I used Indian roti bread (which are just like tortillas) because I didn't have any pita bread.  Between the mango chutney which was quite sweet and the peanut butter this dish was very rich.  I probably should have spread it more thin because I only made two and the recipe called for four. (tweety)
Grilled portobello mushroom and vegetable fajitas

Grilled portobello mushroom burgers with black bean guacamole sauce

Hummus pizza with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives
Despite having bought the worst pizza dough ever, this pizza was fantastic! It was a pizza filled with everything I love: garlic, hummus, sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives. This pizza also has a ton of flavor, much better than regular pizza (minke)
Indian style chickpea patties

Lentil tacos
a fun use of lentils. i cooked my lentils separately in veg broth until they were very soft, and i also added garlic and some cayenne pepper in place of chili powder.  it turned out really good.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Mexican torta sandwiches
this was tasty and easy to make. I think you need really good beans for this to be fantastic - i just used canned rosarita.  the bean mixture got a lot better after sitting overnight. I enjoyed it but it didn't compare to the torta I had a taco shop a few weeks ago.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Mushroom bean burgers
Sounded super easy since it uses canned refried beans.  However, the multiple steps involved make this dish take longer to prepare than you might think.  I think it would be better to make the mixture ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until you were ready to make and serve the patties. I made a double recipe and used two boxes of white mushrooms instead of creminis. It might have been more mushrooms than called for, but I omitted the onions. I also added some celery.  When I was all done, the mixture was very gloppy and I had to add more oats and some breadcrumbs to get it firm enough to form into patties.  I made smaller patties so they would be easier to cook and flip. The flavor was good, especially using the cilantro. Don't add too much salt until the end since refried beans tend to be very salty. We enjoyed these and I will probably make them again. (jkl)
Pinto bean sloppy joe sandwiches
Borderline meh for me.  What makes it meh is that I didn't listen to my inner voice telling me that 1/4 cup of molasses would make it too sweet for my tastes.  But I followed directions thinking "Donna Klien hasn't failed me yet."   I also had only about 4 oz. of tomato paste and didn't want to open another can and used a couple of ounces of ketchup making it even sweeter.   I'm real sure I would like this had it not been too sweet.  What saved it for me was using a very spicy chili powder given to me from a friend in Texas.  This was my first time using wheat germ in a cooked dish.  (tweety)
Provencal style focaccia with red pepper coulis and rosemary

Quick moo shu vegetables
Another winner. I used more veggies than she does. DR has requested I make them again (bp)
really nice. i realized as i was making this that it is identical to the egg roll filling my mom and I would make when I was in high school.   good idea to put it in a tortilla although the sauce was a little messy.  will make it again. i added some celery, the peanuts, chili garlic paste, and used all broccoli slaw for the coleslaw. (thirteenblackbirds)
Southwestern style cornbread
I liked this a lot.  It didn't seem sweet at all, and that is my preference for cornbread.  I think there are better cornbread recipes out there but this one is good and worth making.  I messed it up- I somehow did not see the 1 cup water- and surprisingly it still turned out fine (i added a few splashes soymilk when I noticed it was dry).   (thirteenblackbirds)
Sweet potato and black bean burritos

Stuffed pitas with curried chickpea spread

Three bean barley enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce
Decent enchiladads - they got eaten. I might use my own filling and the chipotle cream sauce in the future. (bp)
Most excellent!  This used the recipe of three-bean barley chili that I reviewed separately which I liked.  The chipotle cream sauce tasted amazing and these enchiladas were extremely good.  A great combination of stuff that came together fabulously.  Loved this. (tweety)
Tuscan style white bean quesadillas with artichokes and sun dried tomatoes
I've made these several times. DR can't get enough of them. Quick and easy too! (bp)
I really like the idea of an Italian quesadilla.  It was good, but the leftovers were so much better.   If i make it again, I will make the filling ingredients the night before (mixing them all together) so that the flavors have a chance to blend together.  (thirteenblackbirds)
Good.....I had high expectations since it sounded so good and I'd never made quesadillas before and while it didn't wow me, but a good solid dish.  I made no changes other than to use fresh rosemary.  I used whole grain tortillas and was it tough not to burn them.  (tweety)
White bean and roasted red pepper vegetable wraps with spinach

Wild mushroom and pinto bean burritos with tomatillo salsa
another basic but good recipe.  i eat burritos regularly and this was a nice change of pace from my typical burrito. it would definitely benefit from a fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper. (thirteenblackbirds)
Pasta and noodle dishes
Baked beans and macaroni casserole with crunchy fried onions

Baked ziti with zucchini, chickpeas, and olives
excellent.  Very easy to make.  I got three hefty meals out of this one batch. (tweety)
Cellophane noodles with scallions and chow sauce

Chilled Chinese peanut noodles
I've made these a couple times. I like the sauce enough - it is quick and easy when I want to toss some food together. There are more involved sauces I like better, but this works well when it's time to eat (bp)
Chinese style hot and sour rice noodles with snow peas and cucumber

Cincinnati style chili mac
Excellent.  Pretty much your standard chili with the addition of cinnamon which is apparently what they do in Cinninati and pour it over spaghetti.  I did not use the optional sugar, I added chopped jalapeno, and used a can of unsalted plain diced tomoatoes instead of the diced tomato with green chili.   (tweety)
Chow sauce
This is a good, basic Asian style sauce. I tripled it to have enough for a very large batch of fried rice. It worked well! I would say it needs garlic, but you can just add the garlic to the stirfry. (AC)
basic, good, but nothing special (thirteenblackbirds)
Fusilli with sun dried tomato and roasted red pepper sauce

Gingered somen noodles with snow peas and teriyaki sauce
i thought this was kind of bland. i added a lot of extra teriyaki sauce and some Sriracha hot sauce and that made it good but this still wasn't anything special. (thirteenblackbirds)
Gnocchi with roasted red pepper sauce

Japanese style rice noodles with spinach, bean sprouts, and pickled ginger

Linguine with almonds, breadcrumbs, and olives

One pot pasta with spinach, mushrooms, and sun dried tomatoes
Good.....nothing spectacular but everything comes together nicely for a nice flavor....there's not a lot of added herbs and spices, just garlic, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and onions, but it's not necessary to have more. (tweety)
Orzo with curried chickpeas and raisins

Orzo with mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, and basil
again this is one of those not-so-unique recipes, easy to make, and it tasted fantastic.   I think this is something I could make and serve at a holiday dinner or bring to a covered dish event.  I used baby portabellas because I like them better than white and they were on sale.  I omitted the last 1/4 tablespoon of salt and used the first 1/4 tbs because I try to cut down on salt and it was fine, but might add it if I'm cooking for others.  I used one tablespoon of lemon juice when it called for 1 to 2.  I used whole grain orzo. This was my first time ever cooking orzo and I loved it.  Have plenty of left to make other dishes. (tweety)
Pasta with Swiss chard and red kidney beans

Penne with roasted red pepper and artichoke puree

Penne with broccolini and capers
I made this substituting broccoli. For me, it was screaming for some white wine and artichokes, so I added those two things (quite a bit of wine, and the artichokes with some marinade). It's obviously simple, but fairly tasty. Not something I'd crave, or really want to make again. It tastes like you'd expect. It might be good for like a big meal, as a side dish or something. Maybe even cold. I do recommend the wine and artichokes. (AC)
Pronto pasta with pepperoncini

Quick pasta puttanesca

Roman beans and orzo

Rotelle with wild mushroom ragout
Have made this a number of times. It's too difficult (and probably expensive for me) to get wild mushrooms, so each time I've subbed brown mushrooms in the mix. I don't know what wild mushies taste like, but the brown mushrooms really flavour this dish. This is packed with flavour, and you cannot leave the parsley out of this recipe, it really adds a wonderful kick to it. Not the most impressive dish, but when cooking this we always get comments about the aromas. (katequeenofsprouts)
We always make this using brown mushrooms as well, wild mushrooms just not possible to find in my location. Very tasty sauce, and I agree, you absolutely cannot leave out the parsley - I have only ever used fresh, I wouldn't try it with dried. I know they taste similar, but you won't get the same zing as you would from the fresh. Also good served with penne too. This is a staple pasta sauce, and even though it takes effort to prepare, I think the end result is very worth it. (elliejelly)
Salad bar vegetable lo mein
I added some tofu and napa cabbage to this and left out the bell pepper and snow peas. It was very quick, easy, and good. Nothing spectacular, but worth making again. It was well-received by my family. (sweetgeorgiapeach)
Seashell casserole with mushrooms, peas, and pearl onions

Sesame peanut fettuccine

Skillet lasagna with cannellini beans

Southwestern style lasagna with refried beans, corn, and hominy

Southwestern style penne with chilies, corn, and cilantro

Spaghetti with garlic, onions, and wheat germ
Would be really boring as written, but turned out pretty good with some additions. I used angel hair, and upped the olive oil a bit to make a better sauce (plus some water). I also added a few splashes of white wine to the onions and garlic. Speaking of garlic, this needs a ton more than 2 cloves! I doubled the broth as well. I can't imagine this with so little liquid (as written)! The pepper flakes are a must, and I added some chopped green beans (good for more flavor, and crunch). The good thing about this is that I liked the wheat germ in there. When I was adding it, it had kind of a parmesan optical illusion..because it looked like parm! I liked this more as I ate. It was actually quite tasty. (AC)