Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

... I wanted to like this book. I got it as a gift but will surely be "regifting" it. How do I not like this book? Let me count the ways: 1. Terrible, ugly design. Helvetica-style fonts everywhere. Black ink only on cheap-looking paper. Ingredient lists are headed with "INGREDIENTS ." instruction lists are headed with HERE'S WHAT YOU DO in a kind of distressed Wild-West type font. Everything more or less runs together on the page. 2. 8-page insert of very plain photos. With all the books out there with stunning photography, these just don't look appealing. The first photo is mainly beige bread on a beige cutting board. 3. Recipes that go on for 2, 3, or, I kid you not, 4 pages. 4. Menus that have, again, I kid you not, no vegetables in them. For example, one with Jerk Tempeh, Zesty Pineapple Salad, and Jamaican-Style Rice and Peas. OK, there's pineapple, which is a fruit, but there are no veggies in this meal unless you count cilantro as a vegetable. An 8-ounce package of tempeh is combined with "prepared jerk sauce" as a recipe, and is supposed to yield 4 to 6 servings, with leftovers. Another menu, Huevo Y Fijoles and Romaine with Toasted Pepitas & Lemon Vinaigrette has as vegetables only romaine lettuce and half of a jicama, not exactly powerhouse vegetables. The author explains at the beginning that she is not a vegetarian. These menus make me feel that non-vegetarians shouldn't write vegetarian cookbooks. She doesn't seem to have a feel for how to put together a simple, hearty meatless meal. I didn't find a single appealing menu that I'd want to make. Some have too many protein dishes, while others have none at all. 5. Some of the recipes have a million ingredients, while others are hardly recipes at all. 6. Annoying terminology. If a recipe is supposed to be child-friendly, there's an icon that says "kiddo." Broccoli is sometimes "brocco" and cauliflower is "cauli." And why in the world "Jig-inducing" falafel burgers? 7. There are supposed to be 52 menus but sometimes, because of the aforementioned bad design, it's difficult to discern what's supposed to be in a menu with what. 8. If this book is supposed to convince meat lovers to eat more vegetarian meals, I don't think it makes the case very well. By presenting such odd combinations, carnivores will rush back to their meat-centric meals. There are much better vegetarian and vegan books on the market. One great book for those reluctant to try meatless meals is Robin Robertson's Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook, with lots of hearty, robust dishes.