Although not a vegetarian by any means, I do really enjoy a good vegetarian dish especially when they are health and easy to prepare. When I saw that the PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) Vegetarian Cookbook offered "240 Healthy and Easy No-Prep Recipes for Busy Cooks" right on the front cover, I knew this was a cookbook for me.

While the claim that this cookbook offered recipes which were "Quicker, Healthier and Cheaper than picking up a pizza" seemed a little to good to be true, I realized I had misjudged this cookbook when I actually looked at a couple of the recipes. Many of the recipes were designed to take full advantage of the many convenient foods available in the grocery store now. Paying a little extra for a pre-sliced can of vegetables seems silly to those with time on their hands but to the rest of us, it is like just paying for a little more time.

With most cookbooks, a recipe takes up the entire page, maybe two facing pages because of the lengthy ingredients list and exhaustive directions. Not so with the PDQ Vegetarian Cookbook. Most of the recipe pages have at two recipes, and that still leaves room for comments, tips and nutritional details about each. Many of the recipes also include a lacto-ovo, vegan egg-free and/or dairy-free option.

The introduction covers many bases, offering tips for substituting as well as information on the various benefits of the vegetarian diet. The rest of the book is dedicated to the recipes in categories: Tempting Starters, Snacks and Tidbits; Savory Soups, Stews and Chilis; Simply Salads; Sandwiches, Wraps, Pizza, Breads and Other Light Fare; Oodles of Noodles; Hearty Vegetable, Grain and Legume Combos; Super Sides; Brunch and Egg Dishes; Sweet Endings.

There are so many mouth-watering offerings from which to choose. The Breakfast Pizza for instance will shortly become a family favourite and their were so many delicious sounding salads that I don't know why I ever made a simple chef salad. I chose the recipe below because I could never pass up anything with coconut in it.

Crunchy Toasted Coconut Ice Cream Balls

Lacto-ovo with vegan options

Makes 4 Servings

Simply sprinkle this yummy topping over the ice cream if you don't have time to form it into balls. It is also delicious over warmed canned peaches or apricots. For a vegan alternative, frosted corn flakes can replace the honey oat cereal, and you can use non-dairy frozen dessert.

• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  
• 1/2 cup honey oat cereal, with or without almonds
  
• 1 pint (2 cups) reduced-fat vanilla ice cream, frozen yogurt, or non-dairy frozen dessert

Preheat the oven to 300F (150 C). Arrange the coconut in a single layer on an ungreased light-colored baking sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes, or until lightly toasted, stirring once.

Meanwhile, place the cereal in a self-sealing plastic sandwich bag and crush into small bits with your fingers and palms. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the toasted coconut, tossing well to combine.

To serve, place about 3 tablespoons of the coconut mixture in each of 4 dessert dishes. Scoop 1/2 cup ice cream and form into a ball while still in the container. Transfer it to a dessert dish and quickly turn it in the coconut mixture to coat. Repeat with remaining ice cream and coconut mixture. Serve at once.

Per Serving: Calories 178, Protein 5g, Total Fat 8g, Sat. Fat 6g, Cholesterol 25mg, Carbohydrate 23g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sodium 70mg

About the Author
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