Start Simple: Eleven Everyday Ingredients for Countless Weeknight Meals Hardcover – Illustrated, February 18, 2020

... You won't be putting it away! I have no idea where to really begin with this. This book has so many amazing recipes! I have probably cooked about half of this book in the month or so that I've had it; many recipes I've made 2 or 3 times. We love the couple of recipes that are kind of like meal preps for other recipes. The marinated greens are especially good. I use them for sandwiches, frittata, throw them into bowls and wraps. The grilled PB & greens may sound strange at first but it is really good. The big pot of beans will feed a crowd or keep you in leftovers for many meals; naturally this could be halved to make less or you can freeze some. Every time I make something, we sit down and say, "another winner." The other great thing, most of it comes together fast enough for a weeknight.

I bought this book on Kindle since it doesn't ship to South Africa right now - and the price! A real bargain. Jump in while it is still at this excellent price. I have the author's Vegetarian Burger book as well and his Bowls book so I expected a lot, because his recipes are truly wonderful. Well explained and easy to follow - but this book! It is his best work yet. There is nothing in here that I won't attempt. Even though a lot of recipes are for 4-6 people and we are only two, it is no trouble at all to half the recipes. My husband isn't vegetarian but I can tell that it is food that he will love. This is no fuss, full flavor at it best.

This is an excellent cookbook, using a basic pantry and 11 featured ingredients, for healthy, vegetable rich food. I love the narrow ingredient list which leads to a multitude of delicious looking dishes. The smaller number of ingredients and straightforward recipes seem to provide layers of flavor for the lightly experienced cook and their beneficiaries.

When I received this cookbook back in February, I knew I would enjoy it, since Lukas Volger’s other cookbooks are ones I return to time and time again for delicious, straightforward, unfussy recipes that have clearly been tested. However, I was really impressed to see that he has managed to do something both new and quite useful, by organizing the recipes around a few kitchen staples. Wondering what to make for dinner, but feeling unmotivated? Look in your fridge and find something you need to use such as greens, mushrooms, beans or eggs, and then flip to that section for inspiration.Just over a month later, when we are social distancing and have less control over available ingredients, this cookbook has become even more valuable. I can’t recommend it enough!

I bought the kindle version because it was a good price and I am glad I did. I was hoping for easy everyday vegetarian recipes and this didn’t disappoint. I love the concept of using several healthy everyday easy to find options. I like the tips such as how to bake squash easily, how to pick tofu, and how to make marinated greens to prolong their shelf life. I can’t eat eggs, but there are plenty of recipes that don’t use eggs to still make this worth my while. I have flagged several recipes to make right away. I do anticipate they will be tasty because I already enjoy the ingredients.

The cookbook itself is well written and beautiful with lovely pictures and good instructions. But I was uninspired, Most of the recipes were too "weird" for my family to enjoy. If the book was just for me, I would have given it 5 stars as I love different interpretations of foods but I was under the impression that this book was full of simple recipes that everyone would like- not the case. I will keep it around for nights that the kids are away and make myself some yummy "weird" food.

Lukas Volger clearly delights in the beauty of fresh ingredients. His style is simple, efficient, and healthy. There are times when I want to spend half the day cooking something with twenty three ingredients. And then there is the rest of the week/month. I like how he uses parts that would normally be tossed, for instance roasted Swiss chard stems. And how he cooks a large batch of something, and then uses it for a variety of different meals. This has become one of my all-time favorite cookbooks. The quiet sanity is peaceful. No manic banging around the kitchen :-)

I love cookbooks that are reassuring, and yet still teach me something. I've been cooking for quite a while, and I enjoyed this romp through new twists on simple food.I will say -- I don't know that the premise was successful. I personally thought this book was going to have more recipes with a short list of ingredients, and while some of the lists are short, there were few that I didn't have to modify. Granted, during the current circumstances, I just don't have kale on hand, so maybe that's my fault.