We bought this book about 12-15 years ago and I wanted to see if it was updated. The book was real good then and I tried lots of things that didn't even sound like something we would eat. They were all good and passable then and probably still are. It must have been put together by someone who know what they were doing. The only thing I object to is when premade items (like soup, or roll mixes) are used in the "homemade" recipes.

First I must admit that I hate every book that doesn't have at least one image every two recipes. This book has about 10 images for the entire book.
I think the recipes are what some could qualify as simple, but really the good term would be obvious, you could figure it out yourself. Imagine what you would put in a spinach lasagna... Did you guess? lasagna pasta, tomato sauce of some sort, cheese and spinach. A little bit more taste? add onion and garlic and a little bit of dried oregano. Come on! Can't you make it up yourself? The recipes in that book have nothing new at all. Boring.
An other thing that infuriates me when I use a cooking book is when it uses prepared food. When a book tells me that I could cook spaghetti and use canned spaghetti sauce, but spice it up with dried italian herbs, I would slap its author with a cooking mitt... And you call that a recipe? I call that a college student meal.

Great book for diabetics who are vegans or who want a few vegetarian meals a week.

I have always enjoyed vegetarian meals but find that sometimes they take too much time and a lot of trouble to prepare until I found the Month of Meals; Vegetarian Pleasures. The recipes are easy to prepare and they are very tasty. I am very pleased with this book and would recommend it for anyone with diabetes or not to become a healthier individual through vegetables.

I have always enjoyed vegetarian meals but find that sometimes they take too much time and a lot of trouble to prepare until I found the Month of Meals; Vegetarian Pleasures. The recipes are easy to prepare and they are very tasty. I am very pleased with this book and would recommend it for anyone with diabetes or not to become a healthier individual through vegetables.

I found this book to be helpful in understanding the basic proportions of a healthful vegetarian diabetic diet, but have some reservations about it overall.

First of all, this book, which is sub-titled "Vegetarian Pleasures" might lead a practicing vegetarian to believe that it is focused on vegetarians, but ...throughout the book, vegetable protein sources are referred to as "meat substitutes". To a practicing vegetarian, there is no such thing as a meat substitute because there is no meat on your plate. The editors should take note of this for the next edition or be more up front about the fact that this book is really for non-vegetarians trying to add meatless meals to their diabetic routine. Which I completely support, by the way!

I also found some of the meals a little awkward, like this one: 1 soy dog, 1/2 c EACH carrot and celery sticks, 1/2 brussels sprouts AND 1 c bean salad, made with legumes. I really didn't know what to make of this either from an aesthetic or nutritional viewpoint. And I found the use of a certain brandname dried soup mix throughout to be annoying when it's so easy to make up and freeze nutritious home-made soups.

All that being said, though, I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a selection of usually tasty, nutritious vegetarian diabetic meals, in a easy to read format. I liked the mix and match concept, the meals provide good templates for designing your own favorites, and the nutritional information in the back is very helpful. The menus tend to be the :30 quick-fix at home sort, but some of them are really good and they appeal to a contemporary palate in their mix of ethnic and old standard recipies. The use of soy product is minimal and most folks trying to just add some vegetarian variety to their diets will find many appealing options. The value to the practicing vegetarian is in the way menus are modelled on proper amounts of fats, carbs and proteins, so that you can train yourself to make appropriate and well-balanced meals of the correct portion size. So, despite flaws, I do recommend this helpful and useful book.

I found this book to be helpful in understanding the basic proportions of a healthful vegetarian diabetic diet, but have some reservations about it overall.

First of all, this book, which is sub-titled "Vegetarian Pleasures" might lead a practicing vegetarian to believe that it is focused on vegetarians, but ...throughout the book, vegetable protein sources are referred to as "meat substitutes". To a practicing vegetarian, there is no such thing as a meat substitute because there is no meat on your plate. The editors should take note of this for the next edition or be more up front about the fact that this book is really for non-vegetarians trying to add meatless meals to their diabetic routine. Which I completely support, by the way!

I also found some of the meals a little awkward, like this one: 1 soy dog, 1/2 c EACH carrot and celery sticks, 1/2 brussels sprouts AND 1 c bean salad, made with legumes. I really didn't know what to make of this either from an aesthetic or nutritional viewpoint. And I found the use of a certain brandname dried soup mix throughout to be annoying when it's so easy to make up and freeze nutritious home-made soups.

All that being said, though, I would still recommend this book to anyone who wants to have a selection of usually tasty, nutritious vegetarian diabetic meals, in a easy to read format. I liked the mix and match concept, the meals provide good templates for designing your own favorites, and the nutritional information in the back is very helpful. The menus tend to be the :30 quick-fix at home sort, but some of them are really good and they appeal to a contemporary palate in their mix of ethnic and old standard recipies. The use of soy product is minimal and most folks trying to just add some vegetarian variety to their diets will find many appealing options. The value to the practicing vegetarian is in the way menus are modelled on proper amounts of fats, carbs and proteins, so that you can train yourself to make appropriate and well-balanced meals of the correct portion size. So, despite flaws, I do recommend this helpful and useful book.

I like the cut-a-ways so we can plan the whole day on one page. That has been the bigest help for me.

I like the cut-a-ways so we can plan the whole day on one page. That has been the bigest help for me.

Very clear Introduction to planning diabetic meals.

Includes definition of the six food groups which make up the vegetarian food pyramid, and the nutrients each supply. Describes how specialty foods which are common to vegetarian diets (such as soy products), fit within the diabetic plan.

With this book it is easy to follow a daily total of either a 1200-calorie, 1350-calorie, THE BASIC 1500 CALORIE MEAL PLAN, 1800-Calorie, or 2100-Calorie Diet. Each day simply choose from:
28 Breakfast Meals,
28 Lunch Meals, and
28 Dinner Meals.
21 Snacks of 60-Calories, 21 Snacks of 125-Calories, or 21 Snacks of 170-Calories.

Wonderful book for diabetics who are seeking vegetarian menu ideas, but also great for vegetarians who are simply trying to control their weight . *****

Using this book is a no-brainer - which is what I REALLY needed. My husband was just diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and his nutritional needs are critical. We are stationed in Germany and are in the process of moving. I was disheartened when I found that the military dietician is unavailable right now. Other books were confusing - trying to figure out 30% fat calories, etc. This book saved my sanity! The spiral binding and split page design are FANTASTIC and the food is GREAT. Directions are concise and it's easy to prepare a menu and shopping list from the book. Best of all, we're getting nutritious, consistant, easy meals and snacks and half the work is done for us. Some of the books in the series even include smart choices when eating out at fast food restaurants - another bonus. When our doctor and nurses saw these books, they were AMAZED. My recomendation: get all five!

Very useful book in planning vegetarian meals.

While detailed nutritional info is no provided for micronutrients, every recipe follows a general pattern of 350 cal for breakfast, 450 calories for lunch, 550 for dinner. Exchanges are provided. By adding extra snacks (60, 125, or 170 cal snacks) listed in the back of the book, the basic plan can be adjusted to suit diet needs from 1200 - 2000 calories.

The recipes are no complex and the ingredients are easy to find in mainstream grocery stores. The "flip mix and match" style of the book makes it easy to plan for varied meals and use up lefotvers.

My only two regrets are that there are no blank cards for the reader to add their own favorites to the "flipping" system and the recipes are not marked with symbols for lacto-, ovo-, lacto-ovo- or vegan selections. Some kind of symbol for freezer friendly recipes would have been welcome as well.

Over all, a sound book. I'd love to see a follow-up edition in the same flip format.

Lots of good information about planning meals for diabetic vegetarians or those who just want to eat less meat. This information hasn't been easy to find elsewhere. The split page format, spiral binding and easy to wipe off pages make the book especially easy to use. The menus and recipes are simple,realistic, and tasty. The food is reassuringly familiar and the meals have been enjoyed by everyone in my family; nothing too weird here. My only complaint is that nutrition information is not included with the recipes. But because of the complete meal menu format, you can be sure daily nutrition needs are met.