Nearly ALL of my cooking falls into the "one-dish" category, because it's the easiest kind to cook up on a Sunday afternoon and freeze for meals throughout the coming week or month. So I was thrilled about this book. Most of it looks pretty good. The only thing that strikes me as odd is the massive chapter on pastas. I'm fairly sure I can figure out what to top pasta with. I wouldn't have minded if the suggestions were very original or of unique interest for vegans/vegetarians above and beyond the mere fact of being meatless... but they mostly weren't. However, I instantly forgave this when I reached the glorious chili chapter. No other book in my bloated cookbook collection pays such loving homage to the diverse possibilities of vegetarian chili. All I can say is Wow. I intend to try every single one of them. The chapters on baked dishes and stovetop simmers also look very promising from a make-ahead-and-freeze perspective.
One annoyance: ingredients that can only be found in specialty shops or ethnic groceries appear frequently. (I cook a LOT, and I have never heard of filé powder.) Fortunately, Robinson does acknowledge them, and frequently makes suggestions for less exotic substitutions or advises when you can do without them without detrimental effects on the flavor.
Overall, a book that I'm going to be spending a great deal of time with.

I purchased this book as a gift for a friend who had checked it out of the library and who liked it so much she wanted to buy it. She is one of those cooks who needs a recipe to follow and doesn't really like complicated dishes. This is wonderful for those types of cooks who want tasty, easy and nutritious dishes. We have had several dishes from this cookbook, and they were all very good. Highly recommended for beginning vegetarian cooks and busy folks who want a good, fast dinner in the evening.

I didn't give this book a full 5 stars because the title of the book is misleading. I have all of this author's other cookbooks, and they're all very good. I got this one because I thought the recipes would be easy "one pot" meals. A lot of the recipes call for multiple pans while cooking for sauteing and sauces, hence making the title of the book false. I was looking for easy quick recipes, and these are not what I was looking for. Definitely NOT a one pan/pot cookbook. It also has a lot of obscure flavors in the recipes. If you're looking for quick, one pot comfort meals, this is not the book for you.

My 3 and 2 year old, as well as myself, have food intolerances to soy, dairy and gluten. On top of that I am vegetarian and my kids don't really like meat. So I have a heck of a time finding recipes! I came across this cookbook and was skeptical. But I purchased it on a whim. I am so happy I did!!! The recipes are phenomenal!

The author rarely uses cheese in any of the recipes. If she does, it is usually parma sprinkled on top and can easily be omitted. The pasta dishes can all be subbed for a gf pasta, such as Tinkyada. She has a ton of rice dishes and uses all fresh ingredients, which eliminates contamination of soy and gluten. Some recipes call for soy products. Those can either be easily subbed for meat (for you meat eaters out there) or ignored altogether as there are plenty of other recipes.

Some of my favorite recipes in the book are: Black Bean and Avocado Rice Salad, Waldorf Rice Salad, Bell Peppers Stuffed with Rice/Spinach/Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Rotelle with Spicy Pumpkin Sauce, and Green Beans and Rice with Sesame-Orange Sauce.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

I purchased this cookbook partly anticipating new and exciting recipes, partly anticipating it would join the other 40 cookbooks in my cupboard (covered in dust). What a fabulous surprise! So far, I haven't made anything I didn't like. The recipes are not too labor intensive, the ingredients are found at the local store - occasionally require a trip to Central Market.

As I get older, it is SO much easier to make one dish meals; less to clean up, less prep time. Experimenting with recipes from around the world spices things up as well- literally and figuratively. I highly recommend this title.

By the way, did I mention I don't like to cook?