[.ca] Gardencuisine: Heal Yourself Through Low-Fat Meatless Eating (ISBN 0684838826)

From Amazon.com:
Paul Wenner created the Gardenburger, a mushroom-based veggie burger sold in food stores and restaurants all over the U.S. He is also a messianic advocate for eating a vegetarian diet and a businessman who believes "a dream too big is just the right size." Wenner recounts that adopting a whole-food, meatless diet cured him of acute chronic illness. He then tells the story of his business, from founding a restaurant in Portland, Oregon, to starting the company that has sold over 100 million Gardenburgers and whose stock is traded publicly. He also devotes a chapter to why people must stop eating meat and presents his "GardenPlan for Optimal Health"--which is based on whole, unrefined foods which he believes purify the body--plus exercise, breathing techniques, and meditation. In addition, Wenner provides a 21-day weight-loss plan, complete with daily menus. One of the best sections in this book advises how to handle eating when you travel. The key to Wenner's diet is his VeggiePack, a mixture of cut-up fresh vegetables you make up in large quantity and store to use every day. The food has its roots in the earnest, "brown" food of the 1960s. Recipes include basics like almond milk, Hot and Hearty Five-Grain Cereal, a baked Spinach Omelette made from tofu, and Fat-Free Oven Fries. A few recipes call for products Wenner's company makes. If you agree with Wenner's thinking, you may just love this fresh-looking, well-presented book. --Dana Jacobi

This should had been titled "The Paul Wenner Story":
Wenner recounts how he overcame adversity to become a successful entreprenuer. I have over 100 vegetarian books and this is about the worse one I own (I don't know why I still have it in my collection). Yes, there are recipes, but most of them require using a Gardenburger. Why did I buy this book in the first place? I didn't, someone gave it to me as a birthday present.

This is an amazing book!:
Garden Cuisine is a must read for vegetarians, vegans, or anyone simply looking to limit their meat intake and read about its benefits. Its eye-opening accounts of how the meat industry operates will tug at anyones heart strings; Another bonus of this book are the fantastic recipies in the end.

Great meal ideas and sound nutrition information:
This book is a great introduction into vegetarian eating. I have been enjoying GardenBurgers for a few years now but only when I made a conscious decision to change my eating habits did I purchase this book. (I have always had a hard time digesting beef and the sodium content in pork made my blood pressure high.) The "SuperSixteen" meals along with the VeggiePack and EssentialSalad are great for a person who doesn't have much time to spend in the kitchen. I also liked Paul's advice on walking, mediation, and fasting.

Great book!:
Unlike a previous reviewer, i enjoyed Paul Wenner's inspirational story and i also enjoyed having my vegan lifestyle affirmed for me yet again... There are great recipes in the book which can also act as insipiration for creating your own recipes ( as any good book should do... )And for the sweet tooths there are the absolutely divine chocolate brownies which are free of added fat and vegan and have the most amazing texture and that even my family who think my vegan thing is extreme love them!! The brownies alone for me were worth the price i paid for the book, which is not to say that i did not enjoy it in other ways too. Like i said i found the author's story very inspirational and great to know that veggie burgers can slowly go more and more mainstream and that if you love what you do you will get to success. I appreciate the authors concern with low fat food too because i find too many cookbook authors are not concerned enough... I prefer for a recipe to have perhaps too little fat for my taste - i can always add it later... - than too much ( often the recipes that call for lots of fat taste pretty bad when you try to cook them without it unless you know what to substitute it with... So overall, i really like this book.