[.ca] Jump Up And Kiss Me (ISBN 0898157617)

Refreshingly Spicy:
For the most part, I really like this book. I get really tired of boring vegetarian recipes, and enjoy that I have a complete array of spicy choices to cook from this book. She combines interesting ingredients that create suprisingly delightful dishes. My only complaint is that some of the receipes are complicated and time consuming to make. My favorite recipe is the Roasted Corn Chipotle Soup...it is incredibly spicy, but so delicious.

Not a Vegetarian cookbook alone, a great spicy resource too!:
Vegetarian foods are not just for vegetarians. With today's healthier eating and with so many people having alternatives to the main meat dish, many books have been written towards vegetarian eating. Jennifer Trainer Thompson has written Jump Up and Kiss Me ~ Spicy Vegetarian Cooking published by 10 Speed Press. I met the "Hot" Jennifer in New York recently, and she sent me a copy of her newest book, and after reviewing this one, I now want her others that include the Great Hot Sauce Book, Hot Licks and Trail of Flame. She was also involved in a boater's cookbook, the Yachting Cookbook. Jump Up and Kiss Me is a nominee for The James Beard Awards and many of the recipes show why. Some of the recipes that are found in this book include: Sundried Tomato Relish with Cayenne Toasts; Roasted Shitake and Walnut Pate; Sweet Potato Fritters with Jerk Sauce; Artichokes with Rosemary-Curry Vinaigrette; Toasted Corn Salsa, Portuguese Vegetable Stew; Shitake Stew with Crisp Polenta; Buckwheat Pasta with Peanut-Coconut Sauce; Rice Noodles with Vegetables, tofu, and Watercress; Pasta Gratin with Mustard Greens; Focaccia Pizza with Pears, Walnuts, and Gorgonzola; Chutney, red Pepper, and Grilled Cheddar Sandwich; Hot 'n' Dirty Rice Salad; Jalapeno-Onion Corn Sticks; and Rosemary-Serrano Red Wine Vinegar. The book is filled with many great recipes with a lot of ingredient information throughout the book. There are no suggestions to alternatives to the ingredients used for other recipe ideas, and in my opinion the paper the book is printed on, is not conducive for a cookbook. The paper is a newsprint style absorbent paper and not a slick cleanable paper that should be used for cookbooks. This would have been a great book to have some of the recipes in full color photographs, yet I'm, sure due to higher cost were not available. In spite of these few setbacks, Jump Up and Kiss Me is a great vegetarian cookbook, and an even better spicy recipe reference. Most of the ingredients are available through your local grocer, with only a handful that may need to be purchased from a specialty store

Lots of variety:
This is a neat book - it has a real variety of recipes, covering lots of different nationalities (although not spelled out per se) and there are all sorts of tid bits of advice in here that discuss things types of noodles, and there are even thought provoking quotes scattered through. Recipes are good - they're a bit more adventurous than I first expected which is great. They're combinmations I might not have thought of on my own so it's been fun learning new things. (e.g. corn on the cob with chipolte-tequilla butter) I highly recommend it! (and it's not *that* spicy) Another good book is Some Like it Hot by Robin Robinson

Excellent:
The meals are great. If you like it spicy, this book has it. Additionally, the range of genres is fantastic. You can do oriental, mexican, italian, etc. Best of all, a great deal of the meals are vegan, not just vegetarian. You don't have to worry about your diet. It's there. The recipes aren't simple, but they're worth it.