Totally Dairy-Free Cooking (ISBN 0688169090)

Amazon.com Review:
When chef Louis Lanza opened Josie's in New York City in 1994, he created a new breed of restaurant. Since then, this smart-looking eatery serving dairy-free food has been crowded with both health-conscious, food-loving yuppies and more mature and mainstream diners pleased by the comfortably sophisticated menu. In Totally Dairy-Free Cooking, Lanza explains that he avoids using dairy products to cut back on fat and cholesterol. Also, it helps people with allergies and other health problems. To ensure you get sufficient calcium on the dairy-free diet he espouses, Lanza provides a chart demonstrating how easy it is to get the all the calcium recommended by health authorities by eating green vegetables, grains, tofu, and other foods. Lanza is a broadly talented chef. He prepares a wide range of dishes, creating novel choices and giving new twists to familiar favorites. His Spinach Salad is enhanced with ginger and roasted beets--add the marinated tofu or not, as you prefer. Margarita Chicken Paillard, marinated with lime juice, tequila, and Triple Sec, is sure to be a classic for grilling. Or try the Yellowfin Tuna Burger, enlivened with soy sauce and sharp wasabi. Less expectedly, there is Hummus-Crusted Salmon with Cucumber and Tomato Salsa, the hummus topping the fish made with black beans. Meatless dishes are hardly bland in Lanza's hands--witness his creamy, puréed mushroom soup, seasoned with tarragon, and Baked Corn Macaroni with Soy Jalapeño Jack, studded with sliced zucchini. To ensure best results for cooks unfamiliar with dairy-free cooking, he lists specific brands of ingredients he favors. Most are organic and can be found in supermarkets as well as at natural food stores. In all, Totally Dairy-Free Cooking provides nearly 200 recipes, from fish and chicken dishes to meatless choices that are easy to make even when a bit off-beat. --Dana Jacobi

Looked at in a store & didn't buy:
I am allergic to milk and am always on the lookout for new cookbooks. I spent some time looking through this one in a kitchen store recently and decided not to buy, mainly because of the use of non-dairy cheese in many recipes. Yes, these cheeses are good for the lactose-intolerant, but they are not good for anyone allergic to milk. All of the good ones contain casein, a protein in milk that is often the cause of allergic reaction. There are truly milk-free cheeses out there, but they do not tend to melt well, and, therefore, often can't be used successfully in cooking. I'm disappointed that someone who writes a book like this would title it "Totally Dairy-free" when it's not. "Non-dairy" or "Lactose-free" would be more appropriate. That said, it was a nicely presented book and had some recipes that looked really good.

NOT totally dairy-free:
I asked for this book after seeing it on Amazon and was sorely disappointed when I got it. As we say in Texas, all hat, no cattle. I am allergic to casein and can't eat half the stuff in it. It looks great, but the title is *totally* misleading. I've gotten more mileage out of Beth Kidder's "Milk-Free Kitchen" and a nutritionist's "Lactose-Free Cooking." If it were truthfully titled, I probably would have been more favorably impressed.

Incredible book!!!:
I bought this book almost 2 years ago, and I cannot get enough of Louis' recipes!!! It is so obvious, to me, that each one took a lot of time and tasting in development!! Every time I want to knock someone's socks off with a dairy free recipe, I make something from this cookbook. Louis Lanza is truly a genius!!! Last week I tried the Pumpkin seed, Basil, and Miso Pesto for the first time...UNBELIEVABLE!!!

This is an Awesome Cookbook!:
I have had this cookbook for awhile. Unlike most cookbooks - these recipes have been tested very carefully. There isn't a bad recipe in the book. You will be amazed at how excellent everyting tastes. I am a recent dairy-free convert. And I can honestly say this book has made the transition for me very easy because the food tastes so great. You will not miss dairy after you try these recipes.

should be the totally soy cookbook:
The author doesn't realize that lactose free and dairy free are NOT synonomous. A lot of the recipes include soy cheese which has milk proteins in it. A lot of the recipes have a lot of soy in them - miso, tofu, etc. I'm not a fan of soy and my son is allergic to milk protein, so this book was useless. It also is very fancy, restaurant recipes; so I wouldn't probably make them anyway.