More-with-Less Cookbook

The idea behind the More-with-Less cookbook is conservation and elimination of food waste. In America particularly, many go hungry while vast amounts of food are thrown away. At the same time, many of the so called "convenience" items from the grocery save little time and eat away at food budgets. There is also a satisfaction to be gained from making a simple meal and sharing it with friends and family. Food need not be expensive or exotic to be a delicious repast physically and socially.

Going through the cookbook, I was struck by a number of items. First there is a wonderful array of simple salad dressing recipes. Who hasn't spent $3 or $4 for a salad dressing of questionable flavor. Doris Longacre makes it easy. I went straight for a lemon poppyseed variation that was delicious. The soup recipes also appear quite easy to prepare even if you are short on time. You will find such favourites as French onion soup and corn chowder (yummy).

The meat recipes weren't as appealing because they involved so much stretching of ingredients, but there are some nice veggie and bean burger recipes that look good.

I was very impressed by the breads & breakfast area and the dessert area. First there are some nice recipes for making your own granola (cheap, easy, and delicious) as well as adaptations for making your own granola bars. Longacre's directions are easy to follow and the results are spectacular. I also liked the muffin and quick bread recipes - creative versions of old favorites. There is even a carrot raisin bread that carrot cake lovers will adore. The desserts are simple and delicious without a lot of added sugar. My first effort was the oven baked rice pudding which was delicious and creamy despite my use of skim milk. The applesauce bread pudding is also excellent.

I never expect one cookbook to do it all. My rule of thumb is that if there are more than four recipes that have good results - I like the book. The more useful the cookbook is, the better I like it. The More-with-Less cookbook is as close to a "do it all" book as you can get. The recipes are detailed enough for novices to follow and do not require a large variety of expensive ingredients. There are also wonderful suggestions for leftovers. Whether you are socially conscious, on a limited budget, or love to cook the More-with-Less Cookbook deserves a place on your shelf.

5/5

I received a copy of the More-with-Less Cookbook from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom
(9/27/16)

This book is full of "real" recipes that anyone can make deliciously. Some cookbooks have exquisite, complex recipes using ingredients that most cooks won't have on hand. This book is NOT like that! Convenient, healthy, and delicious -- and most important of all, recipes that I can make that my family will eat!

I received a digital copy of More-with-Less Cookbook from Netgalley for review. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the concept of this classic cookbook. I can forgive that it doesn't include photos of every recipe, which is normally a must for me when purchasing a cookbook. However, the ideas and recipes presented here are really about changing your mindset and changing the way that you eat to include eating as fresh and local as possible to reduce your impact on the world. The recipes themselves are great and are ones that everyone should have, from beginner cooking enthusiast to pros. And because the proceeds from the book benefit the Mennonite Central Committee, a worldwide ministry of relief, development, and peacebuilding, I'll be buying multiple copies of this cookbook to give as gifts this year!

Easy to understand, great photos and delicious recipes....this is the one you need to buy and keep in the kitchen at all times

This review is for the 40th Anniversary edition of the More-with-Less cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre with updates by Rachel Marie Stone.
The original book was published to give people recipes to help them eat healthier foods that cost less and was based on the principles of the Mennonites. The recipes and ideas are still relevant today.

More-with-Less calls for more whole grains, more fruits and vegetables, and more legumes and nuts. We should consider where we buy the food we eat. Convenience and fast foods offers us less with more as they contain unwanted and unneeded chemicals and ingredients instead of the much healthier and tastier food we get when we buy fresh from local sources.

The book lists what items should be in a well stocked pantry, basic kitchen equipment, ideas for repurposing leftovers, a recommeded reading list and a contributor index that lists the name, location and recipe(s) contributed to the original cookbook in 1974.

There are photos but they depict cultures around the world. There are very few photos of the actual recipes.

The recipes are laid out a little differently than the usual recipes. Instead of a list of ingredients and then the steps these recipes combine the ingredients with the steps. It took a little getting used to but I quickly found that I liked the way the recipes were written in that it saved time to not have to refer to the ingredients and then the steps – back and forth.

I tried the Simple Hummus, Kusherie and Rice Pudding. The hummus didn't last long – really, there weren't any leftovers from any of the recipes as they were all very tasty.

The Kusherie (Egyptian Lentils and Rice) recipe was cut in half because there are only three in my family. Before we even finished eating I was asked when I was going to make it again. Although there are three parts to the recipe none are difficult and it comes together quickly.

And the rice pudding – there was a debate as to whether we should wait and eat it after the meal or if we could start with it. It came out creamy, not too sweet and reminded me of the rice pudding my mother made when I was a child.

I enjoyed this cookbook and look forward to making many more of the recipes.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Nowadays, “Simplify” seems to be the key word. While none of us really like change, More with Less is an excellent cookbook to help us make gradual changes in areas where we want to simplify our lives. Although this book has been popular over a 40-year span, this new edition includes some welcome changes that will be helpful to most of us who are unfortunately to busy to get everything done.

The authors, who are Mennonites, have added not only recipes and instructions for simplifying our diets and the foods we serve, but hints for finding joy in eating, cooking, and sharing. The cookbook has some religious articles which may or may not be a plus, depending on your personal beliefs, but there are dozens of excellent suggestions on taking the unhealthy food from our lives which is generally a must for most of us – we like to keep our families and ourselves healthy, and what the big food companies have done with our foods with GMOs, additives, preservatives, etc., should be considered criminal.

The book includes excellent recipes that most cooks will want to make, and many are quick and easy. It includes lists for basic equipment needed in the kitchen, as well as lists for a well-stocked pantry. There is a list of meal themes with variations that is good for ideas when wondering just what to cook for dinner.

The book includes excellent salad dressings, such as homemade mayonnaise made in the blender in less than 10 minutes, and a yummy Thousand Island dressing made with that mayonnaise. Other favorites that turned out picture perfect are a Fresh Fruit Salad Dressing that is great over any fruit from apples to watermelon and a yummy sweet and sour Refrigerator Coleslaw. Cauliflower is popular at our house, and we loved the simple and quick Cauliflower Salad in the book. The Monterey Beans and Cheese is now a favorite with Mexican food (I substitute Pinto beans because my husband prefers them), and the Caribbean Beans and Rice makes a perfect and delicious side dish with our favorite Jerk Chicken.

There are dozens of great soup recipes, and one that is quite unique, but delicious is a savory Peanut Soup that thrilled my peanut butter lovers. There are noodle dishes, rice dishes, casseroles, and curries. The easy Yakisoba may become a quick and easy go-to favorite in your home as it is in mine. The book features recipes from every corner of the globe, and every one I have tried so far has been good. There are recipes for vegetarians, meat lovers, vegetable lovers, and dessert lovers. Mennonites are famous for their baked goods, so you’ll not want to miss the dozens of fabulous bread recipes and desserts which include puddings, fruit crumbles, cakes, pies, and cookies.

My personal recipe queue from this cookbook is a mile long. I plan to purchase copies for my children, since they often get in ruts and can’t think of anything exciting to cook. I recommend this book for anyone who runs out of ideas for easy meals and likes simple good food.

Special Thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this cookbook.

I have an earlier, spiral-bound edition of this book that I purchased over ten years ago. At the time, I was a stay-at-home mom and our financial situation wasn't the best. The book was a big help to me because it presented scrumptious, healthy recipes that fit into our budget. I was thrilled when I saw a new-updated edition on Netgalley and couldn't wait to look through it. I wanted to see what changes they had made.

This book was first published in 1976, and yet it fits in so well with the information about food choices that is always coming out. The author, a socially, conscious Mennonite, was concerned about eating healthier, wasting food and using up less of our worlds resources. The book contains recipes for your meatless Mondays and even ideas of what to do with leftovers. You can probably shave quite a bit of money off your food budget, if you are using up what is in your fridge instead of routinely throwing everything away.

This is a book that you will use for as long as you cook. And hopefully then pass it on to your child. I highly recommend it. Your purchase also benefits Mennonite Central Committee, a worldwide ministry of relief, development, and peacebuilding. That's another good reason to buy a copy.

More-With-Less is more than just another cookbook, this book is filled with 4 chapters of " Less with More, Change, Building a simple diet, and eat with joy. Also you can find 12 chapters of foods by category, and 10 other areas in the back like the topical index and more. My favorite recipe in Starters and snacks by far would be "Fresh Salsa or Guacamole" , by far the Guacamole was the best! Desert was a hard one for me because I LOVE Desert!!! ALL of the Custards are my favorites lol... Pumpkin Custard, and Rice Pudding YUMMM.... I am telling you , this cookbook is awesome! One more area I just could not leave without saying what my favorite was, Vegetables, I LOVE Cabbage anything cabbage, Fried, skillet, and creamy. I think I forgot to mention the photographs in this book are amazing! What is the best part of this book you ask, well for me,The World Community Cookbook series because it benefits the work of the Mennonite Central Committee and is a world wide ministry of relief, and peace building. With that said these recipes are from all over! I love how this cookbook helps teach you about world hunger, and shows you how Christians could help make a difference .

I loved this book because: 1) its philosophy of being aware of the earth's limited resources in our food choices, and 2) its simple, easy recipes that will please any family member. Saving food dollars and eating healthier, two very important themes these days. Recommended!!

I love this cook book . There are many great recipes that you can prepare with few ingredients . I am vegetarian and gluten free but I found many that I can use . Fast , simple , healthy and delicious