Linda Mccartney Cookbook Full Of Vegetarian Recipes - Not Gossip

Linda McCartney, one of the world’s most famous vegetarians, doesn’t divulge anything too personal in her cookbook, “Linda’s Kitchen” (Fubfinch). So don’t expect to find out what ex-Beatle hubby Paul eats for breakfast or what this couple’s favorite dish is for romantic occasions.

The more than 200 simple-to-prepare yet tasty recipes in the book include everything from Corn Chowder to Curried Chickpeas with Onions to a sprightly Lemon Drizzle Cake.

Many dishes contain eggs (from free-range hens, of course), milk (skim), cheeses and even cream. McCartney also uses some vegetarian products such as “vegsteak chunks” in the Potato and Eggpant Curry and “vegetarian mince” in the Stuffed Bell Peppers. You’ll have to find these items at health-food stores. But there are plenty of recipes that use everyday supermarket ingredients.

All the dishes we tried were easy to make. The Corn Chowder was good but not spectacular. The chickpeas were flavorful (we even enjoyed them cold the next day for lunch). And the cake - made with eggs, sugar, milk and a stick of margarine - had all the ingredients that make cakes tasty, although it wasn’t necessarily healthful.

Vegetarian cooking can often be heavy on fat, and this cookbook fails to give any nutrition analyses of recipes, so it’s difficult to know just how good this stuff really is for you. We did our own calculations for the recipes that follow.

Curried Chickpeas With Onions

A deliciously spicy dish that is simple to prepare and very nutritious. Serve over plain boiled rice or saffron rice, accompanied by pita bread.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons sesame seeds

1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste

Sea salt

2 cans (16 ounces each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon tamari or light soy sauce

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and garlic very gently, covered, until meltingly soft and golden, about 25 minutes.

Stir in the sesame seeds and curry powder. Season with salt. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid. Add the chickpeas to the pan with the reserved liquid and cook, stirring frequently, until the chickpeas are hot and almost all the liquid has evaporated (about 15 minutes over medium heat).

Stir in the lemon juice, tamari or soy sauce and parsley. Serve hot, spooned over rice.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 394 calories, 14 grams protein, 12 grams fat (27 percent fat calories), 61 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 768 milligrams sodium.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Light but very moist, this lemony cake is perfect for special occasions. It’s a popular birthday cake when covered with cream cheese frosting.

1/2 cup (4 ounces) margarine

1 cup sugar

Finely grated rind and juice of 3 lemons

2 jumbo eggs (preferably free-range), beaten

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup skim milk

Cream the margarine with 3/4 cup of the sugar, the lemon rind, and 1-1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice until light and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs one at a time. Beat in the sifted flour and baking powder, then add the milk. Beat thoroughly until light.

Put into a greased 9- by 5-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 45 minutes.

Toward the end of the baking time, heat the remaining lemon juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 3 to 4 minutes.

Cool the cake, in the pan, on a rack for 5 minutes, then unmold, upside down. Pierce the base of the cake all over with a skewer, being careful not to break through the top surface of the cake. Spoon the lemon syrup carefully over the base of the cake until all of it has been absorbed. Let cool completely before turning the cake right-side up.

Yield: 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 303 calories, 5 grams protein, 13 grams fat (39 percent fat calories), 42 grams carbohydrate, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 350 milligrams sodium.