Dinner for Everyone: 100 Iconic Dishes Made 3 Ways--Easy, Vegan, or Perfect for Company by Mark Bittman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting approach to a cookbook. Instead of being organized into courses or types of dish the way most cookbooks are, Bittman identified 100 iconic dishes such as pizza, pot roast, chowder, or sunday dinner. He then gave three versions of each dish: quick, vegan, and all out. In some cases, this resulted in some interesting interpretations, especially with the vegan versions of things like pot roast or otherwise inherently meat/seafood dishes. This is not a book built for purists (although the all out versions should satisfy them). This is a book that encourages flexible thinking and adaptability while still valuing food traditions.

In his forward, Bittman mentions that he has friends who won't consider a dish that can't be on the table in under an hour. People are busy and he respects that. So far, I've only tried the quick versions, but all have turned out well and very tasty. This is a good book for anyone with solid basic kitchen skills. The recipes are well written and clear.

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I am a Bittman fan and I make no bones about it. I was a little slow to hop on the bandwagon, but now that I'm there, I've been following avidly for almost 10 years. I'm such an enthusiast that I have a whole passel of people who buy me the new books as they come out. Bittman's not perfect. I generally find that I need to double or triple the spicing on all the recipes and his idea of serving sizes is completely bizarre: I can't imagine eating an entire Bittman serving in many cases. However, his recipes just don't fail. They might need tweaking, but they all come out enjoyably edible.

Out of this one I've so far tried:

• Orzo with Shrimp and Dill 
• Peanut Bun 
• Sweet and Salty Coconut Rice and
• Pepperoni Pan Pizza

All have been very good.