Book Review: More-with-Less Cookbook

It's time for another book review, and since I started on the cookbook shelf, I'll just continue there. The More-with-Less Cookbook is another of my well-worn favorites. In fact, if I had to keep only two cookbooks, I'd definitely choose this one and Simply in Season.

Written in the 1970s by Doris Longacre Janzen, the More-with-Less is timeless and was recently re-released in a 25th anniversary edition. If you want simple, inexpensive, and nutritious meals to serve your family, this is the cookbook for you. The book reflects its Mennonite roots in its emphasis on eating simply so that others will have enough to eat. Some of the recipes are international, sent in by mission workers, but there are plenty of homestyle favorites as well.

More-with-Less recipes tend to use meat sparingly in casseroles, curries, etc. There are quite a few vegetarian recipes as well. Rarely does a recipe call for canned or pre-packaged ingredients. Rather the reader is instructed how to make meals from scratch--even things like cottage cheese, white sauce, cereal, and imitation maple syrup.

Unfortunately, the cookbook was written before there was much emphasis on eating locally and seasonally, so it takes a little more work to find recipes using seasonal produce; for this reason I like to use it in conjunction with Simply in Season.

Like Simply in Season (see my review here), the More-with-Less has lots of valuable information and quotes that go along with the recipes. These range from practical tips like:

"Save energy by using an electric skillet for casserole-type meals instead of heating the oven."

to food for thought like this:

"In the short term, there is probably nothing anyone can do to forestall mass starvation in some rice-dependent areas. But the very least we can do is to take a symbolic stand and cook rice with reverence, taking care that each precious grain swells to its fullest but stays firm and separate from the rest. Perhaps we could even inaugurate our own rice ritual: a moment of silence for those who are not getting enough. ~Raymond Sokolov"

Cooking with the More-with-Less will help you to consider your food with a little more reverence and gratitude. It helps me to live out in tangible, daily ways, my values of concern for the poor, for the environment, and for the health of my family. Highly recommended!