I bought this book as a gift for my wife and wow, we love it. The recipes for the soups are fantastic, easy to follow, and delicious! The split pea recipe is particularly good (even if we do tend to throw a smoked ham shank into it)! One word of caution, however, the soup recipes make a LOT of soup. If you are only cooking for 1-2 people, you might consider in halfing the recipe.

This cookbook serves as a continuation of the wonderful recipes from the Claire's Corner Copia Cookbook. Claire presents delicious and fairly simple recipes which use lots of fresh vegetables (as well as whole grains and beans). The recipes are health-conscious, but use dairy and eggs where appropriate for flavor. The finished products always bring back fond memories of eating at Claire's Corner Copia in New Haven, Connecticut (FYI--which is certified kosher by the local Young Israel rabbi Michael Whitman). Try the pumpkin pie recipe (made with tofu)--delicious!

Visiting Claire's Corner Copia for lunch was always a treat when I was growing up in New Haven, so I was very excited when my mother gave me Claire's cookbook for Christmas 2 years ago. It did not disappoint. The recipes are delicious and easy to follow and many have an Italian flavor. I think the best recommendation I can give is that my meat-loving husband enjoys the meals I have prepared from this cookbook- his favorite is the Eggplant "Meatballs"- try them!