Brother Victor established a lasting place in the cookbook world with his <em>From a Monastery Kitchen</em> and 12 Months of Monastery Soups, which have sold 1.5 million and 2.5 million copies respectively worldwide.<br /><br /><em>The Pure Joy of Monastery Cooking</em> takes Brother Victor&rsquo;s work a step further with his first fully illustrated cookbook. The meatless recipes collected here capture the essence of culinary and spiritual simplicity as lived at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery. And simplicity is here integrated with the virtues of frugality and prudence in a complete cookbook covering appetizers, soups, salads, entre?es, crepes, breads, sauces, and desserts.<br /><br />Brother Victor&rsquo;s authentic message of simple elegance provides the perfect culinary approach fortoday&rsquo;s world. The focus on local ingredients, home cooking, and fine dining is an antidote to the overhyped, overprocessed, and overproduced environment in which we live and eat. Brother Victor&rsquo;s authenticity shines through in his writing and in the gorgeous photographs taken in the pastoral garden of the monastery where he developed these recipes.<br /><br />Every cook and kitchen will delight in these 200+ recipes&mdash;from Leeks Vinaigrette (notable in light of Brother Victor&rsquo;s renowned vinegars), to an extensive collection of egg and omelet dishes; crepes and pancakes; vegetarian casseroles; pasta, rice, and couscous dishes; vegetable courses; and desserts.