BOOK REVIEW: GREEN SMOOTHIES by FERN GREEN

Okay, so I'm kind of obsessed with Fern Green's Green Smoothies.

It starts with detailed, but easy to read, information about equipment and the benefits of different "super greens."  Then she talks about her 7-day detox plan  Now, this is not that idiotic, craziness of water, cayenne and lemon....who thinks that sounds healthy.  Instead, it's a good mix of smoothies and juices, with the occasional tonic or shot.....ginger, for example, not alcoholic, obviously.  A ten ounce juice for breakfast, followed by a 24 ounce smoothie to sip throughout the day as your mid-morning snack, lunch, mid-afternoon snack and dinner.

This book is chock full of pictures.  I love that.  The recipes are a little vague, using terms like a handful or a sprig.  I tried a few recipes, and that vagueness is not a big deal.  The recipes were all really good.  The Cinnamon-Date Digestive has a head of romaine lettuce!  And it's still really good, who would've thought!

The only thing I wished the author did was to include a list of what to buy for the 7 day detox.  But that's okay, I made one for you!  I mostly think it's accurate.  I did have our new kitten walking across my keyboard, so I think some unintentional editing happened. 

2 springs basil
4 springs mint
3 handfuls spinach
1 cucumber
3 1/2 lemons
1/2 lime
4 thumbs of ginger
3 red apples
2 bok choy
2 handfuls strawberries
2 small and 1 large bunch of red grapes
2 banana
1 1/2 heads of broccoli
a small bunch of green grapes
1/4 green cabbage
3 handfuls of kale
5 oranges
21 tsp agave nectar
2/3 cup coconut water
4 handfuls arugula
a small bunch of cilantro
1 jalapeno
either 3/4 small watermelon or 1/4 large watermelon
1 romaine lettuce
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 head radicchio
a handful of dandelion greens
2 tsp dried goji berries
1 mango
1 tangerine
3 celery stalks
1 butter lettuce
2 handfuls wheat grass
1 avocado
2 small bunch of parsley
2 sprigs of dill
5 oz almonds
2 TB coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
a pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups water
2 beets
1 TBS of aloe vera juice
1 red leaf lettuce
2 kiwi
1 small bunch of dandelion greens
1/4 cantaloupe
2 handfuls of blueberries
1 TBS chia seeds

I was all pumped and ready to do the detox, but I realized a lot of the recipes were for fruits and vegetables that were not in season.  I'm going to keep trying random recipes in the book  When the weather warms up, and I have access to fresh strawberries and mangoes, I'll do the detox and let you know how it went.

WOULD I BUY IT:  Absolutely.  I really like how it's laid out.  I was surprised by the originality of the recipes  If you have a juicer and a blender....I just got a fancy one and I love it....then this is definitely a book worth buying.

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: THE HOT BREAD KITCHEN COOKBOOK

I do a lot of baking.  A lot.  Starting in the fall, I bake every Sunday.  Bread, pies, cakes, pizza, pretzels, pita, muffins...you name it, I've probably baked it.  I was interested in reviewing The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from Around the World in hopes it would expand my baking repertoire.  In leafing through the book, I went from interested to excited! 

I have never heard of The Hot Bread Kitchen before learning about this book.  Apparently, it is a non-profit bakery run out of East Harlem, New York.  They help foreign-born, low-income men and women become financially independent working at the bakery, and then assist them in finding jobs  or even starting their own business.  You can read about them on their site, or in their book, where author, founder and CEO, Jessamyn Waldman Rodriguez explains her amazing story of how she created this amazing organization.

Back to the book.  So, yeah.  The business has a great story, but that doesn't mean the book is worth buying, does it?  Yes, it absolutely does.  The pictures are beautiful.  The recipes are easy to follow.  I like that they include information and recipes on how to eat it, or what to eat it with.  A pita bread recipe is great, but it's even better when it's followed by a recipe for hummus.  More importantly, this book is filled with tips on how to bake and even stories of their origins.

I originally thought I'd start with The Dark, Crusty Loaf chapter.  But I have so much kale growing, that this Sunday I'll be making Kale, Onion, and Cheddar M'smen from the chapter on Primordial Bread: Unleavened Flatbreads.  I'm sure my family would prefer if I started with the Challah and Beyond: Enriched Breads, Rolls and Buns chapter that has this beautiful looking Monkey Bread.  Real Monkey Bread, people.  Actual monkey bread.



 

For the love of God, stop using Pillsbury biscuit dough for everything!  It's not "just as good."  It's not "the same thing."  Just.  Stop.  Please.

WOULD I BUY IT?  Absolutely.  And I am saying this as someone who regularly buys bread.  The tips and bread shaping information alone makes The Hot Bread Kitchen Cookbook: Artisanal Baking from Around the World worth buying.  So people stop buying bread that lasts for months and never seems to go bad, because that's gross and creepy.  Instead of buying gross, full of weird ingredients you can't pronounce biscuit dough, buy this book.  Once you realize how easy it is to make bread, you will never go back to store bought. 

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: PHOENIX CLAWS AND JADE TREES

UPDATE:  I will post more specifics later, but I have made quite a few recipes from here and while some were just okay, most were phenomenal!  As a vegetarian, I was easily able to substitute the meat for plant-based proteins, tofu or vegetables.  I would highly recommend this book.

Let me begin by saying, wow.  Like, truly, wow.  

Do you always get take-out Chinese because it seems to complicated to make at home?  But then you get it, and while you're eating you think this really doesn't seem like it's complicated to make, so you Google some recipes and try them out and...eh.  The problem probably wasn't the ingredients or the even the recipe, but simply bad technique.  

From the introduction of Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees: Essential Techniques of Authentic Chinese Cooking, Kian Lam Kho says,“In this book I demystify Chinese cooking by taking a unique approach. I believe that the cuisine is easiest to learn by technique. A dry stir-fry is no more difficult to prepare than a moist one; the key is to know which technique to use for which ingredient and for which final result. Armed with this knowledge, you can not only re-create dishes from all over China and many East Asian countries, but you can cook almost any ingredient in any fashion you’d like.”  

Instead of being broken down into chapters based on region or protein, this book focuses on different techniques in each chapter.  From stir fry, roasting and even cold dishes.  The best part are the little tidbits of information tucked into the pages of the book.  Do you know what to do with leftover oil?  Or how milky soup gets it's color without using dairy?  I also like that he includes detailed, but not overwhelming information about ingredients, equipment and hot to make different sauces to accompany the dishes like XO Sauce and chili oil.

Stir-Fried Beef with Black Pepper

We have recently converted to a mostly-vegetarian lifestyle.  Even though, the bulk of these dishes have meat, in reading it, I didn't seem any recipe that I wouldn't easily be able to convert to a meatless, or a faux-meat, meal.  (Side note, I'm still not overly impressed with any meatless ground meat that we've tried.  I'd rather grind up mushrooms and saute them until they are dried out and brown.  I'll let you know if I find anything worth using.)

Let's not forget the pictures.  They are just exquisite.  Most importantly, there are a lot of them!  What can I say, I'm a sucker for pretty pictures of food and this book is full of them.  I was going to list the recipes I was most interested in trying just based on the picture of it, but honestly, everything in here looks amazing.  And for the record, that's not a cop-out, that's the truth.

WOULD I BUY IT?  Do you even have to ask?  DEFINITELY!  I cook a lot of Chinese food at home.  Most of my recipes come from the internet and the results are often hit or miss.  I have a feeling that Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees won't let you down.  I'll come back (as I intended to, but haven't done yet out of sheer laziness) and update you on the recipes I have tried. 

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Phoenix Claws and Jade Trees

Book Review: FOOD52 VEGAN by Gena Hamshaw

People that weren't raised vegetarian, or vegan, have hard time understanding how to put together meals where meat isn't the main part of the meal.  The reality is, there are a million dishes out to waiting to be made that don't involve meat, are healthier and delicious.  Food52 Vegan is a great introduction for people looking to change the way they eat.



Obviously, vegetarians aren't only eating salad and pasta.  I search the web all time for ideas, and one of my favorite sites is Food52.   While, I will admit their site has so many vegetarian recipes, I thought this book would be bigger.  That's the only negative I can give you about this book.



Now we're not vegan, but it great to see that vegan recipes aren't that much more complicated than any other recipe.  I made the Go-To Pancakes this morning, and I was leery at first.  Coconut oil and no butter?  More baking powder than I would normally use, for sure.  But they turned out great!  Who would think an eggless pancake could be any good?  My husband ate seven if that gives you any indication of how good they were.

Then for lunch I tried the Mushroom, Pecan Lentil burgers.  My husband liked them and my daughter loved them.  I thought they were great, but not as firm as I hoped, in fairness I overcooked my lentils...  I also used walnuts instead of pecans, but I doubt that make a big difference.  For the record, this recipe says it makes four big or six  regular burgers.  I made eight!  I guess her idea of a regular burger is way bigger than mine.  I froze the extras, so no big deal.

WOULD I BUY IT:  Yes.  The photography in Food52 Vegan was beautiful. The recipes were easy to follow and didn't have a million weird ingredients that I didn't already own.  It was easy to see how substitutions could be made.  As someone new to the world of vegetarian and vegan cooking, I felt like this book provided a great beginners look at how to make vegan food in a non-threatening, not overly complicated way.

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: A JEWISH BAKER'S PASTRY SECRETS by George Greenstein

A Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets, Recipes from a New York Baking Legend, for Strudel, Stollen, Danishes, Puff Pastry and More by George Greenstein with Elaine Greenstein, Julia Greenstein and Isaac Bleicher offers a collection of recipes and tips for a variety of classic pastries.

At first glance, I will say at this price point, it should be a bigger book.  Cover included, it's maybe an inch thick.  Second, there are no pictures.  In fairness, I have a lot of good cookbooks without pictures.  Finally, many of the recipes call for the use of nonfat dry milk powder.  I know a lot of bakers use it, but honestly, it's so darn expensive and you have to buy these huge boxes when you buy it.  So not only would I have to find a home for that big box, but it makes recipes with it less cost effective than just going to a bakery and buying whatever it is you were going to make.

Okay, I'm done complaining about nonfat dry milk powder, maybe it's cheap where you are...

Those three points aside, I actually like this book.  The first chapter talks about equipment, tools and ingredients along with notes that I think a beginner baker would find helpful.  For example, "Bakers prefer to use cream that is at least 2 to 3 days old.  Many claim that it whips up both thicker and with extra volume."  Who knew?  The second chapter has a lot of the basic fillings, icings and whatnot you'll need for other recipes.  The next eight chapters begin with a master dough recipe, Bundt, Babka, Gugelhopf, etc. followed by recipes using those doughs.  Most of the directions seemed easy to follow.  Others could have used a picture to help illustrate the directions, for example the Cinnamon Babka Loaf had some complicated rolling and twisting directions that I'm going to have find a demo on youtube if I want to have it look right.
 

WOULD I BUY IT?  I will give it a tentative yes, to be updated at a later time.  It's 90 plus degrees out and the idea of baking doesn't appeal to me right now, so I haven't had a chance to try any of these recipes.  But the ingredients, other than my nonfat dry milk powder aversion, are simple to find, the recipes are easy to follow and with George Greenstein's glowing reputation, I'm sure all of these recipes in A Jewish Baker's Pastry Secrets are going to be amazing.

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: THE BROAD FORK by Hugh Acheson

Let me begin by saying, I love cookbooks.  I love to leaf through them, gaze adoringly at the pictures and dream of future meals.  What I don't love is the nonsensical writing that surrounds the recipes. Just tell me how to make the food!  My point is while I normally sidestep the obligatory filler material in cook books, I actually read everything in this book.  Everything.  I know!  Craziness!

I've watched Hugh Acheson on Top Chef, so I was prepared for his writing in The Broad Fork to be colorful.  The truth is it wasn't just colorful; it was the perfect mix of snark and storytelling.  I recommend when you buy this book, which you should, that you sit outside in this beautiful summer weather, in your favorite chair, with a cup of coffee by your side, because you're going to want to spend some time really reading this book.  Here...pretend he's sitting with you...

Photo courtesy of Andrew Thomas Lee

Now the important part, the recipes.  For anyone wondering, this is not a vegetarian cookbook.  It is a book that teaches you how to cook not only your standards, but those vegetables that you walk buy at the grocery store (or farmer's market, if you're fancy) and say to yourself, "Thanks, but no thanks.  What would I do with you?"  Then those poor vegetables sit there sadly, like puppies in the pet store window, waiting for someone more adventurous to take a chance on them.  Now you can be that adventurous person! Look, you can do more with Brussels sprouts than saute them with bacon for Thanksgiving.  Who knew?

I like that amidst the more complicated recipes (complicated as in there are more steps than the average person might want to be bothered with), there are plenty of easy quick ones.  I really like that he pickles and ferments a lot of these vegetables too.  I also like that he broke everything down by season, so you know that Fall is the best time to make this Slow Cooker Apple Butter.

WOULD I BUY IT?  I think you can tell, that's a definite yes.  I like his style of writing.  I like the diversity of recipes.  Mostly, I think The Broad Fork really is a good cookbook.  He says in the intro, "It is a book that I hope will live in your kitchen rather than a on your coffee table, because not one of us cooks at our coffee table."  It's found a home in my kitchen, I hope it finds one in yours.

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: A MODERN WAY TO EAT by Anna Jones



I have to be honest, I was really uninterested in reviewing A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones. The problem was the cover.  It's like a third grade book report cover.  When I think about the cover, all I remember is blond girl with a blue shirt.  I don't think, wow, I bet that's a great looking cookbook!

If you look Janet Fletcher's Yogurt, that is a beautiful cover that makes you want to see what's inside.  Maybe they were going for a more minimalistic cover, but then do it right, like Food52's Genius Recipes.  That's minimal, but beautiful. And the title, I don't know why but for me it has a weirdly condescending, Gwenyth Paltrow kind of tone to it...not appealing.  Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see what it was about, and I'm glad I did.

We have been trying to cut down significantly on the amount of meat we eat.  Unfortunately, most vegetarian recipe books either contain a lot of obscure ingredients I would never bother buying, or it's mostly salads or side dishes served in large portions under the guise of being an entree.  I remained hesitant until I saw that the author worked with Jamie Oliver, whom I love.  If he's going cosign to the recipes on this book, then I'm in.

Plus it helps that her food looks amazing.  I think I'll surprise my two maniacs with these Banana, Blueberry and Pecan Pancakes this weekend...



While the outside of the book is blah, the inside is beautiful.  All of the recipes have easy to find ingredients.  I like that everything seems so fresh and light, but I believe they'd be filling.  I haven't tried the recipes yet, but once my veggies start growing this season, I intend to go through all the recipes in this book.  Although, since I'm not growing Portobello mushrooms I guess there's no reason to wait to make these The Really Hungry Burger this weekend too...

WOULD I BUY IT?  Absolutely.  Please, don't let the boring cover discourage you from buying this book.  The recipes in here are original, interesting and not like the recipes I've seen in other vegetarian cookbooks.  They don't appear complicated to make nor do they involve bizarre, speciality store ingredients.  Whether you're vegetarian or simply need inspiration for Meatless Monday, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of A Modern Way to Eat.

Check out a list of recipe reviews from this book at Be Vegantastic!

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: YOGURT by JANET FLETCHER

 

I make yogurt.  Every week, a gallon of milk goes on the stove and I turn out six wide mouth pint and a half size mason jars of yogurt.  We go through them, but usually it's just smoothies or yogurt with fruit.  That's why I was excited by the opportunity to review Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner by Janet Fletcher.

 

The beginning is great for people that don't know how to make yogurt.  It lays out the steps easily, and since she uses a method much like my own, I can bet that you'll get positive results.  I like that she spoke about the use of whey and gave troubleshooting tips.  I recently made a batch of grainy yogurt, and thanks to Ms. Fletcher, now I know it's because I heated the milk up too fast.

 

 

I like that her recipes are easy to follow and have easily accessible ingredients.  I'm glad the breakfast section was brief, I mean really, that's not overly complicated.  I like that she took the time to include recipes for flat bread and how to cook chick peas.  I really like that the majority of recipes involve not cooking the yogurt for extended periods or at high heat.  One of the main points of eating yogurt is the probiotic benefits, which you lose by over cooking.  While the savory dishes look great, I am honestly most interested in making the Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce.

 

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  Yes.  Nice, heavy weighted paper.  Beautiful pictures.  This book is well written, easy to read with simple, but delicious looking recipes.  This is a great book for anyone looking to make homemade yogurt, expand their horizons and try savory yogurt recipes and make healthy recipes using fresh ingredients.

 

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: FOOD52 GENIUS RECIPES

 

 

Let me just say, that I don't even have to test any recipes in Food52 Genius Recipes to say it is a book worth buying.  How is that possible?  While I own a lot of cookbooks, and I use the ones I have, I also spend a lot of time on the internet trying to find new ideas.  During those searches, I have come across Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, Marion Cunningham's Yeast Raised Waffles and The Judy Bird, also known as a Dry-Brined Turkey.  These are all recipes I have used, continue to use and have recommended.

 

There are quite a few things I really like about this book.  First, it's beautiful; everything from it's cover, to the pictures, to the nice thick paper it's printed on.  Second, these recipes don't require you to pick up a million weird, random and obscure ingredients nor do they require any difficult techniques.  These recipes are good for people that are only good at making toast to people that bake their own bread with grain they grew and flour they ground themselves.  Finally, since it is a compilation of so many of the innovative recipes I have found online, I can now throw out my printed copies of these recipes and simply use this book instead.

 

I was surprised that I haven't heard of some of these recipes sooner.  I am flabbergasted at Kenny Shopsin's idea of making crepes out of flour tortillas!  Flour tortillas!  Craziness.  If I hadn't been feeding my family five tons of Korean food in the last few weeks, I would be making Yotam Ottolenghi's Black Pepper Tofu tonight.  I think they need a break from Asian food...  Now that strawberry season is rearing it's beautiful, bright, red head, I will absolutely try River Cafe's Strawberry Lemon Sorbet.  Who would have thought that a simple mix of strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and a whole lemon...you read that right, a whole lemon, pith and all...would make a scrumptious looking sorbet?

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  Yes.  Absolutely, yes.

 

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

 

 

Book Review: MASTERING PASTA by MARC VETRI

 

 

When I saw this book, Mastering Pasta by Marc Vetri with David Joachim, based on nothing but the cover, I thought this book was a comprehensive look at how to make pasta.  I thought it would be step-by-step and include many pictures on how to properly form the variety of pasta shapes and styles.  Let me tell you my friends, I was gravely mistaken.
 

 Perhaps these recipes highlight the types of dishes Vetri makes at his very successful restaurants.  I think this book was meant for people who eat at his restaurant and have no intention to cook anything from the book.  Or maybe it's for someone who likes to own cookbooks written by famous people, but does more eating out than they do actually cooking.  The reality is, this book is a book of pasta recipes with a minimal amount of pasta making information.  Not only is it mostly a pasta recipe book, but it is not a pasta making book for the average home owner. 

The bulk of the recipes in here include ingredients I am pretty sure that no one reading this has at home.  As someone with enough fresh ingredients and supplies to make food from every continent any night of the week, looking through this book, I counted a total of five recipes that I could whip up without making a run for special ingredients...and that's only if I use all-purpose flour instead of tipo 00, durum or bread flour.  Hence the reason my cookbook review doesn't have one single picture of a tested recipe.  Well, that and with nine egg yolks per batch of pasta, it would be cheaper to buy fresh pasta than to make it using his recipe.
 

 Vetri also uses veal and foie gras in the included recipes.  Both are foods for people who either don't have a conscious, or who like to stick their heads in the ground and say, "My meat comes from a package at the store."  Those people are idiots.  Just saying.
 

Honestly, I had a bad feeling about this book when I saw the first recipe was for "Pappardelle with Rabbit Ragu and Peaches." Rabbit?  Really?  The "Orecchiete with Pig's Head Ragu and Black Walnuts" made me laugh.  When I was 10, I was in Sri Lanka.  I went to the market with my mom, where I saw a goat's head.  I asked her about it, because, really, who wants to eat that?  My mom explained poor people can't afford better cuts, so they buy the parts of the animal that are leftover that no one else wants.  Yet, here in America, through good marketing, they are now selling us these crappy parts as high end specialty products thanks to good marketing. 

This book is that goat's head...or in this case, pig's head.  It is being marketed in a way that makes it seem like one thing, but really it's something else.  I'm sure it will do well.  I've read plenty of other rave reviews by people that I don't think actually read anything in it.  Well, I did.  As someone who makes homemade pasta and raviolis, dumpling wrappers, corn tortillas and even pierogies, I thought this was going to be a great way to expand on my current pasta making knowledge, but it was not.

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  No.  If you want a pretty book written by a famous chef, buy it.  If you want a cookbook to help you master the art of pasta, this is not for you.  It definitely wasn't the book for me.

 

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: CLEAN SLATE: A COOKBOOK AND GUIDE

Let me start by saying that I love the concept of Clean Slate: A Cookbook and Guide.  It's how we cook here...less processed, more homemade, vegetable based, healthier eating.  The problem is we're not always good, I do a decent amount of deep frying...mmm French fries.  The Hubby is also having a hard time wrapping his head around meals without meat being a real meal and not just an appetizer.

 

 

This book starts with a bit of info on the how's, why's and importance of eating better.  It's just enough information to be helpful without being so much that you feel like you're getting a boring lecture on nutrition.  Included in part one, was a 3-day action plan.  Basically, the same three meals for three days.  The three recipes you need are written as three servings, which makes it easy to cook it all at one shot, and then your set for three days.  I thought about jumping right in and doing it, but I realized I should probably test drive some of these recipes first.

 

Now I am an adventurous cook.  I use a lot of spices and techniques that maybe the average home cook would not be interested in.  This book is not for weirdos like me, it's really set up for the regular home cook.  The recipes are pretty simple, most having ten or less ingredients.  While I don't normally have arugula or watercress, the pictures in here are so appealing, I may actually go out and buy some.  I had tofu sitting in the fridge and a whole wheat ciabatta loaf in the bread box, so I thought this grilled tofu recipe would be a good place to start.

 

The chimichurri recipe was easy.  I did substitute dried oregano for fresh since my oregano is currently hiding under a layer of snow outside.

 

While the tofu was marinating, I got to thinking that the super simple avocado and cucumber salad that made up the second part of this recipe was not grabbing me.  And I knew if the Hubby came home to tofu on toast for lunch, he'd say thank you and eat it; but, then he'd quietly make himself something else because this was not going to be enough food.  Plus, honestly, while I like tofu, the idea of eating it on grilled bread...well, I wasn't sold on it yet.

 

Well, guess what?  Everyone liked the finished product...although it did feel like it was missing a little something.  I know my version looks like way more chimichurri than the picture in the book, but there are a bunch of videos on youtube that correspond with the recipes in this book.  In that video, they pile it on, so I did too.

 

 

In lieu of the avocado and cucumber salad that went with this recipe, I tried out the salad that's part of the 3 day action plan. You start with a beet slaw, then mix it with arugula (I used romaine, since like I said, I never have arugula) and top it was sunflower seeds and avocado.  Honestly, I could have used a handful of dried cranberries for some sweetness, but this was a tasty and incredibly filling salad.  I used to think beets tasted like dirt.  This recipe changed my mind. 

 

None of us were super hungry come dinner time.  I guess a salad with more than romaine and a handful of random veggies can actually be filling!  Since the salad worked out so well, I figured I'd roll the dice with the 3 day action plan soup, carrot, spinach, and green bean soup with dill. 

 

This actually has a ton of carrots, but they sunk to the bottom, hence you can't see them in the picture.  This soup was so easy, completely vegetarian, and really good.  I never would have thought to make such a carrot and string bean heavy soup.  Especially with water and no stock.  Much like the salad, it was a surprisingly satisfying soup.  Full disclosure, I did make a small piece of London broil, sliced thin with some grilled bread and chimichurri on the side; but honestly, I didn't need it.

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  Yes, actually I would.  I like that it uses vegetables that I buy every week in a way that I would never think to do.  I also like that it includes recipes with vegetables that I don't normally buy like beets and watercress, and it shows you easy ways to incorporate them into your diet.  I am a white pasta and rice girl, so the amount of recipes in here with grains like quinoa and brown rice has inspired me to go out and actually buy some to try at home.  There are even quite a few juices and smoothies, all that look worth trying out.  I'll be pulling out my Juiceman Jr. for sure.  There are recipes with meat, but I like that the focus was showing people healthy, meatless options.

 

The pictures are just stunning and the recipes are doable for everyone from novices to seasoned cooks.  Seasoned cooks might think these recipes are too basic, but I think that's the point.  If these recipes were complicated, people who aren't having success at healthy eating wouldn't try it.  This book is a great starting point.  What did I like best?  I was impressed at how beyond full I felt after eating these vegetable based dishes.  Certainly, if you thought a vegetarian diet could not possibly be filling, this book could change your mind.

 

I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.