FRESH BEAUTIFUL COOKBOOKS FOR YOU & PLANET
A fresh new year gives us all a chance to take a fresh new approach to food. We want to be healthier, have a healthier planet, and still love what we eat. While having all three wishes at the same time has often been a challenge in the past, sacrificing taste, texture, variety, and satisfaction, some chefs have developed a whole new food attitude and given us amazing recipes to help us eat beautifully in 2019.
Vegetarian and vegan diets have been around for thousands of years, but in recent years, they have become more and more popular for a few important reasons. It’s not news that eating more fruits and vegetables helps our general personal health, reducing incidence of obesity and disease. But it turns out, it impacts the health of the Earth and all living things.
Avoiding meat and dairy could reduce your carbon footprint from food by nearly 75%. According to a recent study conducted by researchers at University of Oxford, published in journal Science, eating a vegan diet could be the “single biggest way” to reduce your environmental impact on earth.
If all humans on the planet went vegan,the study found that global farmland use could be reduced by 75%, an area equivalent to the size of the US, China, Australia and the EU combined. Wildlife habitat could be restored, preventing further mass extinction of wildlife. It would also result in a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions.
We’ve gathered a crop of beautiful new vegan cookbooks to inspire you.
“Eat Clean, Play Dirty: Recipes for a Body and Life You Love,” by Danielle Duboise & Whitney Tingle, co-founders of the beautiful vegan home-delivery service Sakara Life, offers a beautiful approach to cooking with organic plant-based nutrient-dense whole foods. They focus on a diet that will help to alkalize the body, heal the gut, reduce inflammation, balance your blood sugar and hormones, and regulate the digestive system.
From beautifying breakfasts to delectable dinners, these recipes will give you a fresh start to a healthier you and a healthier planet. A-list fans such as Chrissy Teigen, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Oprah concur.
“Vegan Goodness: Feasts: Plant-Based Meals for Big and Little Gatherings,” by Jessica Prescott. Courtesy of Hardie Grant.
“Vegan Goodness: Feasts: Plant-Based Meals for Big and Little Gatherings,” by Jessica Prescott, invites you to embrace the ritual of cooking and eating together, with over 70 fresh and exciting plant-based dishes perfect for entertaining and sharing with loved ones. From a crowd pleasing hearty One-Pot Black Bean and Lentil Chilli to the vibrant and fun Summer Rolls that can be easily assembled at the table, Jessica also includes a variety of inventive sides, condiments, barbecues, show-stopping cakes and go-to cocktails that will spritz up any social gathering.
Whether you're in a cooking mood and want to spend all day in the kitchen, going to a potluck dinner with a bunch of friends, or perhaps you just want a simple feast, to share with your housemates, partner or kids, this book is packed with tasty, inspiring and satisfying plant-based meals that will satisfy both vegans and meat-eaters alike.
“Dinner for Everyone: 100 Iconic Dishes Made 3 Ways--Easy, Vegan, or Perfect for Company,” by celebrated food writer Mark Bittman, is truly the one book a cook needs for a perfect dinner--easy, fancy, or meatless, you choose.
The book is filled with 300 all-new recipes, accompanied by more than 100 beautiful full-color photographs, by photographer Aya Brackett. There are quick meals for busy weeknights (hearty soups, tacos, and one-pot pastas), creative plant-based fare that will please both vegans and non-vegans alike (lemon polenta with mushroom ragu, pomegranate-glazed eggplant, or cauliflower tinga tacos), and impressive dishes perfect for entertaining (handmade noodles and even your Thanksgiving centerpiece).
“Vegan Paleo: Protein-rich plant-based recipes for well-being and vitality,” by Jenna Zoe, offers a collection of unique recipes that are tailored to suit anyone following a vegan Paleo approach to nutrition. Most vegan diets rely heavily on grain and carbs, Paleo no-nos, so this book deserves a space on your shelf and these recipes deserve a place on your table.
“FIELD ROAST: 101 Artisan Vegan Meat Recipes to Cook, Share, and Savor,” by chef Tommy McDonald, founder of the Field Roast Grain Meat Co., offers a delicious, satisfying collection of unique vegan recipes. You’ll learn fundamental techniques and tips that will enable you to make your own vegan meats at home–for everyday (sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf) to holiday (stuffed roast, anyone?), as well as recipes for using them in every meal from breakfast through dinner.
With basics such as cutlets and sausages, along with dishes like Burnt Ends Biscuit Sandwich, Chicken Fried Field Roast and Waffles, Pastrami on Rye, Tuscan Shepherd’s Pie, Curry Katsu, (and even some favorite desserts), Field Roast brings new meaning to plant-based meat.
“Planted: A Chef's Show-Stopping Vegan Recipes,” by Chantelle Nicholson, shows you how to cook delicious vegan dishes using seasonal and flavorsome plant-based ingredients. Growing up in New Zealand with a vegetable garden influenced her passion for fresh produce and, with her career as a professional chef, she was inspired to develop tasty, restaurant-quality vegan recipes, which feature on the menu at award-winning London restaurant Tredwells. The recipes may look high-end, but they are easy to create in your kitchen and will impress even the most devoted meat- and cheese-lovers.
'Groundbreaking plant-based cookery from a remarkably talented chef.' - Marcus Wareing
“I Can Cook Vegan,” by the undisputed queen of vegan home cooking Isa Chandra Moskowitz, offers recipes designed to help inspire people to kick their meat habits, improve digestion, and become all-around better citizens of the world.
The book includes shopping lists, achievable goals, cheerleading, and an extensive FAQ, all written in Moskowitz’s inimitable voice and style.
“Veganomicon, 10th Anniversary Edition: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook,” by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero, is an update to these vegan chefs’ beloved original cookbook, with 25 new dishes, revisions throughout for more than 250 recipes, stunning color photos, and tips for making your kitchen a vegan paradise.
Veganomicon also includes meals for all occasions and soy-free, gluten-free, and low-fat options, plus quick recipes that make dinner a snap.
“The Modern Cook's Year: More than 250 Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes to See You Through the Seasons,” by Anna Jones, offers more than 250 vegetarian recipes for a year’s worth of delicious meals. Using simple yet inventive ingredients, Jones’s recipes are influenced by her English roots and by international flavors, spanning from the Mediterranean to Sri Lanka, Japan, and beyond. While all recipes are vegetarian, not all are vegan.
Attuned to the subtle transitions between seasons, Jones divides the year into six significant moments, suggesting elderflower-dressed fava beans with burrata for the dawn of spring, smoked eggplant flatbread for a warm summer evening, orzo with end-of-summer tomatoes and feta for the early fall, and velvety squash broth with miso and soba to warm you in the winter, among many others.
“Mississippi Vegan: Recipes and Stories from a Southern Boy's Heart,” by Timothy Pakron, celebrates the gorgeous and delicious possibilities of plant-based Southern cuisine.
Inspired by the landscape and flavors of his childhood on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Timothy Pakron found his heart, soul, and calling in cooking the Cajun, Creole, and southern classics of his youth. In his debut cookbook, he shares 125 plant-based recipes, all of which substitute ingredients without sacrificing depth of flavor and reveal the secret tradition of veganism in southern cooking.
Filled with gorgeous photographs, heart-warming stories, and easy-to-follow recipes, Mississippi Vegan is the ultimate feel-good cookbook.
“Tim’s the real deal—he forages, cooks, and shoots his own beautiful photos. You’re going to love this book.” —Jamie Oliver
Read more about Fresh Starts all this week on BeautifulNow, including Beautiful New Escapes for a New Year, The Well: A New Beautiful Wellness Club, Begin Something Beautiful Now, 10 Songs about Beauty in Starts and Stellar New Starts Open New Worlds. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.
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