There are cookbooks you buy because they are beautifully laid out. There are cookbooks you buy because they were based on a restaurant menu you adore. And then, there are cookbooks you buy because every recipe title calls to you, tempting you to venture through the snow to the grocery store, to soak and simmer beans on your stovetop, and to savour a beautiful bowl of delicious, nourishing food.
If you’ve owned a book written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, I know you’ve experienced the later. Luckily, she hasn’t grown tired of inspiring the masses to create meals that highlight the inherent flavours in whole foods. As the co-author of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World
, Veganomicon
, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar
and Vegan Brunch
, Isa’s culinary prowess verges on dominance. Although, we can all thank her (and Terry) for taking decadent vegan delights to new heights – our bodies need more than frosting to thrive.
Isa’s newest book Appetite for Reduction
, is full of 125 fast and filling, low-fat vegan recipes. I don’t want you to think that it is a “diet-book” with recipes for watery broths that will help you develop an aversion to cabbage. Instead each recipe in Appetite for Reduction relies on the healthful proprieties of beans, grains and produce. The dishes are full of fibre that will leave you feeling satisfied – the flavours will just leave you happy! This book is much more about being healthy than being skinny.
As many of you reflect on what you imagine 2011 will bring – I hope the top of your list is health and happiness. You might just find both in the pages of this book – creamy curries, crispy onion rings, substantial salads and rich soups, will all provide the nutrients you need, and the resulting leftovers will give you a great excuse to share a meal with the people you love.
I spend a lot of time reviewing or testing vegan recipes. For the first time in a long time, I was enticed by every title in this book. I didn’t need post-its to mark the items I wanted to try. I wanted to eat them all! Here are the first five, I made:
Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Curried Chickpeas and Greens
Mango BBQ Beans
40-Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli
Supergreen Bowl – Broccoli, Kale, Edamame and Green Goddess Garlic Dressing
I don’t want to gush and have you question my critical palate but everything I ate was incredible. I think you have to find recipe authors who enjoy flavours that you enjoy. Isa admits that she loves chickpeas, kale, lemon, and cumin and you’ll find these ingredients in many of the recipes in
Appetite for Reduction. But you will not hear me complaining – I love those guys too.
The recipes in this book come together quickly and rely on ingredients that are easy to find in most grocery stores. A full nutritional analysis also accompanies each dish.
I appreciate simple preparations and accessible ingredients, but for me, the joy of experimenting with a book that Isa has created is discovering new flavour combinations. The way that Isa plays with spices is unparalleled. The results are meals I would be happy to share with friends – including those who have no idea what tofu is.
Giveaway Announcement:
Which brings me to a rather delightful announcement. I am thrilled to have the chance to share all of these recipes with you.
Da Capo, Isa’s publisher, has donated a copy of
Appetite for Reduction for one of you.
To enter, leave a comment below, sharing your favourite healthful meal. For an extra entry, tweet “Win a copy of Appetite for Reduction from @theveganlisa” and then leave another comment here letting me know you tweeted
The giveaway is open to everyone (I’ll cover the shipping costs). I will pick a lucky number on January 28th. Good luck and Happy New Year!
