Nisha Melvani

During the last more than two years of pandemic living I’ve gotten used to e-books and sometimes even prefer them to paper books (though I still read paper books the most) but I’ve decided that unless I can’t get hardcover/paperback/spiral bound paper editions, I don’t like to read (or use) e-book editions of cookbooks.

This is a good primer and contains good information.

I appreciate that the author prioritizes healthy foods & recipes.

I didn’t like yet another cook/parent letting her kids think they don’t like a food (here it is tahini) when in fact they like it hidden in many dishes. Otherwise, I loved all the short personal stories. I also liked the information about various foods and other short info blurbs.

Many of the recipes were too basic for me or not quite basic enough but she gives great tips and most of the recipes looked interesting to me. As usual, there are too many featured ingredients I don’t like in many of the recipes. These include vinegar, coconut, mustard, tempeh, and others. I can always tweak but many recipes that were heavy on these ingredients I am not listing as ones in which I had interest unless VERY little tweaking needed doing.

There are some wonderful photos, including of the author and her family, and of plain foods (sans recipes/concoctions) and of prep steps too that are included. What was frustrating was the photos made everything look scrumptious and yet it was only the minority of recipes that had photos. I didn’t count. There were quite a few recipes that had photos but I think there were even more than didn’t. That was disappointing. I’d love to have seen a photo for every recipe.

What looked especially good to me (and these dishes are not representative of the wide variety of recipes included in this book):

From Pastas: Lentil Bolognese, Tofu Bolognese, Creamy On-Pot Cheesy Broccoli Pasta Soup, One-Pot Nut-Free Creamy Spaghetti, Eggplant Parmesan Meatballs, Chickpeas & Broccoli in Béchamel Sauce, Miso Sweet Potato Pasta with Sage, Pasta Alfredo with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

From the Beans & Chili: Sweet Potato Baked Beans, Potato Bean Chili, Peanut Pinto Chili

From Curry: Red Lentil Go-To Curry, Thai veggie Curry with Tofu, Butternut Squash Tahini Curry, Cauliflower-Sweet Potato Curry, Creamy Dal, Tofu Curry

From Burgers & Patties/Stuff It, Wrap It, Top It: “I Can’t Believe It’s Tofu” Burgers, Black Bean Corn Burgers, Chickpea Quinoa Patties, Cheesy Broccoli Fritters, Chickpea Fritters

From Asian Fake-Out: Sesame Noodle Veggie Stir-Fry, Miso Eggplant Steaks with Spicy Peanut Noodles, Sticky Sesame Tofu, Chickpea Eggplant Stir-Fry in Peanut Sauce

From Comfort Food: Tofu & Sweet Peas in Béchamel Sauce, Chickpea Cashew Loaf with Ketchup, Cauliflower Lentil & Mushroom Stew, Mushroom Bourguignon

From Sides: from Salads & Veggie Sides: Mediterranean-Inspired Salad, Roasted Carrots in Garlic-Chili Oil with Crunchy Pepitas – From Protein Sides: Crispy Baked Tofu Cubes, Cornflake-Crusted Tofu, Chickpea Croutons – From Potato Sides & Starchy Sides: Perfectly Crisp Roasted Baby Potatoes, Smashed Potatoes, Lemony Cauliflower Rice (this is with riced cauliflower and not rice and as the author says doesn’t really belong in this starchy section but in the vegetable section), Spicy Peanut Miso Noodles, Cornbread Mug Cake

From Dips, Dressings & Sauces: Light & Fluffy Hummus, Easy Guacamole, Cashew Cream

Contents:
Foreword: HELP is on the Way (by [author:Jonathan Safran Foer|2617])
Introduction: The Cook Behind the Book
Pantry Staples
Kitchen Essentials
Techniques & Tips
Chapter 1: Pasta
Chapter 2: Beans & Chili
Chapter 3: Curry
Chapter 4: Burgers &Patties
Stuff It/Wrap It/Top It
Chapter 5: Asian Fake-out
Chapter 6: Comfort Food
Chapter 7: Sides (Salads & Veggie sides, Protein sides, Potato & Starchy sides)
Chapter 8:Dips, Dressings & Sauces
Acknowledgements
Index

This is a great family cookbook and I can see parents & older children having fun using it to cook together. I could see trying several of the recipes and using many recipes as inspiration. The author is personable and this was a fun book to read and the author shows a lot of creativity with technique and flavor combinations. She went to culinary school and it shows.

ETA: I appreciate that the author frequently mentions when a choice is environmentally friendly or not that environmentally friendly but she still gives each as a choice. I like that she cares about the environment and uses this cookbook to teach/remind people of how their behaviors effect it.… (mehr)