Newcookbooks offer plant-based nutrition for newyear
Home cooks looking to start the new year with a renewed and refreshed focus on health and wellness have a host of new cookbooks to guide them. This week we’re cooking from a collection of the six most engaging vegan, vegetarian and otherwise health-focused cookbooks to be published recently.
Consider any of the following titles if you’re looking to embrace a nutritious approach to your new year.
“The Complete Plant Based Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen (America’s Test Kitchen, $34.99): The America’s Test Kitchen team has turned its disciplined approach to cooking to hearty, wholesome and accessible meals that also happen to be completely vegan in this massive 400plus-page tome of recipes any home cook can feel comfortable with. The Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Peaches and Pecans is a natural fit for any Texas kitchen.
“Happy Vegan Comfort Food” by Karoline Jönsson (Pavilion Books, $22.50):
Swedish food writer Jönsson has a decidedly global approach to vegan food with recipes pulling from Europe, Asia and beyond. But those dishes are prepared with ingredients easy to find in Houston, and many of her recipes, such as her Roasted Sweet Corn Soup, feel right at home in Texas.
“Living Lively” by Haile Thomas (William Morrow, $24.99): At just 20 years old, Thomas has a youthful and energetic voice seasoned with years of work in the world of food and nutrition advocacy. Her recipes feel fresh and modern while still delivering a soulful familiarity. Her Straight Fire Mac and Cheese, loaded with veggies, nuts, beans and plenty of chipotle burn, is a perfect example.
“The Nutritionist’s Kitchen” by Carly Knowles (Roost Books, $24.95): Dietitian and food writer Knowles dedicates almost 100 pages of her book to training readers how to shop for healthful ingredients, build nutritionally balanced dishes and prepare those with techniques that minimize excess calories. The 60-plus recipes that follow build on those principles in a way nearly any home cook can appreciate and understand. Her basic approach to lightening recipes and adding a nutritious kick can be found in her Broccoli Salad, a remake of the baconand mayonnaise-laden dish frequently found at countless cookouts across the country.
“Skinnytaste Meal Prep” by Gina Homolka (Clarkson Potter, $32.50):
Homolka’s healthful, easy and accessible recipes are configured for busy families on the go in this new title aimed at preparing dishes that are easy to batch out into portions designed to last through the week or to be frozen. We loved her Thaiinspired take on chicken larb, in this case prepared with brown rice and oodles of fresh herbs.
“True Comfort” by Kristin Cavallari (Rodale Books, $27.99): This title from realityTV star Cavallari is all about eliminating gluten and refined sugars from one’s diet. It’s not exclusively vegan, but many of the dishes are plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free. And they’re often healthful riffs on familiar comfort foods. Cavallari’s Alfredo Cauliflower Casserole is exactly the kind of warm and cozy embrace we all need right now.