“Whole Food Cooking Every Day” is such an exciting new cookbook by Amy Chaplin, a vegetarian chef with over 20 years’ experience working all around the world.
Amy Chaplin is also the former executive chef of New York’s renowned vegan restaurant Angelica Kitchen, as well as a recipe developer, teacher, and private chef whose clients include Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler.
Drawing her inspiration from fresh and seasonal ingredients, her approach to cooking is both simple and inspirational.
“Successful meals come from good ingredients, reliable techniques and a collection of go-to recipes that are so familiar they become second nature.” Amy Chaplin
A whole food diet is based on unrefined and unprocessed food, free of artificial preservatives and flavourings. Cooking from scratch, fresh and seasonal ingredients that are in their natural state or as close to it as possible is key to optimum nutrition and wellness. Unrefined and unprocessed food should make up the bulk of our diet and this cookbook is an extensive compendium of 250 vegetarian recipes free of gluten, dairy and refined sugar.
“Whole Food Cooking Every Day” is organised into 20 chapters each containing key basic recipes so that you can perfect your techniques, followed by different variations which give you the building blocks of building confidence and creativity.
For example the recipe for Whole Oat Porridge with Winter Squash and Ginger below is a savoury variation on Amy Chaplin’s Whole Oat Porridge.
All the base recipes are made with readily available ingredients and the variation recipes can easily be adapted to suit seasonal produce.
Some unusual ingredients are mentioned here and there. Personally I have no problems omitting or substituting things I have never heard of or have no idea where to find. But should you wish to stock up, the pantry list at the back of the book is really useful.
The detailed section on meal prep with tips and meal plans proves invaluable if you are short of time but still want to enjoy nutritious homecooked food.
It is as much areference book as a cookbook with informative tables in each chapter to go back to again and again, filled with helpful cooking tips explaining how to customise basic recipes or giving pairing ideas.
“Whole Food Cooking Every Day” is organised as follows:
- Chia Burcher Bowls
- Genius Whole-Grain Porridges
- Gluten-Free Breads
- Nut and Seed Milks and Drinks
- Simple Compotes
- Nut, Seed and Coconut Butters
- Simple and Healing Soups
- Beans
- Vegetables
- Dressings
- Sauces
- Baked Marinated Tempeh
- Cauliflower Bakes
- Seeded Crackers
- Chia Puddings
- Muffins
- Easy Cakes
- Seeded Bars
- Granola
- Waffles
Whether it is seeded crackers, green pea pasta, fermented vegetables, nut milk latte or French lentil tomato bake Amy Chaplin effortlessly encourages her readers to try new ingredients and techniques.
The Spicy Miso Roasted Tomatoes and Eggplant is one of my favourites. It is an easy tray bake with added miso and mirin for a tasty Asian twist.
“Whole Food Cooking Every Day” is suitable for the whole family as you can easily make a batch of a basic recipe and adapt to suit different tastes or ages, saving time and effort while ensuring everyone enjoys a nutrition-packed meal.
Whether you are a seasoned cook or a less experienced one, this is really a brilliant resource for anyone wanting to explore whole food cooking. I was truly impressed to find such an inspirational yet accessible collection of recipes. Amy Chaplin manages to infuse this cookbook with a wonderful nourishing and nurturing feel.
If you are tempted to add more whole food recipes to your diet, why not try your luck in the competition below as I have one copy of “Whole Food Cooking Every Day” up for grabs. Good luck!
“Whole Food Cooking Every Day” is available from Amazon here.
Notice: Thanks to Artisan Book for sending a complimentary copy of this book. I was not paid to review this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.
TO ENTER THIS COMPETITION SELECT AN ENTRY OPTION IN THE BOX BELOW
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