I got an exciting delivery yesterday. It’s an addition to my plant-based cook books.
Full disclosure, I do not eat a plant-based diet. I don’t think I’ll ever make the jump to being entirely plant-based, but I understand the impact that the dairy and meat industries have on our world, and I’m happy to do our part to eat more plants. I do, however, love to incorporate vegan and vegetarian meals into our weekly meal plan. Author Angela Liddon has two other cook books. Her second, Oh She Glows Every Day, was my very first vegan cookbook. It was followed closely by her first, Oh She Glows, which was actually a present from Brad after he saw how much I enjoyed the book I had.
I’m not entirely sure where my love for cook books has come from. I’m definitely picky about them, preferring straightforward recipes of yummy, healthy food.
Brad asked me the other day whether any of the food that we eat regularly is similar to the food that I ate growing up. The easy answer—no offense Mama—is no. At the moment, I’m eating dairy-free and restricting a few other common food items to explore a potential inflammatory issue, and the foods that I am cooking are not in any way close to the foods I ate growing up.
For example, last night I made Socca Pizzas from Gwenyth Paltrow’s cook book, It’s All Easy. They were delicious chickpea pancakes that I topped with caramelized onions, tomatoes, salami, garlic sausage and vegan cheese (which wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be). I don’t know that I ate a chickpea until I was grown and had moved out of my parents’ house. They were tasty, different and came together quite quickly; it was a win all around! It was not a plant-based meal, and was from a regular cook book, but it was worth a mention to make the point that I have developed into what I would consider a semi-adventurous cook!
When I heard that Angela Liddon was coming out with her third cook book, and that it was dinner meals, I was extremely excited. I signed up for her online book launch with Indigo Chapters and ordered a signed copy of the book as soon as it was available. The book has meal plans, menus, recipe lists and countless tips and tricks for your pantry and kitchen. I am so excited to sit down with this book and get some new inspiration for my weekly meal plans.
I may not follow them every week—okay, I most definitely do not follow them exactly every week—but I love planning out our meals every Sunday, and I especially love it when I have the time to cook.
My Collection
I paid extra for a signed copy ...
A couple of my favorite staple recipes from past Oh She Glows cook books:
Protein Power Rainbow Quinoa Salad
Loaded Sweet Potatoes
Quick & Easy Chana Masala
Chewy Molasses Spelt Cookies
(I did not link the recipes, but there is a recipe bank on her website, which you can find here.)
I can’t wait to test out some new recipes and find some new favourites!
Eat more plants,
Anya