Oh She Glows Every Day: Quick and Simply Satisfying Plant-Based Recipes. / Angela Liddon, 2016. Avery, a member of Penguin Group, U.S.A. 333 p., illustrations in color.
Vegan glow is a state of health and a state of mind about food. Built on the premise that whole foods, minimally prepared, is the healthiest way to energize our busy lives, Oh She Glows Every Day presents sweets, well-known vegetables, and fruits, both raw and cooked as easy, every day vegan meals, snacks and desserts.
Many recipes feature kid-friendly variations. Novice or new-to-vegan cooks will feel confident serving these dishes that consist of whole vegetables, spices, and non-dairy milks, and ones that celebrate favorite vegetables with a minimum of preparation and just enough cooking time to achieve the desired results. The book is a well-rounded introduction to vegan, with Italian or Mediterranean flare.
Between lentil, kale, quinoa and tofu dishes, protein is well-represented, and tomato, potato, eggplant, Brussels sprouts and sweet potato become the focus of salads, soups and entrees. And don’t forget how transforming to texture and nutrition are seeds and nuts, liberally found here.
When reading a cookbook that’s new to me, I look for a recipe with unusual ingredients, an outlier, or a new way of translating an old favorite. Just because. And that has to do with the fact that in American cuisine, there are certain favorites, recipes that are considered basic to how we like to eat. I’ll check those recipes first to assess whether I think they represent new approaches to classics.
And in Oh She Glows Every Day I found that tomatoes are essential to flavor, as are potatoes (all kinds of root vegetables) to texture. Often, however, something’s needed to up-spike flavor, a new way to dress pasta or a make asatisfying broth. So, a pasta dish dressed with sun-dried tomatoes in cashew cream caught my attention!
Two of my favorites in Oh She Glows Every Day are “Miracle Healing Broth” and “Secret Ingredient Chocolate Pudding”—two that exemplify the book as part really healthy and part soul-satisfying when it comes to sweets. Author Liddon recognizes that so well, and in characteristic style might have a sweet tooth herself. I can tell from the recipes for smoothies, breakfast, snacks, cookies and bars, and desserts—a full 6 out of 9 chapters of the book that contain sweet dishes, that she is really focused on sweet.
That’s okay, if sweet flavors come from naturally sweet fruits like Medjool dates, and syrups like black strap molasses, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup. Her cookie recipes do make up with cane sugar, although she specifies organic and brown sugars. Some recipes call for maple syrup in addition to Medjool dates—here’s where as the chef in your house, you must choose what level of sweet is right for you!
A great addition to cookbooks are the chapters on homemade pantry items. And Oh She Glows Every Day is no exception with cheese sauce, cashew sour cream, homemade vegan mayo, whipped cream, gravy, and chutney among the recipes.
Oh She Glows Every Day is an excellent resource for delicious quick meals, complete from soup to dessert, that don’t require the technique or finesse of a fine chef: they don’t seem difficult to prepare. Yet the premise is actually vegan, entirely plant-based. Whether novice cook or very experienced, readers can enjoy and use ideas from Liddon’s latest book. Also check out her website, Oh She Glows for interactive fun.
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