PlantYou: Scrappy Cooking: 140+ Plant-Based Zero-Waste Recipes That Are Good for You, Your Wallet, and the Planet

by Carleigh Bodrug

Save money, reduce food waste and eat healthier than you ever have before with Scrappy Cooking , the brand new highly anticipated second cookbook from New York Times bestselling author and social media sensation, Carleigh Bodrug. 
 
Spinning off of Bodrug's wildly popular Scrappy Cooking social media series, the cookbook is packed with over 150+ whole-food, plant-based recipes that show the reader how to make the most of the food they have in their fridge and pantry with easy and approachable vegan recipes anyone can make.
 
Transform radish tops into pesto, broccoli stems into summer rolls and wilting greens into smoothie cubes... But that's not all. The book will equip readers with not only the tools to make the most of their scraps, but use up just about any vegetable, grain or bean from their fridge and pantry in the flexible Kitchen Raid Recipes, or cross reference commonly wasted foods like stale bread from a "Got This, Make That" index so these items can be used up in the easiest and most delicious way possible. 
 
Scrappy Cooking not only puts the focus on eating a diet that's more conscious for our environment (and our wallets) but our health as well. Every recipe in the book is vegan, almost entirely oil free, and focuses on whole, plant-based foods that are good for our bodies and the planet. Get ready for recipes like The Whole Darn Squash (Pasta), Skillet Lasagna, One Pan Orzo Casserole, Vodka Penne With Broccolini, Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Chickpea Pot Pie, Orange Peel Chickn’, Loaded Tortilla Bowls, Sheet Pan Tacos with Carrot Top Chimichurri, Rebel “Ribs”, Veggie Masala Burgers, Palak “Paneer”, Vegan Meaty Hand Pies, We-Got-the-Beet Chips, Pickle-Mania Chips, Cornmeal Biscuits, Bang Bang Broccoli-cious Steaks…and more!

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Food, Cooking, Vegan, Reference, Health

384 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[R.F. Gammon]

I would not normally put an actual cookbook on my challenge but considering I cooked about half the recipes and read the entire thing cover to cover I'm putting it down

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

These receipts are so good!
I tried out several of them and then ordered her other book (Oooops)

100% recommendations 💜

[Bookishentropy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asked for this book for 5 days straight. It did not disappoint! I love the variety.

The kindle version is only okay though. I wish I could see the picture of the recipe on the same page as the ingredients or even before.
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Side note : Can I really count this cook book towards my reading goal of the year? I’ll say yes because I read the pages at the beginning and end haha

[Molly R · Rating 5 out of 5]

This scrappy cookbook is such a great resource. I was hoping she’d come out with this book when I started watching her videos.

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the concept, love the little pictures showing which ingredients are in which recipes. But this book could have used an editor! There are multiple recipes with errors… in the vegan ground beef, we make a sunflower tomato paste purée and set it aside… only to never add it back in! Step 1 of Mushy Berry Jam is to preheat the oven & line a baking pan with parchment. Why? Because it was the template from the previous page. I also found that many recipes needed significant adjustments to have flavor. Great starting point for folks who are looking for new ways to enjoy fresh food, just needed another few read-throughs and recipe tests before publishing.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tremendous resource! I'm not vegan but I do have some dietary restrictions and this has given me so many great substitution ideas. I especially appreciate the "save the scraps" section at the end of each recipe so you get ideas of what else you can do with half a cabbage. Some of the scrappiest tips are extreme but there are a lot I want to try at least once. Plus, I've bookmarked so many recipes to try, from the cornmeal biscuits to the sunflower cream sauce. I can't wait to get my own copy!

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this cookbook. I bought it because I follow her on Instagram and I need to do more plant-based cooking. But every recipe I've tried (some of them multiple times) have either not turned out or turned out pretty bad. I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend this cookbook but I'm honestly sorry I invested the money. I applaud her for trying.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A fan of this authors first cookbook, wanted to give this one a try. Very clever ideas for using food scraps in your recipes. While I don't think I would use a lot of these recipes, there are a few I'll try. I do applaud the author's efforts at reducing waste and saving money. The recipes here are easy to follow. Enjoyed the colorful pictures of the food and ingredients for each recipe. Appreciated the nutrional info for every recipe listed in the back of the book as well as the the metric conversions.

[Steph Raph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so happy to see that there were no bananas in the dessert section! Only bananas used in the breakfast part! Not bad!
I saved 20 recipes from this book! Mainly the sauces and ways to use up scraps, which was available at the end of the book.
I loved the visual elements of her having pictures of each ingredient, in addition to the written list. Such a creative brain!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m never sure how you can really “read” a cookbook, but I’ve flipped through, flagged recipes, and made a couple, so seems like that counts to me!

On one of our phone calls, I had told my sweet mama how I really wanted to get this cookbook, but knew we didn’t need another one when our cooking habits are still spotty at best. We already have Carleigh’s first cookbook, PlantYou, but hadn’t started cooking more like we’d hoped. My mom, who enjoys cooking and does so daily, had recently gotten a copy of PlantYou for herself after I’d gushed over the beautiful layout and delicious recipes.

So hearing an opportunity to treat us to something we wanted, she mailed Scrappy Cooking to us for an early anni present, and it was just the happiest surprise!!! I hugged the book and texted to thank her for it. (And obviously gave her another detailed update after we cooked our first recipe from it!)

I really love how the recipes feel so flexible. We made the Green Goddess soup first. We didn’t have green curry paste so we used red curry. We didn’t have a zucchini so we subbed in a yellow squash. It still turned out lovely! I’ve never felt this comfortable that swapping ingredients would turn out well with cookbook recipes before, but it fits the theme of the book and the recipes aren’t too fussy to break with a little substitution. Oh, and we have the cutest little green onions happily growing by our kitchen window now too!

I would so definitely recommend this cookbook to everyone!

[Marathon County Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is absolutely packed full of vegan recipes that everyone can enjoy! From breakfast ideas to soups and sandwiches, to your next favorite noodle dish or dessert, this author has so many recipes that are just waiting to be tried! I loved how every recipe had an accompanying photo of the final product and a visual ingredient list, so you could quickly look through to see what grabs you. Personally, I want to make just about everything in this book! First up will likely be the “Death by Chocolate” pancakes, followed by the Smokey Corncob Chowder or Caramelized French Onion Soup for lunch, and the skillet lasagna or jackfruit bourguignon or chickpea potpie (there’s too many to decide!). For dessert I’m definitely trying the hot-chocolate cookies and sticky date pudding!

I also really loved how this cookbook included “Kitchen Raid Recipes” that help you to use leftovers and scraps sustainably and easily. The “Raid-the-Fridge Noodle Soup” is definitely on my list, along with the Leeky Tuscan Minestrone that teaches you how to use the usually discarded green parts of the leeks (one of my favorite vegetables!) There’s also a ton of sauce, stock, and broth recipes to cleverly use food scraps, like the “Cobby Chick’n Broth” that uses corncobs to make a super simple broth to add depth to your recipes and the apple scrap honey that, as the name says, uses apple scraps to make honey! I’m definitely trying the Peanut Butter Jar latte the next time I get to the end of my peanut butter jar too!

Sarah M. | Marathon County Public Library
See this book in our catalog.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carleigh's done it again, folks. What an excellent, versatile cookbook with a very important message behind it: fighting food waste.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many good ideas! I actually didn’t know about this plant based blogger before grabbing this from the library, but I’m following her now!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this out of the library, but I have so many slips of paper marking recipes i need to make, I might need to buy a copy!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely recipes and some great ideas of how to reduce food waste, which is adding to global warming through greenhouse, gas emissions.

[Marilee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've tried two recipes from this so far and they were both great, and I've marked a bunch more to try. I think Carleigh Bodrug takes scrappy cooking a lot farther than I'm ready to, but I'm happy to have ways to use up what I have in the fridge.

[Crimson · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. Food waste bothers me morally and economically. The idea of being more efficient with my food appeals to me. However, this book fails to live up to that idea.

The author fails to explain why the recipes presented are an effective use of undesirable food. For example, why would I use wilted greens for a wrap when the wrap would taste significantly better with fresh greens. In addition, many of the recipes have so many additional ingredients added that it defeats the weight of the “scrappy cooking”.

Strangely, the strongest everyday recipes in this book are not the recipes highlighted. Scattered throughout the book are incredible recipes that could be a part of my every week diet. These recipes are spread too far and are too few to rescue the book. Flashy, less-realistic recipes take center stage.
An example of a wonderful recipe found in the book is using strawberry tops to create strawberry vinegar for salads, cocktails, or ice cream. I will happily use the piece of a strawberry that I usually discard to create a useful dressing. The recipe is simple, adding to its appeal.

[🌒JFosbookboss🌒 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic book anyone looking to try more meat free recipes and grab all the nutrients possible! I am a meat a-hol-lic, and this was first person to make me realize I don’t need meat to make a complete meal for my family! I found her on Instagram and saw these beautiful colorful salads full of vitamins and nutrients, but actually looked so good! AND The pasta dishes are to die for, but more importantly fast as easy to make. I’m
Not spending hours to prepare a meal.. sorry no! I’m a busy Mom.

The salads easily fit into my rotation along with some grilled fish or meat or just solo on their own ! I’m not a vegetarian but now I realize, I can have a meat free meals AND if I want meat, I know how to make salads, that will complement them! Last but not least the dressings, drinks are divine as well! So get out of your comfort zone and try this book!

[Nikki T · Rating 1 out of 5]

Saw this book in a store and decided to try the mac and cheese recipe.
If the rest of the recipes taste as bad as that, I'm counting my lucky stars that I didn't waste my money on this book. Hey! That's zero waste, right? Oh wait. I also need to factor in that I made extra cheese powder and it's going to sit in the back of my cabinet for like a decade until I finally let myself throw it out. I take it back. Definitely not zero waste.

P.S. I'll probably add it to some other recipe that can drown out the taste. Calm down. I won't just toss it.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made the Moose on the Loose recipe and followed it to the letter. We chose this for my cookbook book club. I thought it was too bitter. Of the 11 of us there, 9 agreed. I liked the citrus slaw someone made, but most didn’t. There weren’t as many good dishes as we usually make.

[Sher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never like to write negative reviews. Truly. I want to love this book. I really do. It's beautifully photographed, and I love the author's voice. I love the idea of whole foods cooking and not wasting resources. But today, I realized I can't just pass this by.

I decided to make three of the recipes.
* orange peel chik'n
*greek lemon smashed potatoes
*common ground granola

I followed the recipes to the letter, as I am not one of those people who makes changes and then complains about it. If I make a recipe that I like, yeah, I'll mess around with it later. But out of the gate, I follow the recipe. I assume the author took time and effort to put it together as such, and I respect that.

The orange peel chik'n is nearly tasteless. I'm not sure what the deal is. Maybe you do need to make the candied orange peel to go with it, because without, it tastes bland and unappealing.

The greek lemon smashed potatoes are inedible. There's nothing wrong with the boiling, then smashing part. The problem is the amount of salt and pepper in the marinade you brush on. It is enough to make you fall into cardiac arrest. It is unappealing, to be kind. Maybe a quarter of those amounts would work. The potatoes did not crisp up -- they probably need even more oil on them. But ick. I wasted a whole bunch of baby potatoes on this one.

I make granola on the regular, so I was excited to try this recipe. How does it manage to taste like nothing? I wish I knew. It needs, among other things, some vanilla and possibly some cinnamon for give it some flavor and to bring up the chocolate taste. You'd think the coffee would do that, and yet. It also doesn't crisp up as well as other granolas I have made in the past.

As time goes by, I am becoming more and more skeptical of recipe books produced by Tik Tok influencers. For every one that includes tested, tasty recipes, I have experienced this kind of situation. It is ultimately a big waste of food, which is kind of the opposite of this book's point.

I don't think I will try any other recipes. I am very disappointed, to say the least. I'm very sorry to have to share this but I feel like I need to. Caveat emptor.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cookbook is absolutely packed full of vegan recipes that everyone can enjoy! From breakfast ideas to soups and sandwiches, to your next favorite noodle dish or dessert, this author has so many recipes that are just waiting to be tried! I loved how every recipe had an accompanying photo of the final product and a visual ingredient list, so you could quickly look through to see what grabs you. Personally, I want to make just about everything in this book! First up will likely be the “Death by Chocolate” pancakes, followed by the Smokey Corncob Chowder or Caramelized French Onion Soup for lunch, and the skillet lasagna or jackfruit bourguignon or chickpea potpie (there’s too many to decide!). For dessert I’m definitely trying the hot-chocolate cookies and sticky date pudding!

I also really loved how this cookbook included “Kitchen Raid Recipes” that helped you use leftovers and scraps sustainably and easily. The “Raid-the-Fridge Noodle Soup” is definitely on my list, along with the Leeky Tuscan Minestrone that teaches you how to use the usually discarded green parts of the leeks (one of my favorite vegetables!). There’s also a ton of sauce, stock, and broth recipes to cleverly use food scraps, like the “Cobby Chick’n Broth” that uses corncobs to make a super simple broth to add depth to your recipes and the apple scrap honey that, as the name says, uses apple scraps to make honey! I’m definitely trying the Peanut Butter Jar latte the time next I get to the end of my peanut butter jar too!

[Kelley Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m vey excited that Carleigh has another plant based cookbook out. Plant You was amazing with easy to follow recipes that were equally easy to prepare. In her latest Scrappy Cooking she walks you through how to get the most from food scraps and produce that might be on its last legs. Again easy recipes to prepare in a short time. She also adds variations and substitutes that can be swapped out. It’s broken down into sections which adds to the overall ease of finding certain recipes. Food waste is huge in our country and she addresses this in a unique way. I myself have been eating mostly plant based for a number of years. One of my biggest peeves is food waste. Who knew you could use banana peels to make “bacon”? She cleverly uses the scraps most of us throw out to crate amazing dishes. The layout of the cookbook is spot on and the photographs of the food are well done. I believe if you want to improve your health making a few simple meal changes will make a significant difference. Let Carleigh help you begin a new food journey with creative ways to use up what you have. I can’t say enough good things about this book.

[Ashleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Catch me now reading more cookbooks as palette cleansers between novels, haha.)

I really enjoyed this! The recipes are relatively simple and true to their focus of creating less waste in the kitchen. As someone who frequently finds herself with a random amount of something left over, I appreciate the concrete examples of how to use up potential scraps. Many of the recipes in here are unique and sound great, but they don't come across as pretentious. She also doesn't claim to have invented a lot of these ideas - multiple dishes reference a culture or country where she's taken inspiration. There's also an aspirational element for me where I can see myself warming up to the idea of making my own pantry staples (also included in here)! Practical at heart, there's not a ton of chatter in here except when necessary, and each of the recipes comes with nutritional info as well as storage tips. Gotta love that. Lemon peel pesto from this cookbook instantly became a favorite of mine when I made it (and I have made it two more times since), so I look forward to trying more!

[Yodamom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I made almost half the recipes in the book. First the best: the lemon peel pasta, a 10 out of a ten. The fritzy fritters, were a huge hit. The brown bana muffins, loved. The strawberry top vinegar, fabulous. The peanut butter jar latte, yum ! The apple scra honey was lovely in my coffee and baked goods.The vegan ground beef was meh, the texture was okay but it needed a lot more flavor I make one with plenty and sunflower seeds that has much better texture and flavor. The moose on the loose was a big no from all five of my family, to bitter, weird texture. The chickpea pot pie with biscuits was so bland it was terrible. The watermelon spear pickles, I've had much better
I got this from my library and thought I would purchase it for sure, but now I'm not sure. Most of the recipes need additions, some are lacking complete directions. Do I want a book that needs my input more that it gives me ?

[Victoria Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook! I pull it out at least once a week and have made recipes from every category. I read a couple one star reviews saying this cookbook is useless because the ingredients aren’t things they keep on hand, but they obviously did not read the intro! Carleigh notes that nearly every ingredient can be easily subbed and I’ve found that to be totally true. For example, I’m ovo-lacto vegetarian and I’ve subbed real milk for nut milk, Parmesan for nutritional yeast, tempeh for tofu. I’ve totally omitted things, I’ve used other things, everything comes out fine! My husband is not veg and he’s liked everything. It’s a just an easy cookbook with solid flexible ideas for low waste, plant-based meals. Some of our favorites have been the scrappy cookies, noodle soup, baked oatmeal, breakfast casserole, and panzanella.

[Mer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise is great- I've seen some of Carleigh Bodrug's videos online, but man, this book is pretty preachy... I definitely must have skimmed the "book jacket" synopsis on my library's Libby, because in glancing over it now, I see the bottom of the first paragraph is "approachable vegan recipes anyone can make". I definitely missed the vegan aspect until it smacked me in the face INSIDE the book.
I am writing this review 2025/02/12 and was going to label it as a bit too preachy, but couldn't remember why I felt that way. So, I checked it out on Libby again, and have now bumped my review up to 3 stars. I am not sure why I was against it in December, nor why I'm in a different mood about it right now, but I do think it has a lot of helpful info and is a pretty decent cookbook.
I'll have to revisit it more thoroughly soon...

[Tilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

You don’t have to be a vegan or even a vegetarian to enjoy this book - if you eat and/or cook veggies, which the majority of us do, I’m sure a lot of people will find some recipes to try - and there are a lot! I was more interested in the scrappy ones, but they seemed just tagged on at the back - the real scrappy things - like one or two pantry item ideas that you would otherwise might have thrown away. I’d hoped for more of these recipe ideas considering the premise of the book.

What I really disliked (and it seems I’m on my own here :) ) were the photos - I hated the little pictures of what was needed for each recipe, and the main photos looked photoshopped overtop a white background. I love photography, especially done well in a cookbook - it’s often what draws me to try something but these photos reminded me of a supermarket catalogue.

[Debra - can't post any comments on site today grrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful cookbook! I thought it was fantastic! I loved the wide selection of recipes that are divided into categories. There is such a wide range of recipes that everyone will be satisfied. Ever get a cookbook that has tons of recipes but very little if no pictures of the completed recipe? You will not have that issue with this book. In fact, the best part of this cookbook is the pictures of the food, and the accompanying pictures of the ingredients needed.

If you are following a plant based or diet or just looking to accompany more plant-based meals into your diet, you cannot go wrong with this lovely cookbook!

❤️📖@hachettebooks #hachettego #HBSocialClub @plantyou

Thank you to Hachette Go who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com 📖

[emyrose8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well-put-together cookbook. If you enjoy making things from scratch, not wasting food, and eating whole foods, you'll enjoy this cookbook (whether you are vegan/vegetarian/omnivorous). Pictures for every recipe, easy to substitute ingredients, and delicious-looking things to make. The author is very allergy conscious in her recipes, and nutrition facts for every recipe are in the back.

The book is organized into type of recipe (breakfast, sides/apps, soups, salads/sandwich/wraps, noodles, mains, sweets, sauces/dips, beverages, and preserves/powders/ferments), but there are a few pages called, "got this? Make that" which you can reference for a specific food (wilted greens, stale bread, etc).