Peaceful Kitchen: More than 100 Cozy Plant-Based Recipes to Comfort the Body and Nourish the Soul

by Catherine Perez

From nutritionist and social media star @plantbasedrd, more than one hundred, nourishing, feel-good, and easy-to-follow recipes, inspired by Mexican and Dominican flavors, for mindful, creative plant-based meals.

In her first cookbook, Catherine Perez, a food creator and registered dietitian, guides you through a delightful exploration of mouthwatering plant-based recipes, proving serenity can be found in a well-balanced, wholesome meal. Whether you are considering a plant-based diet, lead a dedicated vegan lifestyle, or just want some new ways to season and enjoy veggies, Peaceful Kitchen is for you.

Perez helps you take the stress out of eating well with recipes that pull from the Mexican and Dominican dishes and flavors she was raised on—adding her own delicious twists—served with a side of the latest evidenced-based research. From Moro de Habichuelas to Breakfast Tostadas, she shows you how eating healthfully doesn’t mean eating blandly. Inviting you into her own life, Perez inspires you to make the kitchen a true expression of yourself—bringing your own imagination, heritage, and fun to mealtime—so you can cultivate calm as you prepare mindful, sustain­able meals. Discover meals like:

• Mangú Power Bowl with Crispy Adobo Chickpeas and Onions,

• Peach Upside-Down Baked Oatmeal,

• Spicy Peanut Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad,

• Tofu Tinga Tacos,

• Wholesome Date and Pistachio Cookies,

• Dominican Sofrito,

• And so much more!

With recipes that are both nostalgic and innovative, delicious and nutritious, flavorful and filling, Perez will reshape how you eat, one dish at a time, and help you turn the kitchen into your Zen space.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food, Vegan

288 pages, Hardcover

Published August 13, 2024

Reviews

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very refreshing. A lot of vegan cookbooks have the same recipes with just a small tweak here and there but this one has a lot of new ideas and different combinations of ingredients which is nice. This book relies a lot on soy so if you cannot have soy, this is not the right book for you. Also the recipes are not really comfort food, but focuses more on nutrition, since the author is a nutritionist. I recommend anyone follow her on Instagram to get an idea of her recipes. The recipes she posts there and on her blog mirror a lot that is in the book but they are no exact copies which I appreciated. I haven’t tried everything yet but I found more recipes in here I wanted to try when compared with other vegan cookbooks. I particularly like her sauces. There are some great ideas in here and I hope she makes more cookbooks in the future.

I will below details my thoughts when I tried some of her recipes.

Overnight oats - she offers a couple different recipes here. I tried the strawberry one and it was ok. I would eat it again but I found it too mushy. Also it says it lasts 4 days but due to mushiness, I would suggest to eat the following morning. 3/5


Salads: she seems to rely on roasting veggies in the oven a lot for these recipes.

Spicy peanut shaved Brussels sprouts - I liked this one and would definitely eat it again. 4/5

Seared lemon chickpea salad - this one I really didn’t like and didn’t keep well in the fridge 2/5

Roasted cruciferous crunch salad - this one I liked and would eat again 4/5

Bowls

Pico de gallo bowl - honestly hated this and couldn’t eat it. Soy sauce on black beans is a no for me. Also the pico de gallo recipe said to use Serrano chilis which made it too hot for me handle 0/5

Sweet Hoison glazed tofu bowls - best recipe for me in the entire book 5/5 been making this every week. I never thought to add nutritional yeast to my tofu

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel silly posting a cookbook here but I've been so uninspired lately and I love her writing, taste and approach!

[Shayna Elyse · Rating 5 out of 5]

every recipe sounded so good and reasonable to make on a normal day. plus i appreciated all of the nutrition advice (even after almost 5 years of being veg i still feel lost at times)

[Laverne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how the table of contents were categorized and showcased these plant based dishes by types; breaking a fast, salads, bowls etc. Adding the contents this way give the reader the option to open the book and go directly to what they want. Or do as I did and read from cover to cover, then go back to the recipe you want to start with.

Perez has some really greats gems throughout the book, in no particular order:
5/20 rule OM goodness yes if you are curious about labels and how to read them you will be pleased.
Equipment selection
The grocery list to get you started insert wide eye emoji here.

Thank you for sharing how this journey started for you and how you came up with the title of this amazing book.

In exchange for my thoughtful and honest review the publisher shared an Advanced copy.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often give books like this one 5 stars, but this one deserves it. It is accessible. All the recipes look delicious and have readily found ingredients and I actually want to make them. I'm excited to add some of these to my weekly rotation including Creamy Miso Noodle Soup, herby cauliflower stuffed pita, and spicy peanut shaved brussel sprout salad. The material is presented in a way that is just easier for people to understand.

[Alyssa Potasznik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve followed Catherine for a long time and preordered this the moment I heard it was coming out.

I’ve cooked several of the recipes at this point and they all have the characteristics that I’ve always loved from her: fresh, simple, delicious food that uses healthy ingredients and makes you feel good to eat it.

[Clarissa Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite, plant based, cookbook. Perez is knowledgeable and offers delicious and nutritional meals that won't break the bank or have you puzzled (which has sometimes been my experience with vegan cookbooks). The recipes actually read well, too, for practical application (again, not always a given with any cookbook!). I can't wait to keep trying new recipes by her!!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely cookbook, and if my review was based only on design, it would reign with 5 stars! It is truly gorgeous!
But taste is a personal thing, and there were not many recipes that appealed to me personally. However, the ones that I tried were WONDERFUL, so I'm sure there is something for everyone in this cookbook!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this cookbook from the library because I liked this food writer's online recipes. I enjoyed reading the introductory material and learning more about the philosophy behind the recipes. I liked what I read here though I haven't made any of these. Yes, they are kind of trendy, but she has a good sense of what tastes good together based on what I've made from her online collection.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite cookbook of 2024 and in my top 5 vegan cookbooks!

Get this for the creamy miso recipe ALONE. After I got this cookbook, I made it weekly. Catherine knows umami. Everything in this cookbook is SO TASTY. And yet helpful. 10 out of 10, would recommend!

[Danielle Booey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure my family will go for a ton of these recipes, but the creamy miso noodle soup and baked tofu look delicious and can probably be attempted with my audience in mind!

Lots of good looking recipes with chia seeds if I was more brave. Not sure why they freak me out so much.

[Jocelyn Newby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn’t love this one. We regularly eat vegetarian meals but I am a strong believer vegetarian food shouldn’t take double the amount of time to cook. This felt too fussy for me. I greatly prefer and own Jenny Rosenstrach’s the Weekday Vegetarian, very attainable recipes.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delicious plant based recipes that look relatively simple to prepare. I will be making several of the recipes.

[Alexa Fredo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many of these recipes were variations of ones I usually rotate through. I found a few new ones that looked great, but most of the recipes I've already tried similar variations of before.

[Stephanie Duff · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this book had a lot of nutritional information, info on vitamins, and recipe ideas, but you reeeeealllly have to like tofu for this book to be relevant to you.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this book! Lots of great plant-based meal ideas. This is a great book even for those that don't eat exclusively plant-based like me.

[Lydia Kass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book: some classics and some with Mexican and Dominican twists.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a pickier eater than I like and this has plenty of recipes I’m excited to try

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the recipes as well as the nutritional advice provided in this book. I've made a few of them now and they all turned out really well.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful recipe book! I found several recipes that I can't wait to try!!

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

so simple and everything looks delicious!!! I follow Catherine Perez on tiktok and I love how creative her recipes are I can’t wait to try some of these

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great recipes

Found a few new recipes to add to my menu that are easy to incorporate. Hopefully, they will taste as good as they look.

[Goth Radio Hour · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely tasty recipes! Simple ingredients that make delcious dishes. The author really likes tahini, it is in a lot of the savory recipes.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting sounding recipes with def a more basic easy approach.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some more unique recipes with some Latin influence. Not basic. Photos for every recipe. Great intro for someone new to veganism.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I did not get a chance to try out any of the recipes, I found a number of them intriguing enough to try some out in the future.

The book is well laid out, and I liked how it was organized.

[Chloé-Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every recipe my partner and I have tried from the PlantBasedRD Instagram was a hit, so we decided to buy her book. I’m so glad we did! Again, just hits after hits. I’m vegetarian and my partner is an omnivore, so take me seriously when I say that we have found these vegan recipes to be super delicious! For the most part, they’re pretty easy as well. Some take a bit longer than expected (like the salads), but for the most part they’re straightforward. The ingredients are “normal” too, very little odd stuff you’d have to special order. As far as I’m concerned, this is an A+ plant based cookbook!