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One Part Plant: A Simple Guide to Eating Real, One Meal at a Time – The Joyful, Playful Cookbook for Wellness with 100 Plant-Based Recipes
"This book is joyful, playful, delicious, and guess what? It will also change your life. I invite you to follow Jessica into the vast green wilderness."
—Lena Dunham
Wellness advocate and podcaster Jessica Murnane is the friend you never knew you had. And she's here to help you make a change you never thought was possible.
In One Part Plant, Jessica has a friendly request: that you eat just one meal plant-based meal each day. There's no crazy diet plan with an anxiety-inducing list of forbidden foods. Or pages filled with unattainable goals based on an eating philosophy that leaves you feeling hungry and deprived. Instead, Jessica offers you the tools to easily and deliciously make plants the star of your plate--no matter how much junk food occupies it now.
Jessica knows what it's like to have less than healthy eating habits. Just a few short years ago, her diet consisted of three major food groups: Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke, and whatever Lean Cuisine had the most cheese. But when her endometriosis — a chronic and painful condition — left her depressed and desperate for help, she took the advice of a friend and radically overhauled her diet. Within months, her life dramatically changed — her pain started to fade and she felt like herself again.
With a unique style and playful tone, Jessica shares what she’s learned on her way to healing her body through food. She keeps it simple and, most importantly, delicious — with 100 allergy-friendly recipes like Creamy Mushroom Lasagna, Easy Vegetable Curry Bowls, Triple Berry Skillet Cobbler, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Featuring her top ten pantry basics, practical advice, and colorful and bold photography, One Part Plant is an inspiring and educational guide to eating real and feeling your best.
—Lena Dunham
Wellness advocate and podcaster Jessica Murnane is the friend you never knew you had. And she's here to help you make a change you never thought was possible.
In One Part Plant, Jessica has a friendly request: that you eat just one meal plant-based meal each day. There's no crazy diet plan with an anxiety-inducing list of forbidden foods. Or pages filled with unattainable goals based on an eating philosophy that leaves you feeling hungry and deprived. Instead, Jessica offers you the tools to easily and deliciously make plants the star of your plate--no matter how much junk food occupies it now.
Jessica knows what it's like to have less than healthy eating habits. Just a few short years ago, her diet consisted of three major food groups: Sour Patch Kids, Diet Coke, and whatever Lean Cuisine had the most cheese. But when her endometriosis — a chronic and painful condition — left her depressed and desperate for help, she took the advice of a friend and radically overhauled her diet. Within months, her life dramatically changed — her pain started to fade and she felt like herself again.
With a unique style and playful tone, Jessica shares what she’s learned on her way to healing her body through food. She keeps it simple and, most importantly, delicious — with 100 allergy-friendly recipes like Creamy Mushroom Lasagna, Easy Vegetable Curry Bowls, Triple Berry Skillet Cobbler, and Chocolate Chunk Cookies.
Featuring her top ten pantry basics, practical advice, and colorful and bold photography, One Part Plant is an inspiring and educational guide to eating real and feeling your best.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2017
62 people are currently reading
916 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 11, 2017
Murnane espouses a diet that is one part plant—that is, at least one meal a day that is entirely plant based. It's a diet the author started to reduce the inflammation—and pain—caused by her endometriosis. She likes to focus on what you can eat rather than what you can't, and I really appreciate that she makes a point of saying the ingredients in this book only represent what she's comfortable eating and that you're free to make different choices based on what's healthy for you.
The entire book is gluten free and almost entirely vegan (there's some honey). Recipes use natural/unrefined sweeteners, plant milks, nuts, grains, beans, fruit and veg, and lots of coconut products. Baked goods use flax seed, masa harina, and flours like almond, brown rice, and garbanzo. No gums.
Each recipe has head notes and storage advice. Less than half have a color photo. Measurements are in U.S. volume, and there's a really excellent index.
Contains a foreward by Lena Dunham.
The entire book is gluten free and almost entirely vegan (there's some honey). Recipes use natural/unrefined sweeteners, plant milks, nuts, grains, beans, fruit and veg, and lots of coconut products. Baked goods use flax seed, masa harina, and flours like almond, brown rice, and garbanzo. No gums.
Each recipe has head notes and storage advice. Less than half have a color photo. Measurements are in U.S. volume, and there's a really excellent index.
Contains a foreward by Lena Dunham.
July 9, 2017
Simple... but I gave it an extra star because of that. This would be such a great starter book for plant-based eating. Not overly complicated without too many extra, crazy ingredients.
Not sure it's a buyer for me, though it's tempting because so many look like solid workhorse repeatable cooks, especially as A eats more.
For example: blueberry corn cakes, chilaquiles with cilantro cream, strawberry chia jam, white bean buffalo hummus, breakfast potato bowl, mushroom and lentil stuffing, coconut quinoa and beans, corn cakes with black bean spread, spice broccoli rice, creamy mushroom lasagna, creamy butternut squash and lentil tacos, Mexican fried rice nachos, roasted potato, corn, & leek soup.
Not sure it's a buyer for me, though it's tempting because so many look like solid workhorse repeatable cooks, especially as A eats more.
For example: blueberry corn cakes, chilaquiles with cilantro cream, strawberry chia jam, white bean buffalo hummus, breakfast potato bowl, mushroom and lentil stuffing, coconut quinoa and beans, corn cakes with black bean spread, spice broccoli rice, creamy mushroom lasagna, creamy butternut squash and lentil tacos, Mexican fried rice nachos, roasted potato, corn, & leek soup.
December 2, 2021
Very approachable!! Read as E Book, would like to see in hard copy.
March 9, 2017
Summary: Fantastic! Everything I made from this book was easy, delicious, and relatively healthy.
Author and podcaster Jessica Murnane advocates particular eating one plant-based meal a day and begins this cookbook with some suggestions for pantry staples to help you achieve that goal. She also recommends particular recipes as 'gateway meals' to bring reluctant family members on board with plant-based cooking. Personally, that's not why I picked up her book. My husband and I already cook a lot of vegetarian meals and very rarely eat red meat, so I was primarily looking for more healthy, vegetarian meal ideas. It turns out, that's a great reason to pick up this cookbook!
The first thing I always notice in a cookbook are the pictures. In this book, there are full-page pictures for about 1 in 3 recipes. Ideally, I'd like a picture for every recipe, but many of these recipes were straightforward enough that I felt like I knew what I was getting even without a picture. The organization by category makes a lot of sense. Most recipes called for only a handful of ingredients and all three of the recipes I tried were incredibly straightforward. A few called for 'odd' ingredients (by which I mean ingredients I couldn't get at Walmart), but I was easily able to find substitutes (quinoa for amaranth, for example). I have yet to make a dinner from this book, but the list I'm excited about is long - Mexican fried rice nachos, corn cakes with black bean spread, white bean pepper chili. I could go on! And I will try to come back and update once I make these. In the meantime, here are the recipes I did make:
Creamy peach porridge - This was amazing. It was precisely as sweet as I like my breakfast foods to be. The only ingredients were vanilla extract, coconut milk, cinnamon, peaches, maple syrup, and amaranth (that I replaced with quinoa). It could probably be healthier, but not bad given how decadently delicious it was! We'll be making this again this weekend.
Herb fries - Before trying this recipe, I had never found homemade or frozen fries I enjoyed. My husband and I agree that these were by far the best homemade fries we've had. I forgot to add the rosemary and parsley to make them herb fries, but they were perfect. I can't wait to make them again and add these herbs or cover them in Parmesan or garlic or maybe truffle oil for a treat. They'd be the perfect base for any seasonings you might want to try.
Honey peppermint cups - Another recipe that blew me away! Really just honey, dark chocolate, and peppermint extract. My husband loved these just as much as I did and he's not a huge fan of mint. I, however, am obsessed with all things mint and chocolate, so if anyone else wants me to review a book that requires me to eat something this delicious, bring it on!
Even not having tried a main meal, I'm completely sold on this book. Everything was easy to make and incredibly delicious, especially given the simplicity of the ingredients. Highly recommend.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
Author and podcaster Jessica Murnane advocates particular eating one plant-based meal a day and begins this cookbook with some suggestions for pantry staples to help you achieve that goal. She also recommends particular recipes as 'gateway meals' to bring reluctant family members on board with plant-based cooking. Personally, that's not why I picked up her book. My husband and I already cook a lot of vegetarian meals and very rarely eat red meat, so I was primarily looking for more healthy, vegetarian meal ideas. It turns out, that's a great reason to pick up this cookbook!
The first thing I always notice in a cookbook are the pictures. In this book, there are full-page pictures for about 1 in 3 recipes. Ideally, I'd like a picture for every recipe, but many of these recipes were straightforward enough that I felt like I knew what I was getting even without a picture. The organization by category makes a lot of sense. Most recipes called for only a handful of ingredients and all three of the recipes I tried were incredibly straightforward. A few called for 'odd' ingredients (by which I mean ingredients I couldn't get at Walmart), but I was easily able to find substitutes (quinoa for amaranth, for example). I have yet to make a dinner from this book, but the list I'm excited about is long - Mexican fried rice nachos, corn cakes with black bean spread, white bean pepper chili. I could go on! And I will try to come back and update once I make these. In the meantime, here are the recipes I did make:
Creamy peach porridge - This was amazing. It was precisely as sweet as I like my breakfast foods to be. The only ingredients were vanilla extract, coconut milk, cinnamon, peaches, maple syrup, and amaranth (that I replaced with quinoa). It could probably be healthier, but not bad given how decadently delicious it was! We'll be making this again this weekend.
Herb fries - Before trying this recipe, I had never found homemade or frozen fries I enjoyed. My husband and I agree that these were by far the best homemade fries we've had. I forgot to add the rosemary and parsley to make them herb fries, but they were perfect. I can't wait to make them again and add these herbs or cover them in Parmesan or garlic or maybe truffle oil for a treat. They'd be the perfect base for any seasonings you might want to try.
Honey peppermint cups - Another recipe that blew me away! Really just honey, dark chocolate, and peppermint extract. My husband loved these just as much as I did and he's not a huge fan of mint. I, however, am obsessed with all things mint and chocolate, so if anyone else wants me to review a book that requires me to eat something this delicious, bring it on!
Even not having tried a main meal, I'm completely sold on this book. Everything was easy to make and incredibly delicious, especially given the simplicity of the ingredients. Highly recommend.
This review was originally posted on Doing Dewey
November 8, 2017
I love to cook and obsess over finding new cookbooks to add to the house. Typically, I will check a cookbook out of my local library, make a few recipes and if I like what is on the plate I will purchase the book for myself. However, with One Part Plant, I knew this book had to be a part of my collection after reading just the first few recipes. The author describes how changing the way she ate to plant based helped her recover from severe pain and endometriosis. She does not preach to the reader that they must eat a plant based diet but instead encourages you to experiment and find the foods that make you feel your best while aiming to have one meal a day that is plant based. The way she writes is with humor and kindness and I felt as if she was a friend, applauding me for wanting to do what is best for myself. The photography is beautiful and the recipes are not complicated. The author sprinkles advice throughout the book about how to eat plant based in situations where it may be difficult. I am already planning to make several of the recipes including Orange Basil Shot, Crispy Ice Cream Bars, White Bean Pepper Chili and the Tomato and White Bean Panzanella. Ehh who am I kidding I will be making them all!!
March 7, 2017
See my full review at The Emerald City Book Review. I'm not a fan of the term "vegan," which sounds like its adherents come from another planet, nor of defining an eating style based solely on what it doesn't include. So Jessica Murnane's positive, joyous approach to "plant-based" eating appealed to me from the start. Eating should be fun and delicious as well as healthy, she maintains, and her recipes provide a very doable path to achieving that. The basics for cooking novices are provided, with simple but well-thought-out recipes for dishes like Red Lentil Soup and Spicy Broccoli Rice, and introductions to some less familiar ingredients like miso, sumac, and tahini.
For those with more experience, there are also some more complex and interesting recipes to try, like Roasted Carrots with Sprouted Lentil Tabbouleh, Creamy Mushroom Lasagna, and a non-dairy version of Saag Paneer. The dessert section looks particularly scrumptious, with some creative combos like Almond Butter and Blueberry Cookies and Honey Peppermint Cups. All the recipes are gluten-free, but nuts are used plentifully.
Along the way, Jessica shares her own journey from subsisting primarily on candy and diet soda (and having some serious health problems) to being a "wellness ambassador" who wants to encourage everyone just to try eating at least one plant-based meal per day. She provides information on the health benefits that may be experienced from taking such a step, and also on such topics as eating plant-based in social situations or in restaurants. You can easily skip these portions, if you just want to cook, or you can sample them at will according to your areas of interest.
Her engaging and nonjudgmental style makes her easy to relate to, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Beautifully produced and photographed, this is a book that goes all out to tempt you to sample the joys of plant-based eating, and I expect it will succeed with many readers.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this delicious book. See the tour page for more reviews and information, and learn more at the HarperCollins book page.
For those with more experience, there are also some more complex and interesting recipes to try, like Roasted Carrots with Sprouted Lentil Tabbouleh, Creamy Mushroom Lasagna, and a non-dairy version of Saag Paneer. The dessert section looks particularly scrumptious, with some creative combos like Almond Butter and Blueberry Cookies and Honey Peppermint Cups. All the recipes are gluten-free, but nuts are used plentifully.
Along the way, Jessica shares her own journey from subsisting primarily on candy and diet soda (and having some serious health problems) to being a "wellness ambassador" who wants to encourage everyone just to try eating at least one plant-based meal per day. She provides information on the health benefits that may be experienced from taking such a step, and also on such topics as eating plant-based in social situations or in restaurants. You can easily skip these portions, if you just want to cook, or you can sample them at will according to your areas of interest.
Her engaging and nonjudgmental style makes her easy to relate to, and her enthusiasm is infectious. Beautifully produced and photographed, this is a book that goes all out to tempt you to sample the joys of plant-based eating, and I expect it will succeed with many readers.
Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to review this delicious book. See the tour page for more reviews and information, and learn more at the HarperCollins book page.
June 5, 2017
I love the format of this cookbook. One page recipe, facing page beautiful photo. Murnane hopped into healthier eating because she has endometriosis. She has found that adding plant-based meals to her diet has improved her overall health. This works for anyone!
I love that the ingredients do not include sugar. She uses sweeteners like dates and maple syrup. This a good cookbook for anyone trying to add more plants their diets.
In case you are wondering about the fewer stars, there are quite a few grain recipes included, which are not good for me. Therefore, check this one out for yourself!
I love that the ingredients do not include sugar. She uses sweeteners like dates and maple syrup. This a good cookbook for anyone trying to add more plants their diets.
In case you are wondering about the fewer stars, there are quite a few grain recipes included, which are not good for me. Therefore, check this one out for yourself!
July 4, 2018
I liked this one more than I thought I would at first glance! The recipes are really simple, quick and easy, and a lot of them are things that I wouldn't normally be interested in, but something about the combination of the way they're photographed and the way they're described has won me over. And I like Murnane's outlook--I think we'd get along just fine! Although her references are super old! Down with OPP? Sisterhood of the Traveling Plants? Uhhhh....
Anyway, I might not rush out to buy a copy of this, but there are several things that I'd like to attempt, and we'll see how it goes from there.
Anyway, I might not rush out to buy a copy of this, but there are several things that I'd like to attempt, and we'll see how it goes from there.
Read
January 25, 2022So this book is a wonderful companion for people who find they need to make some major dietary overhauls and are not thrilled about it. She’s super easygoing and personable and, like some vegans, she’s chill about it. And I love the idea of one part plant. It’s doable.
I enjoyed a few of the recipes and saved a few more. Honestly for me, I just know I won’t go to the trouble for most of these recipes- either because of ingredients or prep or both. But I do love having some good healthy options in the rotation. Might revisit when I’m not cooking for a 17yo boy and I have empty nest time on my hands.
I enjoyed a few of the recipes and saved a few more. Honestly for me, I just know I won’t go to the trouble for most of these recipes- either because of ingredients or prep or both. But I do love having some good healthy options in the rotation. Might revisit when I’m not cooking for a 17yo boy and I have empty nest time on my hands.
January 6, 2022
A basic cookbook, would be good for someone who isn’t sure where to start with healthy cooking.
As someone who cooks often, I already have a repertoire for things like roast carrots or brussel sprouts. I was hoping for inspiration but as I said, it’s a pretty basic cookbook.
It is well laid out and recipes would be easy to follow.
As someone who cooks often, I already have a repertoire for things like roast carrots or brussel sprouts. I was hoping for inspiration but as I said, it’s a pretty basic cookbook.
It is well laid out and recipes would be easy to follow.
February 23, 2017
I'm a lucky Goodreads winner of ARC of this amazing cookbook, well it really is a unique way to start eating "one part plant" every day, even every meal can include OPP. I enjoyed the author's real view of food and can't wait to try some of these delicious plant recipes
March 3, 2018
Great book for those who have endometriosis (and those that don't as well). As someone who does not have internal distress do to gluten or eggs, I was glad to see that there was a real accepting of those who don't and no judgement. I will be trying these recipes in the near future.
January 13, 2019
I really liked this book. The author was down to earth. The recipes were very accessible, with nothing too fancy or exotic. I love them all and am planning on trying many of them. I may have to buy this one.
March 26, 2017
Great cookbook!
October 10, 2017
The recipes look amazing. Sadly I’m just not into veggies enough yet to try most. Will try a few though!! I like just making one meal a day vegan. I can do that!
January 2, 2018
a good refresher
February 29, 2020
Such a fun plant based cook book! I love the grace she gives to get into the lifestyle with trying 1 meal a day! The recipes have ingredients I am familiar with and are easy to follow!
March 30, 2023
Recipes in this book are very basic, only a few inspired.
My favorite: the Baklava-ish Toast
My favorite: the Baklava-ish Toast
March 9, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
February 23, 2017
"One Part Plant (OPP) is an eating philosophy; it means at least one meal a day is made up of real, whole, plant-based foods." (1)
One Part Plant by Jessica Murname is a cookbook devoted to sharing about the One Part Plant philosophy and what options there are. If you've read some of my food or nutrition based book reviews, you know I'm always intrigued by the idea of healthy eating, especially eating that minimizes inflammation. Many illnesses or physical issues derive from inflammation. The more we can naturally avoid or tone down the inflammation, the more we'll feel better. So when One Part Plant came out, I had to try it.
I love the early chapters of understanding where the author is coming from and what basics we need to know. There's also a chapter devoted to pantry essentials that will be a great staple for preparing recipes in this book. If you're a vegetarian or have checked out diet plans such as Trim Healthy Mama, you would most likely have most, if not all the ingredients. And in all honestly, none of these ingredients are rare or hard to find. You'll be able to find them at your local grocery supermarket. The only one I've had a problem in the past was the nutritional yeast, but now I've seen them at my local Safeway.
Prior to this book, I'd say at least 3 days a week, and at least one meal of those 3 days, I'm already partaking the plant-based only meal. So it really wasn't difficult for me to try these recipes. I find all the recipes easy to prepare and the ingredients simple. The directions are to the point, and I do like the little personal blurb about the recipe at the start. One thing I must note is that I find the font size a tad bit too small. For someone who has no trouble reading, the tiny fonts was giving me a headache! I did not try all the recipes, but just a couple to see how well it works. It's quite simple and none of the recipes was mind-blowing, but basic enough to become a staple go-to. The "Easy Red Curry Veggie Bowl" was yummy! In all, I think this would be a great cookbook to have on hand. I'm looking forward to trying all of these recipes!
This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
One Part Plant by Jessica Murname is a cookbook devoted to sharing about the One Part Plant philosophy and what options there are. If you've read some of my food or nutrition based book reviews, you know I'm always intrigued by the idea of healthy eating, especially eating that minimizes inflammation. Many illnesses or physical issues derive from inflammation. The more we can naturally avoid or tone down the inflammation, the more we'll feel better. So when One Part Plant came out, I had to try it.
I love the early chapters of understanding where the author is coming from and what basics we need to know. There's also a chapter devoted to pantry essentials that will be a great staple for preparing recipes in this book. If you're a vegetarian or have checked out diet plans such as Trim Healthy Mama, you would most likely have most, if not all the ingredients. And in all honestly, none of these ingredients are rare or hard to find. You'll be able to find them at your local grocery supermarket. The only one I've had a problem in the past was the nutritional yeast, but now I've seen them at my local Safeway.
Prior to this book, I'd say at least 3 days a week, and at least one meal of those 3 days, I'm already partaking the plant-based only meal. So it really wasn't difficult for me to try these recipes. I find all the recipes easy to prepare and the ingredients simple. The directions are to the point, and I do like the little personal blurb about the recipe at the start. One thing I must note is that I find the font size a tad bit too small. For someone who has no trouble reading, the tiny fonts was giving me a headache! I did not try all the recipes, but just a couple to see how well it works. It's quite simple and none of the recipes was mind-blowing, but basic enough to become a staple go-to. The "Easy Red Curry Veggie Bowl" was yummy! In all, I think this would be a great cookbook to have on hand. I'm looking forward to trying all of these recipes!
This review first appeared on Just Commonly blog.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.
February 27, 2017
When was the last time you read a “cookbook” front to back cover? I can say never, until now! I loved this book – the author’s approach and style, insightful reflections, stories, recipes, guest chef recipes, tips and photos – all great. The information and recipes are very good and practical for those who already eat healthy but also for those who would like to start making some small changes. As someone who has moved toward a more vegetarian lifestyle over the past several years for health reasons (lactose and gluten intolerance), I’m always looking for new and simple recipes to add to my menu. Additionally, I’ll take any and all tips to help me enjoy my food journey as I miss sprinkling cheese on everything!
March 1, 2017
This book is beautifully put-together. It has great, motivational information about adding plant-based foods to your diet. The recipes are straightforward and accessible to a home cook. I've already made some nice salads and look forward to trying some of the other food. The photos are lovely, my only thought is that I wish there was a photo for each recipe. Altogether a great book and I'm glad to have received a review copy.
October 9, 2017
I just got this book today and stared reading it immediately. I do try to ear lots of plant-based meals and much of the information I already know. But there is some new stuff, too, and it's presented in a very clear and readable style. The recipes are really interesting and look delicious. I have picked out quite a few to try after just one skim-through. I look forward to trying a bunch of them. Thanks to Goodreads for this copy!
February 23, 2017
Book received through Goodreads Giveaways.
While I'm not Vegetarian, I am looking for some new recipes that will work on the new fairly strict diet my doctor has me on. I will definitely be trying out a few recipes in the book. There are some however that I would never be a fan of, way too much coconut. It definitely has some good ideas in it.
While I'm not Vegetarian, I am looking for some new recipes that will work on the new fairly strict diet my doctor has me on. I will definitely be trying out a few recipes in the book. There are some however that I would never be a fan of, way too much coconut. It definitely has some good ideas in it.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews