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Love Real Food: More Than 100 Feel-Good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Food & Cookbooks (2017)Learn to eat well with more than 100 approachable and delicious meatless recipes designed for everyone—vegetarians, vegans, and meat-eaters alike—with substitutions to make meals special diet–friendly (gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free) whenever possible.
The path to a healthy body and happy belly is paved with real food—fresh, wholesome, sustainable food—and it doesn’t need to be so difficult. No one knows this more than Kathryne Taylor of America’s most popular vegetarian food blog, Cookie + Kate.
With brand-new, creative recipes, Taylor inspires you to step into the kitchen and cook wholesome plant-based meals, again and again. She’ll change your mind about kale and quinoa, and show you how to make the best granola you’ve ever tasted. You’ll find make-your-own instant oatmeal mix and fluffy, naturally sweetened, whole-grain blueberry muffins; hearty green salads and warming soups; pineapple pico de gallo; healthier homemade pizzas; and even a few favorites from the blog. Of course, Love Real Food wouldn’t be complete without plenty of stories starring Taylor’s veggie-obsessed, rescue dog sous-chef, Cookie! Taylor celebrates whole foods by encouraging you not just to “eat this,” but to eat like this. Take it from her readers: you’ll love how you feel.
The path to a healthy body and happy belly is paved with real food—fresh, wholesome, sustainable food—and it doesn’t need to be so difficult. No one knows this more than Kathryne Taylor of America’s most popular vegetarian food blog, Cookie + Kate.
With brand-new, creative recipes, Taylor inspires you to step into the kitchen and cook wholesome plant-based meals, again and again. She’ll change your mind about kale and quinoa, and show you how to make the best granola you’ve ever tasted. You’ll find make-your-own instant oatmeal mix and fluffy, naturally sweetened, whole-grain blueberry muffins; hearty green salads and warming soups; pineapple pico de gallo; healthier homemade pizzas; and even a few favorites from the blog. Of course, Love Real Food wouldn’t be complete without plenty of stories starring Taylor’s veggie-obsessed, rescue dog sous-chef, Cookie! Taylor celebrates whole foods by encouraging you not just to “eat this,” but to eat like this. Take it from her readers: you’ll love how you feel.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 2017
984 people are currently reading
5399 people want to read
About the author
Kathryne Taylor
2 books19 followersYou should know that I’m totally obsessed with food. I daydream about new recipes. I devour cookbooks (I even wrote my own). I read up on food policy and nutrition. I love photographing food and hope my photos inspire you to step into the kitchen to cook a delicious, healthy meal.
Above all, I love eating food, especially while in the presence of good company. Good food in good company—does it get any better than that?
Above all, I love eating food, especially while in the presence of good company. Good food in good company—does it get any better than that?
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
March 6, 2018
Love Real Food: More Than 100 Feel-Good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body by Kathryne Taylor is a 2017 Rodale Books publication.
This vegetarian cookbook has an eye-catching cover which encouraged me to take a look inside. I love vegetables and even as a kid growing up in the deep south, where meat and potatoes was the staple at most dinner tables, I was never a big fan of the meat. However, I ate double helpings of nearly all the vegetables most other kids vehemently refused to try.
My husband, on the other hand, embraced the meat and potatoes diet, which has remained hardwired in his brain all these years. There is no way on earth I will ever get him to embrace a strict vegetarian diet. However, as we have gotten older, and are enjoying having our own vegetable garden, I am slowly convincing my husband to significantly lower his consumption of meat. He loves to cook and so I’m doing my part by introducing him to more whole food recipes and more creative ways to have a hearty meal, that is as tasty as it is healthy.
This cookbook gave me some fantastic ideas and I was happy to see so many zesty, tangy, spicy recipes all included in one book. Since we live a in a very small town, with only two supermarkets, I am often frustrated by recipe books which feature difficult to find ingredients. There were only a handful of recipes that called for items I knew I couldn’t find locally. However, the author always included a variety of ways to mix the recipes up, which will also help keep basic recipes fresh and inviting.
This book has a fantastic selection of breakfast ideas, as well as a section to satisfy that sweet tooth. Drinks, salads, dressings, soups are included as well, but there are also a few ‘heavier’ meal ideas as well. I found the cookbook to be well organized with bright color photos and easy to follow instructions.
Occasionally, a recipe will require a longer prep time, but for the most part all these recipes are easy to make and puts a fresh spin on the usual preparation of vegetables, and the use of fruits, adding inventive ways to include whole foods to your diet.
So far, I have made one of the salad dressings and one of the pasta dishes which was fantastic!! My husband enjoyed it as well, and he didn’t even miss the meat!!
4.5 stars
This vegetarian cookbook has an eye-catching cover which encouraged me to take a look inside. I love vegetables and even as a kid growing up in the deep south, where meat and potatoes was the staple at most dinner tables, I was never a big fan of the meat. However, I ate double helpings of nearly all the vegetables most other kids vehemently refused to try.
My husband, on the other hand, embraced the meat and potatoes diet, which has remained hardwired in his brain all these years. There is no way on earth I will ever get him to embrace a strict vegetarian diet. However, as we have gotten older, and are enjoying having our own vegetable garden, I am slowly convincing my husband to significantly lower his consumption of meat. He loves to cook and so I’m doing my part by introducing him to more whole food recipes and more creative ways to have a hearty meal, that is as tasty as it is healthy.
This cookbook gave me some fantastic ideas and I was happy to see so many zesty, tangy, spicy recipes all included in one book. Since we live a in a very small town, with only two supermarkets, I am often frustrated by recipe books which feature difficult to find ingredients. There were only a handful of recipes that called for items I knew I couldn’t find locally. However, the author always included a variety of ways to mix the recipes up, which will also help keep basic recipes fresh and inviting.
This book has a fantastic selection of breakfast ideas, as well as a section to satisfy that sweet tooth. Drinks, salads, dressings, soups are included as well, but there are also a few ‘heavier’ meal ideas as well. I found the cookbook to be well organized with bright color photos and easy to follow instructions.
Occasionally, a recipe will require a longer prep time, but for the most part all these recipes are easy to make and puts a fresh spin on the usual preparation of vegetables, and the use of fruits, adding inventive ways to include whole foods to your diet.
So far, I have made one of the salad dressings and one of the pasta dishes which was fantastic!! My husband enjoyed it as well, and he didn’t even miss the meat!!
4.5 stars
September 6, 2017
I read many cookbooks, but review few. This one though I find wonderful. Not a full time vegetarian,though we do eat meatless, or try to for four days of the week. Picked this one up after my boss at work racing about it, and have since made a few of the recipes. For instance, yesterday I made the roasted cauliflower and kale with toasted almonds, pasta. It was fantastic, even hubby liked it as did my daughter and her friend. Next I want to make the couscous stuffed sweet potatoes, which also sounds great. Wonderful photos, easy and clear instructions. So much to make, snacks, drinks, salads, desserts, and sides.
November 28, 2017
I love her blog and I love this book! I've already made four recipes from it and they were all great. I love that her vegetarian recipes (aka all of them) have so much flavour and variety, while still being simple and really manageable.
January 28, 2022
My favorite vegetarian cookbook hands down. I've used this for a couple years now, and I can't think of a single recipe that has disappointed. The homemade enchilada sauce has actually been life changing.
May 20, 2021
Not only does this teach me how to eat vegetables, it has also inspired me on what I should grow in a garden. And every recipe has been AMAZING! Especially the Tikka masala
May 22, 2022
Considering I already made the first two recipes before even finishing the book, that’s a good sign!
August 11, 2023
I get to count cookbooks if there are lots of words in them (not just pictures) and I read them cover to cover.
April 19, 2019
This is a cookbook by my favorite food blogger, known on the web as "Cookie and Kate". The book is full of beautiful photos and recipes of delicious, easy-t0-make healthy meals made with fresh ingredients. Most of my go-to recipes have come from Kate, including the best lentil soup ever, steel-cut oatmeal with coconut/almond milk, and sweet potato/kale/quinoa salad to die for. If you are looking for fun new recipes for delicious "clean" food, I highly recommend this book.
Read
June 4, 2018Camila and I are cooking our way through this. It was meant to be (we have a dog named Cookie, too)!
May 23, 2017
Last Wednesday evening I while running out to quickly dump the compost in the green bin I found a small-ish parcel on the front step. In it was a cookbook I've been waiting to try: Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor. So now it's Monday evening and in that less-than-a-week span we've enjoyed so many recipes! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, sweets -- so many "keeper" recipes (as my friend puts it when she finds recipes so good that she "keeps"making them again and again). Normally the turnaround time from when I first receive a cookbook to when the review is finally posted can take a couple weeks or more. In the case of Love Real Food -- less than a week.
For those of you unfamiliar with Kathryne Taylor she is the creator of the very popular blog Cookie & Kate. She started her whole foods, vegetarian blog back in 2010 and the "cookie" in her title refers to her best (four-legged) friend Cookie. The premise behind her blog is simple -- eat food that you prepare yourself and limit consumption of processed foods. Like many health food bloggers she started her blog because she linked how she felt (awful) to what she ate (processed foods like 100-calorie snack packs) and decided to change that. If she wants to feel good she nourishes herself with home-cooked meals. She's truly a person after my own heart because her food philosophies (like my own) are heavily influenced by food activist Michael Pollan, a person whom I really admire. She opens her introduction with a quote of his: Eat food. Not too much. From there she explains how her book can be used. Her Introduction is full of practical information with sections focusing on How to Read a Nutrition Label, Vegetarianism, favourite ingredients, and Whole Foods Guidelines just to list a few (she even has a section devoted to "Dogs and Food"). She is quite passionate about enjoying and celebrating fresh, nourishing food. So if you're new to whole foods (or even new to cooking) or if you're just looking to add new recipes to your repertoire, Love Real Foods is a great place to start.
You're probably wondering what I made in the past five days (and how I did it). So far I’ve made: Mango Lassi Smoothie Bowl w/ Toasted Coconut Muesli, Fluffy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes, Apple Green Smoothie, Simple Honey Scones, Classic Tomato Soup, Fresh Sesame Soba Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Dipping Sauce, Colorful Weeknight Burrito Bowl, Quick Guacamole, Sweet Potato, Poblano, & Black Bean Enchiladas, Easiest Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough & Red Sauce, Strawberry Balsamic Sauce, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. One of the things I noticed about the ingredients Taylor uses is that there are no "fancy" ingredients. One of the reasons why I was able to get cooking so quickly is that I could turn to my fridge and pantry and just cook. (The whole truth of it is that I am mid-cycle in my grocery shopping so I have a good, working amount of ingredients). The first section I normally start with are breakfasts, which are usually low in ingredients and quick to make. Her Fluffy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes were really amazing! Served with fresh fruit, these cinnamon-infused pancakes were really fluffy and moist. What I first noticed with this recipe (and then realized that this feature appears in all the recipes) is that there is a section at the bottom of the page with instructions on how to adapt the recipe to suit almost any dietary need. Even though the cookbook is vegetarian she totally accounts for those with gluten-free or vegan diets. She even notes how these adaptations may alter the taste/texture (never in a bad way but it’s great to know what to expect). Recipe testing for each recipe is time-consuming and costly so the fact that these other options/adaptations appear is such a bonus (especially if you're used to trying to figure out how to change recipes to fit your gf or vegan diet yourself).
Anyone who knows me will know that nothing comes between me and pizza. Nothing. But in all honesty, I'm very devoted to the Nancy Silverton method of making pizza dough so trying a new pizza dough recipe -- especially one made entirely out of white whole wheat flour -- didn't appeal to me in the least. But Taylor's pizza pictures looked so appetizing and I loved how she photo-illustrated the pizza dough making process in a four-square that I decided to get over myself and try it (the other thing that appealed to me what that this is a no-rise recipe meaning that as soon as you're done mixing the dough you can roll it out and bake it, whereas Silverton's method can take hours). If you're used to rise-time it feels strange without it. What I noticed is that the texture of the dough was way drier so I didn't really need to flour the peel. As with all of the recipes I've tried, the size and amount was perfect -- from one batch of dough I was able to make two, 11" pizzas just like the recipe said (how many times do you make a recipe to find that the size and amount differ?). I didn't make either of her pizza recipes however I did use her recipe for Red Sauce (Marinara) and it was excellent! No more store-bought pizza sauce here anymore! The crust was crispier than the pizzas I normally make but it wasn't dry or hard -- it almost had a flakey, pastry-like quality to it. While it baked, the whole wheat gave off such a wonderfully nutty-aroma. To the delight of my 3 year old the crust had beautiful, dough bubbles (her raison d'etre). My husband and I found this whole wheat crust more filling, so much so that we saved the entire second pizza (which tasted great the second day after being re-heated in the oven)! Here is a good illustration of her comment from the intro: Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. While I love my all-purpose or bread flour pizza crusts, after trying a whole wheat version I noticed that my go-to crusts leave me with a bloat-y feeling (although this could be accounted for by the fact we way over-eat pizza! Reminding myself here to eat food. Not too much!)
There are many things to love and appreciate about this cookbook but what I really valued is that she used practical ingredients for recipes that anyone could enjoy. I found that these recipes really fit into my daily cooking routines and all of the recipes were totally enjoyed by my husband and daughter, who are at times my toughest food critics. (As my husband kindly listened to me read out this review he kept saying "Did you talk about the Enchiladas? I really think you should..." -- not hard to tell what his favourite meal was!)
(This is an excerpt from a review on www.shipshapeeatworthy.wordpress.com)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rodale Wellness for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
For those of you unfamiliar with Kathryne Taylor she is the creator of the very popular blog Cookie & Kate. She started her whole foods, vegetarian blog back in 2010 and the "cookie" in her title refers to her best (four-legged) friend Cookie. The premise behind her blog is simple -- eat food that you prepare yourself and limit consumption of processed foods. Like many health food bloggers she started her blog because she linked how she felt (awful) to what she ate (processed foods like 100-calorie snack packs) and decided to change that. If she wants to feel good she nourishes herself with home-cooked meals. She's truly a person after my own heart because her food philosophies (like my own) are heavily influenced by food activist Michael Pollan, a person whom I really admire. She opens her introduction with a quote of his: Eat food. Not too much. From there she explains how her book can be used. Her Introduction is full of practical information with sections focusing on How to Read a Nutrition Label, Vegetarianism, favourite ingredients, and Whole Foods Guidelines just to list a few (she even has a section devoted to "Dogs and Food"). She is quite passionate about enjoying and celebrating fresh, nourishing food. So if you're new to whole foods (or even new to cooking) or if you're just looking to add new recipes to your repertoire, Love Real Foods is a great place to start.
You're probably wondering what I made in the past five days (and how I did it). So far I’ve made: Mango Lassi Smoothie Bowl w/ Toasted Coconut Muesli, Fluffy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes, Apple Green Smoothie, Simple Honey Scones, Classic Tomato Soup, Fresh Sesame Soba Spring Rolls w/ Peanut Dipping Sauce, Colorful Weeknight Burrito Bowl, Quick Guacamole, Sweet Potato, Poblano, & Black Bean Enchiladas, Easiest Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough & Red Sauce, Strawberry Balsamic Sauce, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies. One of the things I noticed about the ingredients Taylor uses is that there are no "fancy" ingredients. One of the reasons why I was able to get cooking so quickly is that I could turn to my fridge and pantry and just cook. (The whole truth of it is that I am mid-cycle in my grocery shopping so I have a good, working amount of ingredients). The first section I normally start with are breakfasts, which are usually low in ingredients and quick to make. Her Fluffy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes were really amazing! Served with fresh fruit, these cinnamon-infused pancakes were really fluffy and moist. What I first noticed with this recipe (and then realized that this feature appears in all the recipes) is that there is a section at the bottom of the page with instructions on how to adapt the recipe to suit almost any dietary need. Even though the cookbook is vegetarian she totally accounts for those with gluten-free or vegan diets. She even notes how these adaptations may alter the taste/texture (never in a bad way but it’s great to know what to expect). Recipe testing for each recipe is time-consuming and costly so the fact that these other options/adaptations appear is such a bonus (especially if you're used to trying to figure out how to change recipes to fit your gf or vegan diet yourself).
Anyone who knows me will know that nothing comes between me and pizza. Nothing. But in all honesty, I'm very devoted to the Nancy Silverton method of making pizza dough so trying a new pizza dough recipe -- especially one made entirely out of white whole wheat flour -- didn't appeal to me in the least. But Taylor's pizza pictures looked so appetizing and I loved how she photo-illustrated the pizza dough making process in a four-square that I decided to get over myself and try it (the other thing that appealed to me what that this is a no-rise recipe meaning that as soon as you're done mixing the dough you can roll it out and bake it, whereas Silverton's method can take hours). If you're used to rise-time it feels strange without it. What I noticed is that the texture of the dough was way drier so I didn't really need to flour the peel. As with all of the recipes I've tried, the size and amount was perfect -- from one batch of dough I was able to make two, 11" pizzas just like the recipe said (how many times do you make a recipe to find that the size and amount differ?). I didn't make either of her pizza recipes however I did use her recipe for Red Sauce (Marinara) and it was excellent! No more store-bought pizza sauce here anymore! The crust was crispier than the pizzas I normally make but it wasn't dry or hard -- it almost had a flakey, pastry-like quality to it. While it baked, the whole wheat gave off such a wonderfully nutty-aroma. To the delight of my 3 year old the crust had beautiful, dough bubbles (her raison d'etre). My husband and I found this whole wheat crust more filling, so much so that we saved the entire second pizza (which tasted great the second day after being re-heated in the oven)! Here is a good illustration of her comment from the intro: Pay attention to how different foods make you feel. While I love my all-purpose or bread flour pizza crusts, after trying a whole wheat version I noticed that my go-to crusts leave me with a bloat-y feeling (although this could be accounted for by the fact we way over-eat pizza! Reminding myself here to eat food. Not too much!)
There are many things to love and appreciate about this cookbook but what I really valued is that she used practical ingredients for recipes that anyone could enjoy. I found that these recipes really fit into my daily cooking routines and all of the recipes were totally enjoyed by my husband and daughter, who are at times my toughest food critics. (As my husband kindly listened to me read out this review he kept saying "Did you talk about the Enchiladas? I really think you should..." -- not hard to tell what his favourite meal was!)
(This is an excerpt from a review on www.shipshapeeatworthy.wordpress.com)
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rodale Wellness for providing me with a free, review copy of this book. I did not receive monetary compensation for my post, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
May 24, 2017
The same kind of amazing, delicious and easy to make recipes you'd expect from Taylor, if you've previously read her blog.
Great vegetarian recipes, with tips on how to make them vegan or gluten-free if you need to. An excellent addition to the canon of vegetarian cookbooks.
Great vegetarian recipes, with tips on how to make them vegan or gluten-free if you need to. An excellent addition to the canon of vegetarian cookbooks.
June 24, 2017
I've never been so excited to eat salads! Love this cookbook; it is already a favorite in our house!
December 15, 2019
OMG I want to stop everything I'm doing and cook through this book one recipe at a time. Wow.
February 11, 2020
Everything out of this cookbook has been divine. Easy, approachable, delicious.
February 17, 2020
Haven't made all the recipes in here yet, but have enjoyed every single one we've tried so far.
February 19, 2020
my favourite thing about this book is the recipes where they dont even bother printing a picture of the actual food and just put a picture of cookie the dog in instead. absolutely outstanding
January 2, 2021
This is an excellent cookbook. I’m going to re-read it before I have to return it because there are quite a few great veggie recipes I’d like to make note of. I’m eager to try the recipes and tips!
January 12, 2021
Technically, I'm not sure I "read" this book until I try out many more recipes. Nice gift from Laura and Gabe, who Cook Real Food and obviously Love Real Food
December 3, 2022
I am the person that really enjoys reading a cookbook from cover to cover. The layout of the recipes and the tips are easy to follow. As someone who wants to have veggies as the main focus in my meals, I can’t wait to dive into this recipes.
Her puppy makes the pictures so fun as well!
Her puppy makes the pictures so fun as well!
May 26, 2019
Love this cookbook. There are quite a few recipes I want to try. I made the Hibiscus Lemonade and it was a hit. Will be making more from it.
February 15, 2021
Pretty much 75% of our weekly meals come from Kate! She is the best, and this book has a lot of variety.
January 2, 2024
I like Cookie and Kate a lot! Several of her recipes are in my regular rotation, and I've come to trust her take on foods I want to make. I appreciate her emphasis on whole foods and her vegetarian approach.
August 16, 2017
Five solid stars for this one! The recipes are laid out beautifully--with gorgeous pictures of the food (and her adorable dog!) on nearly every other page. Plant-based, whole food, vegetarian eating shines and of the five recipes I've made so far, I have zero complaints. She also lists where you can make a recipe vegan, egg- or dairy-free if you so choose. I love the flexibility!
August 3, 2018
This cookbook has some interesting healthy recipes with real food that is easy to find. The recipes are simple. The pictures are great. nicely put together and some twists on standard recipes and lots of ideas to make healthy, tasty food.
The author notes under each recipe if it is gluten free, dairy free, etc. She also has suggestions to change it to specific dietary needs. However, there is no calorie or nutritional information which would have been helpful.
The author notes under each recipe if it is gluten free, dairy free, etc. She also has suggestions to change it to specific dietary needs. However, there is no calorie or nutritional information which would have been helpful.
October 14, 2019
As an amateur cook who almost never follows a recipe to the letter, because a) she somehow skips essential steps/ingredients when reading a recipe b) she never has all the ingredients at hand because she is bored to take that extra trip to the store, I can proudly say that everything I cooked from this book, works. This is my go-to book when I am craving a salad, a nice breakfast or filling dinner, and don’t want to spend the rest of the day/ night trying to digest what I ate.
I decide which cookbook to buy based on these criteria:
1. The ingredients are easy to find
2. The recipes have simple steps
3. There are no more than 10-20 ingredients per recipe
4. It has a good mix of easy and more complex (but not too complex!) recipes
Love Real Food ticked all my boxes and even more. Her recipes are easy to follow, don't require crazy ingredients that you will only find in specialized shops, they are rich and they are full of flavour. Becoming vegetarian or just adding more veggies in your daily diet becomes so much easier with this cookbook. With these recipes you are not left craving for meat or protein, as her dishes are enough as they are.
As a bonus, she has a 'change it up' section in some recipes, allowing you to find substitutes for ingredients you do not like or have in hand. I also love the fact that generally she does not propose dishes that are traditionally made with meat, but with substitute vegan proteins. Her meals are veggie and proud. People have been cooking vegetarian/ vegan around the world for so many years; why can't we turn to those recipes instead of just using tofu for easy protein?
My only ‘negative’ comment is that there aren’t more recipes! I personally would prefer that she skipped the section with the drinks/ snacks and had more recipes for dinner, as I found that chapter a bit short. As a point of improvement for her next book, which I am sure it's underway and I can't wait to read it, she needs to include cooking time for each recipe
I decide which cookbook to buy based on these criteria:
1. The ingredients are easy to find
2. The recipes have simple steps
3. There are no more than 10-20 ingredients per recipe
4. It has a good mix of easy and more complex (but not too complex!) recipes
Love Real Food ticked all my boxes and even more. Her recipes are easy to follow, don't require crazy ingredients that you will only find in specialized shops, they are rich and they are full of flavour. Becoming vegetarian or just adding more veggies in your daily diet becomes so much easier with this cookbook. With these recipes you are not left craving for meat or protein, as her dishes are enough as they are.
As a bonus, she has a 'change it up' section in some recipes, allowing you to find substitutes for ingredients you do not like or have in hand. I also love the fact that generally she does not propose dishes that are traditionally made with meat, but with substitute vegan proteins. Her meals are veggie and proud. People have been cooking vegetarian/ vegan around the world for so many years; why can't we turn to those recipes instead of just using tofu for easy protein?
My only ‘negative’ comment is that there aren’t more recipes! I personally would prefer that she skipped the section with the drinks/ snacks and had more recipes for dinner, as I found that chapter a bit short. As a point of improvement for her next book, which I am sure it's underway and I can't wait to read it, she needs to include cooking time for each recipe
December 31, 2019
Wouldn’t be a vegetarian cookbook without the “Green Goddess fill-in-the-blank” recipe... and a tahini caesar.... Nonetheless, really excited to try some of these recipes! Cashew sour cream (will we finally kick the dairy sour cream habit?!) Greek nachos, Brussels sprout and kale hash!
January 4, 2024
Some of my absolute favorite recipes come from this book! I love Kate's creativity in the kitchen, and Cookie's cameos keep me smiling! I also appreciate Kate's notes about certain foods that aren't pet-friendly because, of course, my dog is always right by my feet in the kitchen, helping me cook, too--and vacuuming up anything that hits the floor. He doesn't give me much opportunity, but it helps to know what I immediately do or don't need to pry out of his mouth. Adventures in cooking, indeed! 😂 Thanks, Kate!
I sincerely love this book. The photos are gorgeous, crisp and vivid, and the food is just as impressive. My one caveat is that Kate uses a bunch of coconut-based products in here, and while I have no issues with coconut milk or flour, I detest the texture of shredded coconut, so I'll be amending (or skipping) some of these recipes. Fortunately, Kate offers alternatives to make certain recipes gluten or dairy-free, as needed, and encourages tweaking recipes to meet the reader's personal preferences; the example that comes to mind is substituting maple syrup for honey in order to make a recipe vegan. I really appreciate those notes of hers as well!
Initially, I bought this on Kindle, and it works quite well if you don't mind getting a dash of flour on your screen when turning pages, but when I caught sight of it at my local library, I HAD to check it out to enjoy the full experience! There's just nothing like a beautifully composed book, and this is one that I may just buy for myself and use as much as a coffee table book as a cookbook--it's that beautiful!
If you're looking to create beautiful, delicious, healthy recipes, especially with dietary restrictions, this is an excellent place to start. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and some could be used for any meal in the day!
I'll shout it from the rooftops: I can't recommend this book enough!
I sincerely love this book. The photos are gorgeous, crisp and vivid, and the food is just as impressive. My one caveat is that Kate uses a bunch of coconut-based products in here, and while I have no issues with coconut milk or flour, I detest the texture of shredded coconut, so I'll be amending (or skipping) some of these recipes. Fortunately, Kate offers alternatives to make certain recipes gluten or dairy-free, as needed, and encourages tweaking recipes to meet the reader's personal preferences; the example that comes to mind is substituting maple syrup for honey in order to make a recipe vegan. I really appreciate those notes of hers as well!
Initially, I bought this on Kindle, and it works quite well if you don't mind getting a dash of flour on your screen when turning pages, but when I caught sight of it at my local library, I HAD to check it out to enjoy the full experience! There's just nothing like a beautifully composed book, and this is one that I may just buy for myself and use as much as a coffee table book as a cookbook--it's that beautiful!
If you're looking to create beautiful, delicious, healthy recipes, especially with dietary restrictions, this is an excellent place to start. There are recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and some could be used for any meal in the day!
I'll shout it from the rooftops: I can't recommend this book enough!
January 27, 2021
This vegetarian cookbook is full of veggie-heavy dishes. I especially like the salads and soups. Looking over my notes of cooking various things in it since 2018 (over ten things!), there were a few recipes we didn't love, but I have picked up some new staples. You know, something that's kind of familiar and you're happy to make it again and again. I'd say that most of the recipes have enough familiar elements that I can envision the final product. The photography is gorgeous, which really helps me get excited about making a new food.
The "Colorful Kale, Apple, and Fennel Slaw with Tart Cherries" is one of my new favorites, although instead of the laborious method of wilting the kale by massaging salt into the leaves, it's much quicker to steam it or use frozen. I've taken to leaving out the brussels sprouts and going heavy on the apple and fennel. I also didn't like how long she recommended to roast the kale in "Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Spaghetti"--do people like the bitter burnt flavor? Another one of my favorites is the quinoa-stuffed roast sweet potatoes. They're so good with goat cheese, which my lactose-sensitive husband can eat. Our Italian exchange student and Adam and I loved the "Tuscan white bean, kale, and farro stew" (which I made with barley, because I don't have farro on hand!). Looking through this cookbook, I'm even getting curious to try a recipe that doesn't have a photo next to it!
The "Colorful Kale, Apple, and Fennel Slaw with Tart Cherries" is one of my new favorites, although instead of the laborious method of wilting the kale by massaging salt into the leaves, it's much quicker to steam it or use frozen. I've taken to leaving out the brussels sprouts and going heavy on the apple and fennel. I also didn't like how long she recommended to roast the kale in "Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Spaghetti"--do people like the bitter burnt flavor? Another one of my favorites is the quinoa-stuffed roast sweet potatoes. They're so good with goat cheese, which my lactose-sensitive husband can eat. Our Italian exchange student and Adam and I loved the "Tuscan white bean, kale, and farro stew" (which I made with barley, because I don't have farro on hand!). Looking through this cookbook, I'm even getting curious to try a recipe that doesn't have a photo next to it!
December 28, 2018
Pros: food is delicious, recipes aren’t generally over complicated (nor are they hard boiled egg recipes (looking at you, goop)), great food photos, and it feels ‘healthy’ and fresh. I like that generally all the ingredients are on the page with all the instructions so you’re not flipping back and forth.
Cons: no cook time, no nutritional information and no ‘twists’ which would be nice (eg sub x for y to put a spin on it although some recipes have ‘change it up’ edit: realize these are actually more present than i noticed bc they move around, oops!).
Honestly, I’m debating buying it because the veggie burgers held together the most burger like of any I’ve made (I’ve mad so many kinds!!!) and were delicious. They were time consuming (wish she’d suggested pairing them with a previous recipe to use leftovers) but great. The recipes I’m most drawn to have a lot of sweet potatoes in them but the book itself might not lean that heavily toward them.
This cookbook is perfect for people who love making real food and don’t mind time in the kitchen. It’s still good if you’re a bit crunched for time but you need to be a bit more strategic about what and when you make things. Also, I got this cookbook because I love her oat waffles recipe so much!!! So start there :)
She also has some delicious looking cocktails I can’t wait to try!
Cons: no cook time, no nutritional information and no ‘twists’ which would be nice (eg sub x for y to put a spin on it although some recipes have ‘change it up’ edit: realize these are actually more present than i noticed bc they move around, oops!).
Honestly, I’m debating buying it because the veggie burgers held together the most burger like of any I’ve made (I’ve mad so many kinds!!!) and were delicious. They were time consuming (wish she’d suggested pairing them with a previous recipe to use leftovers) but great. The recipes I’m most drawn to have a lot of sweet potatoes in them but the book itself might not lean that heavily toward them.
This cookbook is perfect for people who love making real food and don’t mind time in the kitchen. It’s still good if you’re a bit crunched for time but you need to be a bit more strategic about what and when you make things. Also, I got this cookbook because I love her oat waffles recipe so much!!! So start there :)
She also has some delicious looking cocktails I can’t wait to try!
July 6, 2017
I've been following Kate's blog, Cookie and Kate, for some time now, and I was pleased to see her first cookbook with a slant towards eating unprocessed food. As a fellow photographer, I appreciate Kate's beautiful photos - all the more adorable to include her sweet dog, Cookie. This is a great book for a starter vegetarian/vegan. Even though it is not a strict vegan cookbook, almost all of the recipes include substitutions for vegan options (as well as options for allergies/food sensitivities etc.) In just a few days, I've made many recipes - some even twice! (Sesame Soba Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce). She has gotten me over my reluctance to use kale (Tahini Kale Caesar Salad) and collard greens, and I can quickly whip up a creamy "sour cream" for Beans and Greens Quesadillas. I was also thrilled to see the recipe for the Spicy Cucumber Margarita inspired by Lucille's on Rainey Street, Austin. This has great recipes for company, but it's also manageable enough for weeknights.
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