Today I’m back with a very different kind of post this morning! This is something that I’ve been meaning to do for quite sometime.. so what better time to kickstart a new blog series than at the start of the new year!I’ve gradually accumulated a rather nice little collection of cookbooks over the years and they’re pretty much the only kinds of books that I read. I don’t actually use cookbooks to follow recipes as such, but I find them a great way to gather inspiration and I just love looking through all of the beautiful images and recipes. Everyone cooks differently and it’s always so interesting to see all of these creative flares in action.
This cook book is actually the most recent addition to my collection and was a Christmas present from my boyfriend. For the first time ever, he’s taking part in Veganuary and I’m currently trying out vegetarianism to ease myself into a more plant based way of eating, so he thought that this would be great for some veggie inspiration for the following month.. and year to come. As you’ve probably gathered from the title, the book is called ’15 Minute Vegan’ and is written by Katy Beskow- you can check out her site www.littlemissmeatfree.com here. Seeing as this is my first ever cookbook review, I wanted think a little bit about how I wanted to lay out the post. I want to make this easy for you guys to read and find all of the key information that you’re after with ease. I love reading these kinds of posts and find them really helpful when I’m mulling over a cookbook purchase because there are so many out there, so I always like to hear other people’s thoughts and feedback.
So, who’s this book suited to?
All of the recipes in the book are completely plant based, but I think the wonderful thing about it, is that it would appeal to everyone, even if you’re not vegan or veggie. The meals are really quick and easy to make (hence the title) and there’s lots of comforting classics that would be great for kids and family meals as well. I feel like it’s a great way to introduce more people to plant based meals, by giving lots of classic meals like pastas and waffles a little twist! It also has a really nice balance between healthy and indulgent; there’s pretty much something for everyone whether you fancy a fresh green salad or heart Mac n’ cheese. If you’re looking to try out more plant based dishes and even start cooking them for your family, then I think that this book would be great for that! There’s such a wonderful selection of recipes and I think for most of them, people probably wouldn’t even guess that they’re vegan!
Recipe Skill Level
This is something that I think is pretty important to touch on when chatting all things cookbooks for example: if you’re knew to cooking and don’t really have lots of time to spare in the kitchen, you’re probably not going to want a book containing lots of complex and intricate baking recipes! Again, this book is pretty much ideal for any time of cook as the recipes are really simple and easy to follow, as well as being super speedy to knock up as well. It pretty much is exactly what it says on the cover ‘fast, modern vegan cooking’. I think this is what creates such an appeal to an audience because we’re all so busy and want food that’s quick and convenient.. and this way, you can still enjoy lots of great home cooked dishes with whole food ingredients.
Imagery
I would be lying if I didn’t say that the imagery in a cookbook definitely factors into the books that I purchase. Being a food blogger and self taught foodie photographer, I love looking through books and magazines at all of the delicious food imagery and I think that recipes with an amazing image definitely jump out at me a lot more than just a written recipe. This book does indeed have some absolutely gorgeous imagery that is right up my street and makes the food look mouthwatering. There’s lots of vibrant and colourful veggies and I feel that the photographs really help to highlight juts how tasty plant based food can be. The only thing that I would say, is that I would have liked for all of the recipes to have accompanying images.. but that’s just my preference.
Recipes to try!
I’ve been recently trying out a few of the recipes from the book and have loved all of them so far! There’s also SO many more that I am yet to make which I shall definitely be bookmarking for the future. One of my favourites has been the lemon and almond pesto; it’s such a simple, yet delicious recipe and is great to have on hand ready to add to salads, pasta, roasted veggies or even on toast. It takes a few minutes to throw everything into a food processor, blend it all up and voila! I’ve also tried the waffle recipe, which produces really tasty, crisp waffles that I’m pretty sure everyone would love!
Overall, I’ve been really impressed with the book and the recipes that I’ve tried so far have all been great! I think that it’s a great way to introduce people to a plant based way of cooking and there’s definitely recipes in there to suit the whole family. Everything is quick, simple and there’s lots of indulgent comfort foods in there too, so you’ll never feel deprived or like you’re missing out! This really aligns with my whole philosophy when it comes to food; we should never feel deprived or like we’re not able to enjoy any of our favourite things. I focus on eating foods that nourish my body and those that I thoroughly enjoy!
