Love real Food : More than 100 Feel-Good Vegetarian Favorites to Delight the Senses and Nourish the Body

I happened upon this blog through some other sites I visit often and I saw she was releasing a cookbook. Looked good so I pre-ordered. I didn't stay long on the site but just waited for the book to arrive. Well it did and I've recently vowed to not write a review until I've tried recipes out of the books I'm purchasing. To many times, folks write reviews never sharing the actual recipes and success/failures of actually cooking through a recipe. I'm trying to change that.First, I was blown away by the overall layout and awesome pictures for almost every recipe. Pictures are expensive, so kudos to Kathryne for producing a wonderful book full of what her recipes should look like. I try recipes most often based on pictures so I like lots of pictures. Some other stand outs: Nice intro on how she got interested in whole foods and their importance. And a great explanation of how to use the cookbook. Also, most recipes have a section at the bottom of each sharing how to make it gluten free, dairy free/vegan, egg/nut free and soy free so she's made her recipes very versatile to every kind of eater. Lastly, I appreciate that her ingredient lists use common, basic staples found in supermarkets across America. I haven't come across anything weird, however, if it's slightly unusual she explains where to find or how to substitute for it.Now for the first recipe - Southwestern Roasted Veggie Salad with Chipotle-Balsamic Dressing(pg 64). For starters this recipe will take some time because of the roasted veggies - BUT IT'S WORTH THE TIME --- trust me. I picked a awesome first recipe to try!!!! I did not have red pepper or broccoli. I substituted onions and Brussels sprouts. Roasting took about 30-40 min. Salad: Make sure you roast the pepita (pumpkin seeds) and don't sub these. Also, I wouldn't sub the feta cheese. The combination of these with the dressing it what REALLY makes this salad. Dressing: OMG - this is so very good. Make sure you can get the chipotle in adobo sauce (buy many cans - she uses this in many recipes). It's smoky spicy subtle heat with the hint of sweetness from the maple syrup is perfection. Everything about this salad makes it all work to deliciousness. After I had it for lunch - I made another one to take for lunch. Will make again and again. Can't wait to try the next recipe.UPDATE: 5/26/2017 Banana Pecan Shakes: Who doesn't like shakes for breakfast. I couldn't wait to make this recipe so had it for breakfast instead of dessert. It's very simple to make IF you have a high powered blender i.e. vitamix. (Side Note: every kitchen should have two things - a great food processor and a high powered blender. Invest in these and you won't regret it) My bananas were frozen solid - hence the vitamix and super sweet. Therefore I only use three dates instead of the four called for. Don't forget to roast the pecans and add the scant salt - doing this will really enhance the flavor of the shake. Also, the portion size for this is perfect - about a cup for each serving. Just right for a dessert or in my case breakfast. Can't wait to try this with peanuts and peanut butter.Easiest Honey Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (pg 171): Okay - this is a first for me. I made my own pizza dough and it came together just as Kathryne said. She suggest white whole wheat flour - I used whole wheat flour . It was super easy because the food processor does all the work. Produced two beautiful 12" doughs- I rolled it to about half inch. I can see this being my go to dough and never buying store bought again.Heirloom Tomato Pesto Pizza(pg 167): The pesto recipe for this pizza is delicious. I used fresh basil from my garden. It's easy to put together in the food processor. Once I had the dough rolled, assembling was fairly straight forward. I didn't have heirloom tomatoes but I did use tomatoes grown from my garden :) - And because I LOVE spicy food I added a fresh sliced jalapeño. I think the key to the success of the pizza was cooking it at 500 degrees. The crust was crisp and pizza was cooked through in about 11 min. With the other dough I made a pepperoni pizza for the hubby. He loved it!UPDATE 5/27/2017: Best Ever Guacamole w/ Toasted Pepitas and Chipotle Sauce (pg 111): There are many variations of guacamole out there and your always looking for a way to change it up a bit. Kathryne did just that with this recipe. Her love of pepitas and chipotle are evident again in this recipe and I loved it. This is a basic guacamole recipe with a twist of toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and adobo sauce from the chipotle peppers.Butternut Squash Chipotle Chili (pg 83): Butternut squash is the star in this chili. The onions, bell pepper and black beans take a back seat but really add a nice mouth feel when you take a bite. However, the spices are what make this soup though. I did add one secret ingredient that I thought really brought out the smoky, zing of the "chili" flavor and that was about 2TB of maple syrup. It doesn't make the soup sweet, it just really enhances the flavor all the spice from the adobo and chili powder. Did not make my own chips and of course added the avocado, cilantro and squeeze of lime. Another winner Kathryne!UPDATE 6/3/17: Moroccan Roasted Carrot, Arugula and wild rice salad (pg52): This salad is dynamite!! I sub some things but it really worked: Instead of wild rice, I had left over wheat berries which provided the same chewy texture that the rice would have. I used roasted pumpkin seeds instead of pistachios, feta instead of goat cheese, and dark raisins instead of golden.... all okayed by Kathryne in the recipe. What really makes the recipe pop!!!.... the spice on the carrots (cinnamon and chili powder), the raisins and the dressing!!! It all works together to really make a happy pleasure in your mouth. Since the carrots are the star of this recipe, make sure you buy really high quality organic. I had a pack that was tri-colored that many stores are selling these days. Will make again and again.UPDATE: 7/8/2017 Okay I've owned this book for a little over two month and I'm still loving cooking out of it. I just made the granola this morning and I absolutely love it. I made half by her suggestion and half with my own flair and twists (added coconut and cranberries). Had it on yogurt and right out of the pan. Came together quickly and does get crunchy as it cools... just like Kathryne said. Sending some to a friend.Clearly by all the five star ratings this is a must "whole food" cookbook that anyone should be happy to cook from because the food is so dang delicious and simple to make. Can't wait for book two!

Less than a quarter of the book is dinner recipes. I am looking for ways to add more veggies to my daily life, but I don't consume a lot of snacks, desserts, breakfasts or party drinks, and I don't want to be soaking cashews all the time, so this cookbook won't get much use. Prep time is not listed, so you have to read through the whole recipe to figure out how long it will take. The positives: there are a few recipes I would like to try, and the book is beautiful (lots of colorful photographs).

I am not a vegetarian -- but I absolutely love Kathryne's recipes. Prior to being a blog fan of Cookie and Kate, meat was central to most of my meals and veggies were an after thought. Now, I am happy to report, she was a cornerstone of how I changed my eating habits and vegetables have become a main focus of my meals. Her recipes are thorough and she always provides alternate substitutions to accommodate different diets -- my son is allergic to tree nuts so this is especially helpful. And I know she's tested the alternate recipe -- it's not an afterthought because they work and taste delicious.Looking at her cookbook I see she has provided even more details, including how to make seasonal changes and I love that there's a picture for each recipe. You eat with your eyes first! You'll love this cookbook, visually and as a cook. But if you are still unsure about the book, check out her Healthy Apple Muffins or her Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas on her Cookie and Kate blog as test recipes. Those are favorites of my kiddos so I have no hesitation in recommending them.UPDATE: I've had this cookbook for almost a month now and I've made about 10 recipes from the book and I'm happy to report they have all been crowd pleasing meals! The instructions are incredibly easy to follow and includes advance steps, noting things like, you'll want to measure these ingredients before you begin because the recipe comes together fast. I also love how Kate tells you approximately how much of an ingredient to buy instead of just listing 1 cup. The helpful cooking techniques were also nice. I felt a bit sheepish to learn my tomato based sauces were eating away at my newly seasoned cast iron pan. Doh!Photos are a few of the recipes I've made. All of them were delicious -- which is not the case for some cookbooks. This cookbook is not a one recipe and done cookbook. Don't you hate those? I am still making recipes from this cookbook so I feel it's really worth the price.Again, don't hesitate to get this cookbook. The recipes are really well developed, easy to follow, and most importantly, wonderful to eat!

I originally got this as a Christmas present for my sister, then I got it in the mail and tried a couple of the recipes for myself. Let's just say that now this is my new favorite book and she really liked the pajamas that I got her. ;-) I am not a vegetarian but I do eat a lot of dishes that are made with healthy and real foods, and try to only have one dish ( or none) that contains meat. My meat and potatoes husband even loves these recipes - which is good because he is also diabetic with heart issues and is supposed to eat foods with a high nutritional value, lots of veggies, and complex carbs/ whole grains. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves eating tasty, nutritious food made with real ingredients. Well done :-)