CROWN Naturally Nourished Cookbook: Healthy, Delicious Meals Made with Everyday Ingredients

I've hugely enjoyed cooking from this book - the recipes are as promised, simple, un-fussy, and based on things you probably already have in your kitchen or you that you could find at your local supermarket. As we live somewhere rural, this appeals to me. The recipes are not long and involved, think family meals or friends over for a casual dinner as opposed to reductions and froths and multi-pot get your aprons ready recipes. The writing is equally simple, not preachy and without the pages of anecdotes that I used to have more patience for than I do lately. I've reached for this book a lot since it joined my shelves - Brittons' managed exactly what she set out to do and I'm very happy with the result. I will say, if you're looking for a whole lot of desserts, look elsewhere. There are a few sweet nibbles, but this is definitely not the area most concentrated on here.

I own and indeed love Sarah Brittons first book – My New Roots, so could not wait to get my hands on this; particularly as though the focus is still healthy and plant based, this book is geared to those of us who like cooking with readily available ingredients rather than buying weird things for one recipe that we will never use again (and yes I have done that and would prefer not to repeat it). It respects time, budgets and skill set in the kitchen. The idea behind this book is you can make these recipes, with things found at any local grocery store; using the tips she suggests getting maximum flavor with little effort. As I write this, I have just wrapped up work, am sitting poolside (not relaxing, but waiting for the kids to end swim practice), catching up on paperwork, procrastinating from said paperwork by writing this review…then we go home to make food amongst countless other to dos. In a nutshell, I have a life that does not allow me hours to procure odd foods, or spend time slaving away in the kitchen!! This is a book that respects that! Recipes are not overly complicated and can often be made ahead of time and in this book we have “rollovers” a note section that allows one recipe to flow into another for tomorrow by making a little more of one component that can lend to another meal. Each section flows from lighter to heavier, to essentially mimic the flow of the seasons -for example, chapter one is soups and we go from fresh pea and dill soup or a nice gazpacho to the more wintery root vegetable based soups such as parsnip oven soup or a hearty dal. The pea soup is an example of how easy this is -10 simple readily found ingredients and about 10 minutes of time from start to finish! Granted there are more complicated dishes as well, but I wanted to show there are easy options for when pressed for time but still wanting to eat healthily. After soups we have salads, and I was so happy to see “different” recipes, instead of the same old ideas I have seen time and time again. The Caesar is accompanied by chickpea croutons, there is a coconut quinoa coleslaw, a tarragon green bean salad or as we get to winter, a creamy Brussels sprout salad; many of them robust enough to be a complete meal. That said, there is also a wide selection of main courses ranging from simple such as a sandwich to pasta, pizza, risotto (an oven version so you are not standing around stirring every few minutes); a stunning looking stuffed pumpkin that would be amazing for Thanksgiving. After the main course, there are small plates, sides and snacks, including different sauces and dips that can be easily incorporated into other dishes and of course desserts for those craving something sweet. It is worth noting however that there are not really any breakfast options, and not many desserts -I liked this as I find most vegetarian books have way too many breakfast ideas and I honestly do not have the time for that, and also tend to be way too heavy of desserts which I rarely make; so I preferred the fact that this book is really more focused on savory meals that you could eat for lunch and dinner without getting too complicated! The book is well written, easy to follow and like its predecessor, filled with stunning photography! There are so many great meal options all made with easy to find ingredients that will not break the bank! Truly a book for everyday healthful eating!

Rien à redire sur ce livre, il est fidèle à son principe de base qui est de cuisiner sainement avec des ingrédients du quotidien, faciles à trouver dans n'importe quel magasin alimentaire. Fidèle également au blog de l'auteur, les recettes sont toujours aussi délicieuses et variées, aussi bien en salé qu'en sucré. Petit plus de ce livre en anglais, comme le premier de l'auteur, les proportions sont toujours toutes données en mesures à la fois européennes et américaines, pas besoin de convertir quoique ce soit. Les photos sont toujours aussi belles et fidèles au résultat quand on le fait soi-même. L'auteur explique également des techniques de base (comme par exemple faire ses graines germées) ou comment bien conserver les essentiels de la cuisine (huiles, etc), ce qui en fait un livre complet. Elle partage également des principes de base pour se simplifier la vie, comme par exemple prévoir davantage d'un ingrédient préparé pour un plat, afin de l'utiliser dans un autre plat au cours de la semaine, utile pour se simplifier la vie et faire des associations qui fonctionneront. Autre point, une couverture rigide et une bonne reliure, toujours appréciable pour un livre de cuisine qu'on est amené à feuilleter très souvent et qui lui garantit une grande durée de vie. Je n'hésiterai pas à le recommander autour de moi.

Nothing less than brilliant. Full of easy simple everyday meals. My favourite recipe are the emerald avocado salad but almost every recipe is ear marked and waiting to be cooked. Sarah is making sure that every recipe is nourishing and flavoursome. This book belongs on every vegetarians cookbook shelf and it will be a great source of inspiration for vegans too.

I absolutely LOVE this recipe book. I use it time and again for the most delicious vegetarian dishes. There are so many that I make all the time, this is not a book to buy to leave on the shelf :) I cannot recommend enough...