Power Plates

December 4, 2017
Vegan blogger Hamshaw (The Full Helping) presents appealing options for creating nutrient-dense meals on a single plate. Using her “macronutrient building blocks” concept (which balances proteins, fats, and carbs), home cooks can design dishes that promote a “nutritious, sustainable eating pattern” with recipes that “just happen to be vegan.” There are recipes for savory breakfast options such as a root-vegetable hash and Indian kitchari (a combination of mung beans and rice) along with whole-grain muffins and pancakes. Meal-size salads include a sesame citrus soba-noodle salad chock-full of edamame, red cabbage, carrots, and almonds with a tahini ginger garlic dressing, as well as a warm tofu chop salad with peanut dressing. Soup selections include a spicy chickpea-peanut West African stew and a curried Jamaican stew with kidney beans. There are sides such as green-bean aloo gobi and holiday fare such as a vegetable harvest pie—a shepherd’s pie filled with kidney beans, tempeh, and winter vegetables. This vegan cookbook—with seasonal meal-plan charts that incorporate leftovers and ideas for batch cooking and freezing—is a useful guide for home cooks, vegan or not.

Starred review from April 15, 2018

In her best cookbook yet, blogger-turned-author Hamshaw (Food52 Vegan) shares appetizing vegan meals that won't leave you hungry. Substantial recipes such as apple ginger muesli, Vietnamese rice noodle salad with seared tofu, and herbed cauliflower steaks with lemon caper lentils offer a delightful balance of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Delicious main dishes are the stars here--there are no desserts, appetizers, snacks, or beverages. In particular, the meal-sized salads could be welcome weekday lunches or potluck contributions. Hamshaw touches lightly on nutritional guidance, meal planning, and make-ahead techniques (e.g., batch cooking grains and legumes over the weekend), but her advice never feels prescriptive or preachy. VERDICT Hamshaw brings style and substance to healthful vegan cooking. Highly recommended for anyone interested in plant-based recipes.

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