Super Natural Simple: Whole-Food, Vegetarian Recipes for Real Life [A Cookbook] by Heidi Swanson
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Healthy and Easy Flavor Packed Recipes
I love this new cookbook by Heidi Swanson. The photographs are stunning, bright and colorful; the food jumps off the page. You also get a peek into her California kitchen and the surrounding landscape, like a mini vacation. Her words of wisdom in the beginning of the book, starting with, “Transition to natural ingredients” help to create fresh and flavorful meals, packed with nutrients. She also includes ways to make simple swaps from items you might keep in your pantry to healthier options, like swapping brown rice for white rice, or adding quinoa into your white rice. I also like her concept of “merchandising” what you have. Spend a little time every week going through your refrigerator to see what you have on hand and need to use up. This keeps waste to a minimum and helps with menu planning. Her recipes tend to have less than ten ingredients, all of which are easily accessible in most local grocery stores, and half of those are ingredients are items I keep in my pantry. The recipes have great color and flavor and come together quickly. Several of her recipes include insets with Variations on the recipe, for example the Mushroom, Lime and Herb Salad can be turned into a pasta dish, or Tofu can be added to include a protein, or the dish can be turned into a rice bowl, giving you four recipes out of one. I tend to cook more vegetarian recipes, but I have a daughter who is vegan and many of Swanson’s recipes easily accommodate a vegan lifestyle as well. I have made the Winter Caprese Salad, the base of the salad is lacinato kale, so you can make it ahead and it holds up well in the refrigerator. The sun-dried tomatoes add a lot of flavor, as does the basil oil incorporated in the dressing, a nice crunch from the walnuts and the fresh mozzarella finishes it off. The Peanut Stew with Spinach and Miso is a rich stew, enhanced with red curry paste, fire-roasted tomatoes and natural peanut butter; served over rice this is a hearty and satisfying dinner. The Any Noodles with Lemon-Nori Oil have a great pop of citrus from the lemon, umami from the nori and a mellowness from the Parmesan cheese. I also made the California Blender Cookies, but I made them in my food processor. You would never know the recipe includes a can of chickpeas. These are a perfect healthy snack to keep you energized. They are great plain, but Swanson includes a few options to roll the unbaked cookie balls in Cacao nibs, or a mix of Turmeric and coconut to boost the flavor. I also loved the matcha seltzer, a perfect drink on a summer afternoon. This beautiful cookbook is easy to use and I enjoyed everything I made; I still have my eye on the Dirty Chai Baked Oatmeal. I received a complimentary copy of Super Natural Simple from Ten Speed Press in exchange for my free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Delicious plant-based recipes!
Review Super Natural Simple by home-cook Heidi Swanson is filled with nutritious, whole-food, plant-based recipes. The book is divided into ten sections and while not every recipe includes a photo, the many that do are mouth-watering. Some of my favorite sections include make-ahead breakfasts which offers many oat options and a delicious deviled egg toast, sheet-pan meals including pizza, flatbread, and potato dishes, and easy-drinking refreshers. All of the refresher drinks are non-alcoholic. I tried the Sunrise Flora which is made with yogurt, grapefruit juice, and orange blossom among other ingredients and it was very refreshing and just right for the spring and summer. From the sheet-pan meals, I made a pesto and artichoke pizza that was unbelievably good. Unfortunately, it took me over two hours of active time to make it not including time spent waiting for the dough to rise. Even with premade dough, there remains a pesto, a sauce, and golden-crusted artichoke hearts to cook in addition to putting the rest of the pizza together. And then there is the clean up time of all the different pans and bowls. All in all, it was worth it but not something that can be done last minute. Thankfully, not all the recipes are like that. Rounding out the rest of the book, there are rice bowls, noodles, soups and stews, salads, dips, grilled items, and desserts. There are many curry seasoned dishes and peanuts, coconut milk, and miso are used frequently. Desserts are not overly sweet such as olive oil cake, rye cookies, and sunflower brittle and this is the one and only section of the book that would be tricky to make gluten free. Disclosure: I received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Unexpected, elegant but easy recipes.
Super Natural Simple is a vegetarian cookbook that appealed to me right off in the Introduction simply because I am not a vegetarian but I am trying to eat more healthfully. Swanson states in the Intro “If you are looking for approachable ways to work more vegetables and whole foods onto your plate, this book is for you.” That would be me. It talks about “shifting” and “integrating” to natural eating. The book delivers on that promise with guidance on how to “Transition to Natural Ingredients”, “Identify Ten Recipes you Love”, “Your Well Stocked Pantry “and “Collect Your Equipment” The chapters cover meals you expect such as breakfast, stews, noodles and then some new approaches such as “Single Skillet” , “Sheet Pan Meals” and “One-Bowl Bakes”. As helpful as these sections were, I was thinking that I had all of the vegetarian, vegan cookbooks that I need. But then I started reading the recipes ! Right off there is a breakfast oatmeal recipe that used unsweetened instant oatmeal. Very familiar. But, wait ! - with sriracha, soy, peanuts and green onions. For breakfast. Well, why not. I made it. It was easy and it tasted great and I felt ready for the day. Swanson often uses very easy, familiar ingredients. Oatmeal, vegetable chips from the snack section of the supermarket, O’s cereal from the cereal aisle. A great feature is that a recipe will often have a flyleaf in the cookbook that offers variations on the recipe. Learn one recipe - get many different meals. I liked this feature because it is how I cook. I did not expect the dishes to be so beautiful and elegant. I am trying the rustic focaccia with orange slices and pine nuts for Easter because it looks so very beautiful. It is a featured variation of the Rustic Focaccia recipe. Super Natural Simple offers great advice, very easy recipes, completely new food combinations and elegant, beautiful dishes. I’ve received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review. I am glad I did because it makes vegetarian cooking seem easier and doable without being boring or bland. It is the vegetarian cookbook I didn’t know I needed.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Actually easy and approachable vegetarian recipes
This cookbook suprised me. I like the idea of vegetarian food but often find it boring and lacking in flavor. There are only so many times you can eat sauteed veggies and rice with a boring sauce right? This book is far beyond that! For some of the more basic recipes, the author gives some variations to explore which I think is really helpful. It's great to have a basic waffle recipe but what if you wanna change it up? She has plenty of options for that! Including a savory waffle that I'd definitely try if I had a waffle maker. I made a few recipes from this cookbook already. One of my favorites was the double crisp potatoes with salted mustard yogurt. I only had to buy a few ingredients to make this recipe which was a win for me. I absolutely loved this! Another recipe I made because I had mushrooms to use up was the paprika spiced mushroom stew. I made homemade croutons to go with this too and it was super flavorful. I never would have thought to make this on my own. One thing I did not love about this book is the binding. It didn't stay open easily. You really had to push it open, I ended up using something else to hold it down. I do think that once I cook with it more, it'll naturally open a lot easier. But as a brand new cookbook the binding is very stiff. I'd recommend this cookbook for people who want to explore vegetarian cooking because it'll really open your eyes to new flavors and recipes. If you're already a vegetarian, you'll definitely love this cookbook for unique recipes. I think it's a great cookbook for new and experienced homecooks. A great way to explore eating less meat without feeling like it's just salad all the time. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Vegetarian Meals That are Interestingly Simple
If you're anything like me -- a vegetarian that loves to cook, but cooks for myself -- most of my vegetarian cookbooks fall into one of two somewhat unappealing categories: the same recipes over and over, or far too complicated recipes that feed way more people than just myself. Heidi Swanson managed to divert both of these challenges with "Super Natural Simple", a compilation of recipes that are unique for vegetarians and omnivores alike. Breakfasts, savory entrees, side dishes and even drinks are elevated for all eaters and keep vegetarian meals interesting and exciting, without being overwhelming for the everyday cook. The recipe variation inserts even give multiple ideas on top of the already-exciting recipes printed in the book, adding extra variety for the everyday vegetarian. If your regular week consists of the same old favorites, give this book a try for a little spice, figuratively and sometimes literally. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Simple Recipes for Healthier Living
Heidi Swanson wants to make it easy for people to eat a healthier whole-food, vegetarian diet. In her latest cookbook, Super Natural Simple, she presents 120 recipes, many with only a handful of ingredients, that are easy for home cooks to prepare. Her emphasis here is on dishes that stress flavor, color (eating the rainbow of fruits and veggies) and nutrition. Many of these recipes suggest simple swaps, such as switching from white rice to brown, or adding "a handful of cooked quinoa, millet, or barley into your white rice." Others include items perhaps not found in the typical pantry, such as sriracha, harissa, nutritional yeast and rye flour. Swanson suggests shopping for these ingredients at the upscale Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, markets that might be beyond the budget of some. A resident of California, she also favors farmers' markets, which, wonderful as they are, might be only seasonal in some locales. Swanson also offers lists in Super Natural Simple of sources for both ingredients and kitchenware. "Experimentation is key," she says, suggesting those wishing to follow a vegetarian diet try a number of recipes, to find ones that are a hit with their particular palate. Some recipes, such as Deviled Egg Toast and Lemon Garlic Pita Chips, are simplicity itself and contain foodstuffs likely to be in the average home kitchen. Peanut Stew, slightly more complex, requires red curry paste and miso. The section of Super Natural Simple that users might turn to most often is the Power Pantry, the source of basic recipes that "are indispensably part of my everyday cooking." Here you will find Five-Minute Tomato Sauce and Crispy Curly Kale Chips. The section also includes a number of broths, dressings, and nut and seed butters. I've received a free copy of Super Natural Simple from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Wholesome, Delicious Vegetarian Meals
The title of this book is perfect--Super Natural Simple. It's a book full of whole-food, healthy vegetarian recipes that's simple to prepare. I find many nights are busy or tiring and would feel the pull of a takeout meal but then looking through this cookbook, I find that I can easily prepare something simple and healthy without much fuss. They key is having a fully, stocked pantry and picking out no more than 10 recipes that look good to make. Some of my favorites are deviled egg toast, instant sriracha oats, five- minute bean salad, lentil super salad, sriracha-tomato soup, ten ingredient masala chili, spicy curry-banzo bowl, golden oven fries with dipping sauces, grilled corn salad with salty-sweet lime dressing, and cheesy lemon pepper polenta. Many of these recipes are followed by mouth- watering photos. For those looking to eat more vegetarian meals, this is an excellent book to have at home. I've received a free copy from Ten Speed Press in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
California Masala Cluster Granola & Sunrise Flora
I was recently sent a copy of Super Natural Simple: Whole-Food, Vegetarian Recipe for Real Life by Heidi Swanson and decided to try two of the recipes for breakfast one morning. I often keep a jar of homemade granola on the counter to eat with yogurt (or simply by the handful in passing) so it was a given that the California Masala Cluster Granola (pg 36) needed to be the first recipe I tested. In full transparency, I did something that all recipe creators dread most: I changed an ingredient and swapped it for something “somewhat similar.” I could not locate a chana masala spice blend by the time I had this recipe scheduled, so opted for a garam masala spice blend. I want to note this change, because although each spice holds ‘some’ similar ingredients (cumin, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper) they should not be thought of as interchangeable. Even so, I thought the alternate spice blend would be a lovely complement to the other flavors in this recipe, so I went for it. Thankfully, the warm masala spice blend paired beautifully with the rose water, maple syrup, and a sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes. I particularly also enjoyed the inclusion of brown rice cereal in the mix because it added some fun texture. I do think it would be worth seeking out a chana masala blend for the future though because I think it’s important to make recipes as written, when possible. The second recipe I made was the Sunrise Flora (pg 227), a lassi-like yogurt and citrus drink that rounded out my breakfast. The recipe was lightly sweet and a little salty, perfect for utilizing whatever fresh citrus you have on hand and poured over ice for a refreshing sip. I particularly loved that, like the granola recipe, this recipe also utilized a floral extract -- this one being orange blossom -- because I so rarely use them and they add such great aromatics. I look forward to making more from this book, including: Peanut Stew with Spinach and Miso (pg 100), Feisty Tofu with Broccoli, Chili, and Nuts (pg 149), Golden Oven Fries with Turmeric and Black Pepper Dip (pg 168). I received a free copy from @tenspeedpress in exchange for a free and unbiased review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com