Anna Jones – A Modern Way to Eat

I was not prepared to love A Modern Way to Eat but I do.  What is happening to me – all this love for these vegetarian cookbooks?  I’m growing up.  And worse yet – the majority of this book is vegan in nature.  The horror.

Yes, the cover is deceiving.  Do not judge this book by its cover.  It is loaded with gorgeous photos and delicious tempting recipes. I particularly love how Jones’ gives us a recipe and then myriad variations on that recipe.  One soup —  thousand variations.  Hummus – several options and so on.  The author shares a flow chart of how she creates a recipe — the hero ingredient, different ways to cook it, add an accent, a flavor, an herb, some crunch and more. It’s  great way to approach changing the way we cook.

The first page I landed on was the recipe for Maple Peanut California Wraps.  This looked so tempting and even if you didn’t want to use tempeh — you could sub a protein of your choice.  That is what is wonderful about this book. You can use your imagination and personal tastes to create something you and your family would enjoy from her basic recipe.  My husband would rather eat a bug than tempeh – so I will sub chicken but use Jones’ overall recipe.

The Butternut Squash and Kale Tart looked delicious and the author gives you a good gluten free recipe for the crust as an alternative.   Cashew and Chestnut Sausages sound promising.  Double Greens and Phyllo Pie – another winner. The recipe for Mac and Greens without cheese perfect for vegans and non-vegans.   Most of the recipes are vegan but some contain butter and eggs.  It’s up to you how you approach this book.

I am neither a vegan nor a vegetarian.  I am attempting, though thwarted by my husband’s lack of enthusiasm for vegetables and fruits, to cook more in this style — ninety percent of this book’s recipes appeal to me and I cannot wait to make them for my son and myself.

Thanks Blogging for Books for this review.