Review of The Reducetarian Cookbook
In addition to organizing the second Reducetarian Summit this year, the Reducetarian Foundation team has been busy putting together a cookbook designed for “omnivores, vegans, and everyone in-between.”
Edited by Brian Kateman with a foreword by Deepak Chopra, The Reducetarian Cookbook offers 125 “easy, healthy and delicious plant-based recipes” that will be available September 18. The cookbook is divided into eight recipe sections:
- Light Bites and Snacks
- Breakfast Favorites
- Dinner-In-A-Bowl
- Salads
- Soups
- Grains And Sides
- Mains and Core Meals
- Desserts and Sweet Treats
The recipes are created by award-winning cookbook author Pat Crocker and feature:
- Beer-Battered Nuggets
- Breakfast Burritos
- Cashew and Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl
- Moroccan Potato Salad
- Vegetable Pho
- Stovetop Vegetable Lasagna
- Shakshuka-Style Tempeh
- Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Sundae
Something I noticed and appreciated immediately with this cookbook is that most of the recipes include helpful tips, options, substitution ideas as well as suggestions on serving and storage. This of course comes in handy, especially when you have all but one ingredient for a recipe and want to see if you can smoothly swap it out with something you do have. It also includes a section on pantry tips, cooking techniques, plant-based entertaining, and more.
With so many great options to choose from as my first foray into this cookbook, I ended up settling on Mac ‘n’ Cheese along with Vegan Bacon as a topping (as suggested). While it may not seem as intriguing or exciting as Shakshuka-Style Tempeh (I plan to make this one next!), I’ve never successfully made a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese from scratch. I’ve had delicious versions in restaurants, so seeing the recipe inspired me to finally tackle it properly.
Unlike other potato- and/or cashew-based cheese sauces, in this particular recipe the sweet potato is baked, and the cashews, along with a few additional ingredients, are stir-fried rather than just boiled. It really adds an extra element of flavor to the final dish. Thanks to the tip provided for this recipe, I was able to arrange my cooking so that the hot oven was used for both the potato and the mushroom bacon in perfect harmony.
Once I topped my mac ‘n’ cheese with the sizzling mushroom bacon and some hot pepper, it was time to indulge:
The dish was creamy yet light, packed with flavor, and paired perfectly with the intense and delicious mushroom bacon. As noted earlier, the cooking of the cashews and the baking of the potato really gave this recipe an extra edge. As it made many servings, I enjoyed leftovers the next day:
For those more familiar with a baked version of mac ‘n’ cheese with a crunchy top, the recipe has got you covered with that alternative as well.
I’m definitely looking forward to trying out more recipes from this cookbook, and the only suggestion I have is that I wish more of the recipes had short descriptions or summaries, just to give an idea of what the final dish is meant to taste/be like. I find this often inspires me to try out recipes for dishes I’ve never heard of before.
With that said, I’m particularly excited to tackle the cookbook’s Shakshuka-Style Tempeh, Vegan Yogurt, and of course the delicious-looking Brownies, which include a tip on chocolate chips I’m looking forward to trying out!
If you are interested in pre-ordering The Reducetarian Cookbook or learning more, visit this link.
Happy plant-based cooking/baking!
