One of the main criticisms aimed at vegan food is that it’s ‘fake’. Sometimes this is true, but in fact there are many chefs who only use real ingredients, which is ideally what we want, and often they end up tastier too. Try cooking with ‘real ingredients’, that are both kind and healthy, and make use of local fresh produce.
Before cooking, read up on a food safety for people & pets (many human foods are unsafe around animal friends).
The First Mess is a highly-reviewed cookbook packed with wholesome recipes to eat through the seasons. What makes this book different is that it uses real locally-sourced organic ingredients to create recipes, using seasonal finds from your weekly veg box. The author is a Canadian who grew up in a family that ran organic box schemes. She trained as a chef, and also writes and photographs well. So all combined, you end up with a smashing book. Recipes include:
- Fluffy whole grain pancakes
- Hot pink beet smoothie
- Broccoli Caesar with smoky tempeh bits
- Vegetable bean pot pies with potato crust
- Weeknight root vegetable dal
- Burrito-stuffed sweet potatoes
- Romanesco confetti salad with Meyer lemon dressing
- Roasted aubergine & olive bolognese
- Earl Grey & vanilla bean tiramisu
- Chilli tofu lime bowls
- Beet & mushroom bolognese
about the author
Laura Wright has been cooking and testing plant-based seasonal recipes for years. Her cooking blog is one of the most popular in the world, packed with recipes that use real affordable ingredients, and turn out well each time. Most of her readers are not vegan, she prefers to simply focus on good food to inspire, rather than be a ‘celebrity chef’.
