My favourite recipes from Plant-Powered Families + a giveaway!
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Today’s post comes with a short public service announcement: Plant-Powered Families is here! It feels like eons ago when I photographed the recipes for this book. I have to say this is one of my favourite—and also the largest—photo projects I’ve taken on, and I’m so excited to share the lowdown on this book with you now and celebrate it’s release! Dreena Burton is a veteran in the vegan cookbook world and she is seriously one of the most kind-hearted, supportive, and talented women I know.
If there’s one book out there that is going to get your family excited about eating healthfully, it’s this one. As a mom to three girls, Dreena shares advice and solutions from her own experience, from pleasing picky eaters and stocking a vegan pantry to packing school lunches and dealing with challenging social situations. Plant-Powered Families also includes cooking guides and nutritionist-approved sample meal plans that will no doubt ensure a smooth and successful transition for your own plant-powered family.
And the recipes, over 100 of them, are kid-tested, whole-food vegan deliciousness, many of which have allergy-friendly options to make them nut-free or gluten-free. I made, photographed and ate every dish in this book—not all at once, mind you! This was a project that was over a year in the making. Although it would be hard to narrow down all of my favourites, here is just a handful of the ones I loved from each recipe section:
Cinnamon French toast (p. 36) from the Healthy Mornings section
This is seriously the best vegan French toast I’ve ever made. The chia in this recipe helps to create an egg-like coating that makes the toast crispy-edged and delicious. And a good dose of cinnamon always makes everything better! Lucky for you, Dreena shared this French toast recipe on her blog last week.
Tofu feta (p. 70) from the Lunch Fixes section
These tangy and tasty cubes make great toppings for salads, especially a Greek-inspired bowl of greens with cucumber, tomatoes, olives and red onion. I was never a fan of cheese even in my pre-vegan days and have no idea if these are reminiscent of the real thing, but does it really matter? They are delightful.
Seasoned polenta croutons (p. 114) from the Salad Dressings, Sauces and Toppers section
I could not stop eating these right off the baking sheet. They’re crispy and salty and buttery tasting and all the things I love about croutons, and they’re ridiculously easy to make! If you have a hard time getting your kids to eat salads or other greens, try topping them with these nibbly bites.
Artichoke sunflower burgers (p. 143, pictured with tzatziki sauce from p. 101) from the Dinnertime section
Who knew you could add artichokes to a veggie burger? Well, you can! I love the combination of nutrition-packed ingredients in this recipe, including brown rice, sunflower seeds, miso and nutritional yeast. Yum!
Crazy brownies (p. 182, frosted with chocolate ganache on p. 211) from the Sweet Treats section
I’d consider these the world’s best bean brownie. Dense and sweet and full of chocolate—how could you resist?
This doesn’t even come close to giving you a preview of what’s in this book, but you can count on a variety of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts and snacks that have all been tested and approved by Dreena’s family and a whole group of very special recipe testers. Dreena’s insight into vegan parenting—and her incredible recipes, including the ultimate vanilla bean chocolate chip cookies—are worth the price of the book. If you want great tips and recipes for teaching your kids about real, whole, delicious, plant foods, grab your copy today!
Oh, and be sure to check out the new Plant-Powered Families Facebook community Dreena created for parents to share tips and insights on raising vegan kids, and the adorable merch (onesies, tote bags and more!) for sale on her website.
Cookbook giveaway
Thanks to my friends at BenBella, I’ve got an additional copy of Plant-Powered Families for one ADC reader! The giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the US. If you’re feeling lucky, enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and I’ll choose a random winner on Friday, May 22, 2015. Good luck!
