Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen

April 20, 2015
With an introduction titled “Welcome to the Plant-Based Party,” Patalsky, host of the recipe blog “Healthy. Happy. Life.” at LunchboxBunch.com, sets readers on the path to vegan cooking. The book includes information on how to build a vegan pantry, a note of encouragement to “vegan newbies,” wellness tips, and technique and method information (including how to sauté tofu and make nut-based milks). Recipes for meals and snacks rely on standard meatless proteins such as avocado, tempeh, beans, nuts, and tofu, but these ingredients are used in innovative dishes such as the Avo-Dilla (lavash wraps filled with avocado and sautéed) and BBQ peanut burgers, which blend zesty ingredients including mashed white beans, peanuts, brown rice, and barbecue spice and sauce. Standout selections include appealing, easy-to-prepare meal bowls—such as the Coconut Cloud Bowl with coconut rice, tofu pillows, and toasted cashews—and innovative Wellness Lattes, made with nondairy milk, agave or maple syrup, and spices. Headnotes and information on the author’s own vegan journey offer encouragement and background for anyone interested in embracing the meatless life or simply incorporating meatless meals into their diet.