Veganuary Inspiration–"The How Not to Die Cookbook" Review
Hey guys! I had actually decided I wanted to do a little cookbook review a while ago, and I’ve gotten a few questions recently about my favorite ones. No time like the present, so I am going to start with one that is all the rage right now in the plant-based world “The How Not to Die Cookbook” by Dr. Michael Greger with recipes by Robin Robertson. As I think I have mentioned before, I do love coming up with my own recipes, but equally enjoy opening up a book and picking out a beautiful creation from some other fabulous developer.
Now I’ve only had this book for about a month, but I can already tell it will stay up at the top as one of my favorites. Of course I love it because it follows all of the wonderful dietary guidelines as Dr. Greger shared in his book “How Not to Die”. He also has tons of FREE information from all of the latest nutrition research on his website nutritionfacts.org. If you have a genuine interest in eating for health, I can’t recommend checking out the good doctor enough. He presents things in a way just about anyone can understand, and he has no personal agenda whatsoever. Unless of course you count wanting to encourage everyone to be the healthiest they can be. 😉 If you do not love to read, he has tons of videos up to watch with all of the summed up research.
Besides being able to feel great about any of the ingredients used in it, the recipes that I have tried so far have been excellent! I’ll give a brief roundup of the ones I have made. As a quick note before I start in on the review, Dr. Greger does not like to call this a vegan or vegetarian book, but all of the recipes are in fact vegan. His focus is purely on health. The good thing for someone like me is that the focus on health also means there are no other animals harmed by this way of eating–not fish, fowl, cows or humans!
The first one I tried was Bean Patties with Harissa. I am forever on the lookout for the perfect veggie patty. I had actually already had some mushroom gravy made, so I opted not to make the harissa this time around. To be totally honest, I think I overcooked mine a bit so they were just a pinch dry. The gravy helped rectify that, and I think if I did the harissa next time they would be even better. The flavor was pretty simple, but I was especially impressed that they actually held together well. They’d probably fall apart a bit if you tried to eat them on a bun, but I usually do mine on top of a salad or with sides anyway. I would definitely make them again, but there are a few other bean burgers in the book that I want to try first!
The second recipe I tried was absolutely fantastic. The Stuffed Portobellos with Herbed Mushroom Gravy are a must-try if you have the book. I am still not a huge mushroom fan, but I would eat these every day of the week if I could. I even messed up and forgot the breadcrumbs and flax in the stuffing, but it did not matter. I have to admit I had a total fan-girl moment when my picture of these was shared in an Instagram story by nutritionfacts.org with a bunch of pictures from recipes other people had made from the book. 🙂
The final recipe I have tried was the very delicious Three-Bean Chili. Beans, lentils, mushrooms, and tomatoes all simmered happily together with some aromatic seasoning. On a cold winter day, it just doesn’t get any better than that. Again, although in the past I wouldn’t think much of the mushrooms, they do actually add a great texture and help bulk out the hearty bowl of goodness. In my opinion, you can never have too many solid chili recipes to get you through the season.
There are so many other recipes I want to try that look just as delicious, so I hope I have done a good job encouraging you to get a copy, too! If you like your cookbooks to have a lot of pictures, this one has lots of stunning ones! It would make a great coffee table book! As I try out more I will keep posting the yummy results on my Instagram, so come give me a follow if you haven’t already. 😉
Anyone else have the book yet? What are your favorite recipes so far?!
*I have not been compensated in any way to write this review, however I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
