Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes For Peak Health (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
This is a book that I really wanted to love. As a triathlete and vegan myself, I was extremely exited to try all the exotic new foods and techniques Brazier presents here. But sadly, after 25 recipes, I'm afraid it's time to move on.The informational component of the book is nicely done. Brazier makes a very convincing case for sustainable vegan eating, particularly for athletes. He also provides an enticing introduction a variety of ingredients that most readers (myself included) will never have encountered. It's all very exciting, until theory meets practice in the actual recipes.I'm happy to say there are in fact some incredibly good recipes contained here. His chili is the best I've ever made. The trouble is that for every great recipe, there are ten mediocre ones. As a vegan, and something of a gourmet, I've always prided myself on the quality of the food we prepare. I've always told my omnivore friends that eating vegan doesn't mean depriving yourself, or living only on rabbit food. Unfortunately, many of the recipes in this book really taste like "health food" (in the pejorative sense). Most that I tried I would shy away from serving to non-vegan friends or family. The recipes avoid many of the common staples we know as vegans like tofu, tempeh, wheat flour, soy milk, etc. Although novel at first, I just didn't find the substitutes to be as appetizing.The other problem is that all those exotic ingredients I mentioned make these recipes extremely expensive (some cracking $20). I wouldn't mind that so much if every recipe was a winner. But a few expensive, time consuming duds in a row, and you start to lose confidence.I'm very grateful we gave Thrive Foods a try, at the very least it was a culinary adventure. I started off with visions of cooking half the book, but 25 recipes in, I think I've hit my limit. Below are my top four, check my progress log to see my ratings on the others we tried.1. Spicy Black Bean Chili [pg 239]2. Breakfast Blueberry Chia Pudding [pg 138]3. Roasted Garlic Quinoa [pg 187]4. Salt & Vinegar Kale Chips [pg 265] I read Brazier's other books, both of which included recipes, but I wasn't very excited about making any of them, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about this cookbook. We've tried close to a dozen recipes, however, and they're all DELICIOUS. And--bonus--most of them are super easy to make. There are a few that require special equipment, but they're definitely in the minority. If you're completely new to vegan or healthy cooking, this might require a rather extensive grocery-shopping trip, but if you have things like apple cider vinegar, a good herb selection, nuts and seeds, etc. on hand, then most of the recipes will be a snap to prepare.
What do You think about Thrive Foods: 200 Plant-Based Recipes For Peak Health (2011)?
Informative & useful plus several good recipes.
—Ayesha
