Title: Natural Feasts
Author: Ella Woodwin
Publisher: Scribner
[Synopsis]
Internationally bestselling author of Deliciously Ella, Ella Mills offers more than 100 exciting, accessible recipes to show how clean, gluten-free, plant-based eating is the perfect way to entertain friends and satisfy your guests.
In Natural Feasts, Ella Mills makes it easy to prepare delicious food for you, your friends and family, for any event. No more wondering whether certain dishes go together or how you can provide delicious, plant-based meals that won’t leave your guests craving what isn’t good for them, Ella makes life simple with her menus—whether you are planning a laid-back brunch, a last-minute lunch, or a fancy dinner, she has it covered with hearty recipes that celebrate her natural eating philosophy. This gorgeous book also showcases more than one hundred full-color photographs, beautifully illustrating that clean eating and entertaining are a perfect match.
When conventional medicine failed her, Ella overcame a rare, devastating illness by switching to a plant-based diet. With no formal culinary training, she began developing her own recipes and blogging about her journey. She’s a self-taught cook. She’s approachable. She inspires people. Now Ella shares her personal ideas and recipes for every foodie occasion, from cozy nights alone to easy kitchen suppers, flavorsome feasts, birthday parties, picnics, and mocktails and cocktails. Deliciously Ella with Friends is the go-to book for anyone who wants to make simpler, healthier food choices—for themselves and their friends and family.
[My Review]
As my partner is vegetarian and I try to stick to veggie meals too, this kind of cookbook – veggie whilst still being healthy and inspirational – really struck a chord with me. As soon as you start you’ll be struck by the absolutely gorgeous photos, and I always appreciate clear, lovely images in a cookbook.
The recipes themselves are ideal for anyone trying to cut out meat (either in part or completely) and stick to more natural, sans-additive dishes, as they offer a wide selection of options for breakfast/ brunch, lite bites, dinner and desserts. I usually find myself skipping through the breakfast items as they’re often the same uninspiring ideas, but in Natural Feasts Ella presents some interesting ideas which are again split into different sections based on the type of breakfast they are – think ‘grab & go’ for home-made breakfast bars, ‘sweet brunch’ for- you guessed it – sweet stuff, and ‘the new english’ for English Breakfasts with a twist, plus others toov (including smoothies, which never hugely excite me, but still)! I tried the spiced potato cakes and really enjoyed them; they’ll be easy to cook with a twist on depending on my breakfast mood!
I am usually most interested in the dinner options, and I always go through recipe books and put a bookmark next to those I think I’d actually make. If a book has lots of bookmarks it’s a good indication that it contains recipes that are actually a) appealing and, for me, b) not too tricky or time-consuming to make. Natural Feasts, I’m pleased to say, have many – and plenty of lovely photos to inspire too! I must admit that some of the dishes don’t look hugely filling to me, but I do have a big appetite so that’s always circumstantial…
Though a lot of the pages are filled with pictures, so you’re perhaps not getting as many recipes as you’d think, this is a solid cookbook for anyone looking to eat more healthily, without compromising on taste or simplicity.
[Rating: 4/5]
Many thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
I follow Ella’s blog / web site and she does gorgeous recipes. I like how healthy they are without making me feel like a rabbit.
Exactly – not just plan salad etc, much more interesting recipes 🙂