I was pretty excited to review “Whole Bowls” by Allison Day. As a nutritionist I tend to seek out other nutritionists or dietitians or those with a strong health focus. It is just my natural affinity. I enjoy her blog, Yummy Beet, which is fun and friendly and has terrific recipes, all written with her easy going style.
Whole Bowls focuses on gluten-free vegetarian recipes, and many recipes are vegan. Included early in the book is a pantry guide, which includes information about the nutrition and benefits of many unique grains and seeds. The book offers ideas that any diet could include. I love how balanced the recipes are, with a strong focus on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and legumes.
I found the recipes easy to follow, such as Eat Your Greens Salad with Chickpea Croutons and Green Goddess Dressing, shown below. It is an example of the many recipes within recipes, such as various salad dressings, pesto (Cherry Hazelnut pesto anyone?) and hummus (with green peas!). I appreciate that many recipes use everyday ingredients, which makes it easy and approachable for every kitchen. For this salad, I simply gathered various herbs and greens that were ready in my garden.
Whole Bowls is beautifully photographed. Each recipe includes a photo which makes it a lovely book to peruse and also gives you an idea of what the recipe (might) look like once made. The photographs echo the theme of the book: lots of variety, colour, texture and flavour. The writing is fun, with playful descriptions that will put a smile on your face — “lime kissed”, “kale is the belle of the ball”, “embrace your inner tree hugger”, or “this bowl will make you want to hippy hippy shake”.
Reading Whole Bowls is inspiring me to compose my own special bowls. Thanks to Foodie Pages for sending me a copy of this gorgeous book. I am enjoying it and would not hesitate to recommend it. Although I was given a copy, all opinions are my own.