Pure Food: Eat Clean with Seasonal, Plant-Based Recipes by Veronica Bosgraaf

Synopsis

Bring more whole, real ingredients into your kitchen and replace processed foods with the 120 plant-based recipes in Pure Food.

A busy mother of three who was frustrated with trying to find healthy, organic snacks for her kids, Veronica Bosgraaf decided to make one herself, the Pure Bar. Now nationally available and widely beloved, the bar kick started a nutrition overhaul in Veronica’s home. Clean foods and a new, simple way of cooking and eating replaced anything overly processed and loaded with sugar. 

Organized by month to take advantage of seasonal produce, Pure Food shares Veronica’s easy vegetarian recipes, many of which are vegan and gluten-free, too.

   • January: Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Winter Garlic and Vegetable Stew, Chocolate Rice Pudding
   • April: Asparagus with Turmeric-Spiced Almonds, Egg Noodles with Wild Mushrooms and Spring Greens, Roasted Cauliflower with Quinoa and Cashews
   • July: Watermelon Mint Salad, Grilled Garlic and Summer Squash Skewers with Chimichurri, The Perfect Veggie Burger
   • November: Caramelized Pear Muffins, Parsnip and Thyme Cream Soup, Wild Rice and Pecan Stuffing

With 18 color photographs and tips for "cleaning" your kitchen and lifestyle—from drying your own herbs to getting rid of chemical cleaners—Pure Food shows the simple steps you can take to make your cooking and living more healthful.

Paperback, 224 pages
Published February 17th 2015 by Clarkson Potter
ISBN 0804137951 (ISBN13: 9780804137959)


About the Author
from the back cover

Veronica Bosgraaf is the founder of the Pure Bar of organic, all-natural, gluten-free fruit and nut bars and fruit snacks. Passionate about making it easier to eat real foods, Veronica is dedicated to sharing her journey, questioning food culture, and providing ideas and choices that help families live a healthier lifestyle. She lives in Michigan with her husband and three children.

Learn more at ThePureBar.com.


My Thoughts

This book is all about fresh eating, and it is simple and to the point. The author herself states in the introduction:

Pure Food is not a "fancy" cookbook. It's an approachable guide to help you quit fast, frozen, processed foods and get back into the kitchen.

Her straightforward introduction is followed by a pantry section, outlining the tenets of eating fresh and buying local, and the healthy basics for stocking your pantry. This book calls for things like maple syrup, brown rice flour, coconut oil, almond milk, and other important staples. (I don't think all of the unusual flours like buckwheat and millet are necessary, but are good gluten-free options or have other special attributes, and I think most recipes can easily have a different flour substituted.)

The book is then organized by month, where ingredients are showcased when they are at their peak. This helps you to eat seasonally-- something I am always striving for, and failing miserably. This book helps you succeed in that area.

I've had the Almond Butter and Cacao Nib Smoothie two days in a row now (and still lost weight!) A tasty blend of almond milk, almond butter, frozen banana, maple syrup, vanilla, coconut oil and cacao nibs, this smoothie is high in healthy fats and fiber, and a good source of potassium, calcium and iron, and no cholesterol! And very tasty to boot!

And last night I also made some healthy scalloped potatoes from the cookbook. This simple dish has potatoes, peppers onion, garlic and herbs, but no cream, butter or cheese. The "sauce" is simply created by adding a little water and letting it simmer, causing the starch from the potatoes to create a little thickened scant sauce. I did my best to figure out the calories per serving, and I think it lies somewhere in the range of 90.

My final word: A great effort, and a good way for me to pick up some healthy, wholesome, seasonal eating habits. I wish it had more photos to entice me, but overall I like this cookbook!

Buy Now:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon
Random House

My Rating:
A-


Disclaimer:

I received a copy of this book to review through the publisher and Blogging for BOoks, in exchange for my honest opinion. I was not financially compensated in any way, and the opinions expressed are my own and based on my observations while reading this novel.