Plant-Powered Families: Over 100 Kid-Tested, Whole-Foods Vegan Recipes

So, I have cooked exclusively from this cookbook for 2 weeks, and am ABSOLUTELY AMAZED by how good these recipes are! Here are the pros and cons for this book:Disclaimer: I am not entirely vegan (only 80-90% of the time when I can), but am very passionate about eating plant-based. I also went to culinary school in Paris, so I am experienced in making both vegan and omni recipes.PROS:1. Although all of Dreena's cookbooks are amazingly healthy, this book is the HEALTHIEST yet! There is absolutely NO white flour, white sugar, proceed anything in this book. On top of that, this book is completely OIL-FREE. Although the recipes are higher in fat than, say, what is recommended in the McDougall, or Dr. Esselstyn's diets-- the fat percentage is around 20-30% in most recipes, they are fats from whole foods. Dreena has used beans, nut/seed butters, or coconut butter to add protein and additional nutrients, and not to mention creamy texture to her dishes. I especially enjoyed the dessert recipes, which taste even better than any other vegan or non-vegan recipes I have tried, and would definitely be perfect treats even for those doing low-fat vegan.2. Gluten free, soy free, nut free options: one of the main things I observed with Dreena's last book, "Let Them Eat Vegan", was the abundant use of nuts, which is not a problem at all for me (I love nuts!), but may be a factor of concern for those who have nut allergies. In this book, many of the recipes that require nuts, soy, or gluten are either revised to be allergen free, or include thoughtful and creative options for those who are allergic. What's more, in place of nuts, Dreena has used vegetables to create the same creaminess-- which makes for even more nutritious recipes. For example, the cashew-based Vegveeta dip from LTEV, which I LOVE, is now made with potatoes and oats and is even yummier :)3. DESSERTS and BAKED GOODS: oh wow-- I cannot say enough great things about Dreena's baked goods. I literally baked my way through every dessert recipe in LTEV, and am already halfway through the dessert chapter in this book, and so far every recipe I have made have been A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I recommend the Dreamy Baked Bananas (topped with Banana Butter Ice Cream), Crazy brownies -- which are made from potatoes, chickpeas, and tahini, but taste better than most of the non-vegan brownies I have had, and vanilla bean chocolate chip cookies (I recommend hunting down vanilla bean powder for this! yum!).4. Pictures: what a treat! Almost every recipe in this book has a picture, which are beautifully photographed, and look absolutely scrumptious. This is a huge change from Dreena's previous cookbooks, and a great change indeed!5. Balanced, fresh and bright flavors: I found the flavors of the dishes in the book to be very balanced. And although the flavors are quite mild, Dreena has skillfully brightened the flavors of her dishes with a restrained yet balanced use of acid and sweetness. Incidentally, on top of being kid-friendly, I found that the mild and fresh-flavored dishes to be very easy to digest as well.CONS (Which are non-issues for me personally):1. Repeated recipes: as a few reviewers have pointed out, this book contains a few repeated recipes. These include 1) recipes that were already published elsewhere (these are mostly oil-free recipes from her Plant-powered 15 cookbook, and the China Study All-Star cookbook), and 2) popular recipes from her previous books, but improved and made allergen-free. I personally don't mind category 1), and LOVE the category 2) recipes. I was SO excited to finally see the greatist past "hits" made EVEN healthier and simpler! But again, if repeated recipes is an issue, or if you already are tweaking Dreena's old recipes, this a point to take note of.2. Fewer recipes as compared to her other cookbooks: this, I suspect, is due to the need to include photos for the cookbook, which would take up twice the amount of space compared to, say, if there were no pictures. Again, this is a non-issue for me because i LOVE photos in cookbooks.RECIPES I LIKED. Just to name a few, these include:Breakfasts: Pumpkin pie smoothie, Chunky Monkey smoothie, Best Banana BreadLunch Fixes:Potato-Meets-Egg Salad, Chickpea nibblesDips and spreads: Mild Cheesy Dip (this is the variation of the Vegveeta Dip), Red Lentil Hummus, Pumpkincredible HummusSoups and Stews: Smoky Bean Chilli, Cream of Cauliflower SoupPizza and Pasta: Mac-nificient (this was even better than the Mac-oh-geez in LTEV! yum)Burgers n' Fries n' Such: Umami Sun-Dried Tomato and Almond Burgers (this was SO good and flavorful-- a must-try), "SweetBalls"DessertsPuddings, Creams and Sauces: Peanut Butter Pudding with Berrylicious Swirl, Milk Chocolate Fudge SauceCookies, Bars, and Energy Bites: Crazy Brownies, Vanilla Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies, "Nicer" Krispie Squares, Sticky Almond Blondies, Nut-Free- "Frosted Brawnies", Vanilla Bean Almond Butter Fudge (yeeeah I pretty much adore this entire chapter ;p)Frozen treats: Banana Butter ice creamCakes and Frostings: Chocolate Sweet Potato Cake, Chocolate ganacheExtras!: Dreamy Baked Bananas, (and I am also very excited about making The Great Pumpkin Pie!, which has an oat crust.)

I loved the title "Plant-Powered Families" and I really wanted to love this cookbook. I expected that this cookbook would have more kid-friendly foods that just happened to be vegan. But that's not the case and it's just okay for us. I'm not new to vegetarian cooking, but I am new-ish to vegan cooking and in this cookbook I bump against the same problem I usually encounter when I try to shift to more vegan recipes--too many unusual, hard to find (in my area), or processed ingredients. Some of the ingredients in this cookbook include: coconut aminos, coconut sugar, brown rice syrup, chickpea miso, hemp seeds, coconut vinegar, white chia (NOT the black chia that I CAN get at my grocery store). Whew!For my family, I'm trying to limit processed foods and maximize whole and "real" foods. Is coconut sugar any less processed than regular cane sugar? Some of these ingredients still seem like processed foods and it's not clear to me that they really are better for our health or the environment, but it is clear that they cost more--an 8 ounce bag of hemp seeds cost $8.99 at my grocery store. I'm not convinced I should spend the money on unusual ingredients I may use only once because we hate the taste.I'm so frustrated because I'd really like to embrace more of a vegan diet but without potions from a bottle. I'd really like to find a vegan cookbook that sticks to normal ingredients and doesn't do vegan "cheese" and "meat" substitutes.

PICTURES on every single page! Even the index.Great feel of cover, color-coded table of contents to match colored pages!Nut-free options for every recipe. Love how she tells you how to do this stuff and what to expect! Or ideas for picky eaters.Suggestions on what to stock your kitchen with, how long things will last in fridge/freezer, The "Why" she does things or includes ingredients is just amazing.Detailed nutritional charts in back of book, to see how much protein or vitamins are in these foods.Over all looks pretty "healthy" but that's the point.I bought this book because another reviewer was glad she "didn't use a bunch of processed foods" butter or salt ( as some books do)I'm gluten free and I'm sure I'll be able to sub out what I need, excited to eat healthier and cut the processed junk out.SO incredibly thankful of how well set up thus book is. Cooking in general is daunting, healthy cooking even more so!This book explains this so easily and well, I know I'll be able to tackle this with my 4 year old.Props to her for such a good product, I'll update what I think of the flavors once we try them!

I bought this book because there's a recipe in there that I had already tried and loved so much (the spinach artichoke spread, totally worth the price of the book on it's own) that I wanted to see what other treasures there were. Runner-up: the coconut bacon (aka Baconut). This has made my summer. All those fresh garden tomatoes were calling for it. Other recipes I've tried in the few months since purchase include hummus, red lentil hummus, chickpea salad and I'm sure there are many others. Looking forward to trying more as we gear up for back to school. I have an extensive plant based cookbook collection, but this one has managed to stay on my counter since arrival.Here's a photo of my homemade veggie pizza using that spinach artichoke spread (I subbed kale) as a base.

I'd had my eye on this book for a while and so had high hopes when I finally purchased it - thankfully it did not disappoint. Very rarely do I open a recipe book and like the look of every single one of the recipes inside, more importantly it all tastes incredible and my children get excited about their food when I cook from it! The sweetballs and the sneaky chickpea burgers are standard in our house and I keep a stash of both on hand in the freezer, I'm never without a huge jar of the zen granola, and the sticky almond blondies, nicer crispy squares, vanilla bean chocolate chip cookies and best banana bread (to name a few) are happily devoured by my children's non-vegan friends during play dates! The soups and pasta dishes are always big hits too. My eldest starts school next week, and I was having issues coming up with nut free vegan packed lunch ideas - not any more. Part three of this book is all about how to handle school lunches, hosting kids parties and general advice and tips on dealing with peer pressure, all of which gave me a much-needed confidence boost. There are also really useful nutrient reference charts, including RDA's and how plant foods compare to animal products where protein, calcium and iron are concerned which would help put worried parent's minds at ease. Simply put, I have found this book invaluable and I am looking forward to purchasing many more by Dreena.

This cookbook is full of simple and delicious recipes suitable for the whole family. There are lots of tips for ingredient substitutions that make the book really good for people with allergies as well. But this boom is not only recipes - there's lots of basic information on food staples shopping, preparation and storing. Chapters on dealing with picky eaters and packing lunch boxes are a great bonus!

Being a vegan mum and raising a vegan toddler this book has been invaluable to be. It’s full of yummy healthy recipes but also there’s so much information in it about what your child’s nutritional needs are at different ages. I’m always referring to it and it has really put my mind at rest that my little boy is getting everything he needs. The Cheesy pasta dish and the apple hemp muffins were a real hit.. I can’t recommend this book enough for vegan parents especially!

This book is great if you have a high speed food processor. It calls for this in many of the recipes. And it is not kid friendly. So far the only thing that my kids have liked have been the cakes. Typical eh? I find it a little expensive with the ingredients too. I have made several of the recipes but they have tended to be quite bland.

Possibly my favourite cook book. I love the flexibility of the recipes, suits my style of cooking. Healthy food my kids will eat.