Cookbooks

If you are looking for a cookbook that has fresh ideas on healthy, plant-based recipes and includes great pictures for each, then we’ve found it for you!  Simple Green Meals by Jen Hansard (author of Simple Green Smoothies) is a beautiful cookbook that will inspire you to cook healthy this fall with meals ranging from breakfast, snacks, soups, salads, entrees and desserts.

Each of the recipes I tried were easy-to-follow and delicious.  This is a cookbook I will enjoy for a long time. – Libby

To give you an honest review of the cookbook, we tried several different recipes including Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, Coconut Thai Soup, Almond Butter Crisps, and Sweet Potato Hash. Ashlee made the Thai Coconut Soup pictured below which she said was amazing.  She substituted cauliflower that she had on hand for the spiralized zucchini noodles which still worked well.                   I wanted to go outside my comfort zone, so I tried the Almond Butter Crisps which were categorized as a snack, not a dessert.  These were really good and my kids all got their hands on one when they cooled all the way.  These are a rich combination of almond butter and cinnamon that will make your kitchen smell amazing!

            I had a tough time finding brown rice syrup for these though, so I had to use corn syrup.  I’d recommend buying the brown rice syrup online to save yourself some time 🙂 These Cauliflower Buffalo Wings were so good I had to post the recipe!  It was my first go at cauliflower wings and these definitely do not disappoint.    In fact, I had to remind myself to stop eating them because eating a whole head of cauliflower would not be welcomed by my digestive system 🙂

Although these called for a Cashew Ranch Dipping Sauce I failed to soak the cashews 2 hours prior to making these wings.  So, I used a ranch that I had on hand with crumbled blue cheese.  This was a good combo, but I have all the ingredients and bound and determined to try the cashew ranch dipping sauce next time I make them (which will be soon!). Recipe for Cauliflower Buffalo Wings:

• 1/2 Cup Gluten-free all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water (I had to use more – almost a full cup)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 head cauliflower, 1 tsp virgin coconut oil melted
• 2/3 cup Frank’s RedHot sauce (I used this which was good, but I also tried them with WingThyme Garlic Parmesan wing sauce which was more flavorful as far as wing sauce goes and even spicier than Frank’s.)

Directions:  1. Preheat over to 450F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 2.  Mix the flour, water, garlic powder, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth and well combined. – I had to add more water to get a thinner consistency.  I also found that this only covered about half the head of cauliflower.  So, you may need to make more – but it’s really easy to do so.  Dip the cauliflower pieces in the batter, making sure each piece is well coated and arrange on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 15 minutes, turning the pieces over halfway through the baking time. 3.  Stir buffalo sauce and oil in a large mixing bowl.  When the cauliflower is done, transfer the pieces to the bowl and toss well.  Place the coated cauliflower back on the baking sheet and bake for an additional 25 minutes or until crispy.  Let cool slightly and serve with dipping sauce. Simple Green Meals by Jen Hansard can be purchased here.  Let us know what you try and comment on our blog or post your pics and comments to Facebook and Instagram.  We can’t wait to see what you try! Want to see more healthy eats inspiration? – Follow Nearly All Things on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or here on our blog. We believe that looking good, feeling good, and having fun is important at any age. Oh, and we promise not to use your email for anything other than our posts .