I was excited to get a copy of Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining for review, not only because I love recipe books, but also because there was an adorable dog on the cover. The author is an avid animal lover, and each and every recipe is vegan! What a lovely surprise.
The book is gorgeous, with ideas for entertaining in addition to recipes. There are also tips to show you how to incorporate affordable, cruelty-free eating into your daily life and to serve that luscious, wholesome food to friends. Organized by season, each part begins with a terrific meal — a light spring lunch of chilled asparagus soup and quinoa salad; an alfresco summer dinner of veggie carpaccio and stuffed squash blossoms; a fall breakfast buffet of pecan waffles, faux buttermilk pancakes, and raspberry muffins; and a cozy winter’s dinner of shepherd’s pie with a chocolate tart for dessert. Each seasonal section contains recipes for beverages, soups, salads, pastas, side dishes, main courses, and an abundance of desserts that everyone will love. Special sections feature recipes for grains, greens, and beans. In “Notes from My Friends,” which appear throughout the opening chapters, chefs, doctors, Cornelia’s favorite veterinarian, and other health and food experts have contributed tips, advice, and eye-opening information.
The images are colorful and inspiring, which is just what I love when looking at recipes. I can’t wait to try some of the recipes to surprise friends, especially when they find out the food is vegan!
Here is an example of the recipes you will find inside:
Zucchini Blossoms Stu?ed with Amaranth
By Cornelia Guest,
Author of Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining
Serves 4
Total time: 45 minutes
Zucchini blossoms are so beautiful. This is so easy to make, and your friends will be very impressed.
You can make the stuffing the day before so you can enjoy your friends, stuff the blossoms and have a great lunch.
Amaranth is a gooey grain that works well as a stuffing. I serve this dish with iced tea with mint or a crisp white wine. Fresh tomatoes go well with the squash blossoms.
- 3 cups amaranth
- 1 medium onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 zucchini
- 1 small eggplant (you want to end up with 1-1/2 cups after its is cooked)
- 1 garlic clove
- 4 large blossoms per serving
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil and add amaranth. Simmer and cook until water is absorbed, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Quarter the onion and cook in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 30 minutes over medium heat until caramelized.
3. Dice zucchini and sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Dice eggplant and garlic and sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 10 minutes.
5. Mix the cooked vegetables with the amaranth and add parsley. Fill the squash blossoms with the mixture. Serve at room temperature.
The above is an excerpt from the book Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining by Cornelia Guest. The above excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
© 2012 Cornelia Guest, author of Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining
Author Bio
Cornelia Guest, author of Cornelia Guest’s Simple Pleasures: Healthy Seasonal Cooking and Easy Entertaining, is an activist, philanthropist, and businesswoman. In 2009, she founded Cornelia Guest Events and Cornelia Guest Cookies, catering charity and entertainment events with healthy, delicious vegan food. She is launching her own line of animal-friendly handbags, wallets, and dog accessories made with a vegan alternative to leather. She lives in New York.
For more information please visit http://www.corneliaguest.com, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.
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, you will find tips for choosing paints, fabric, and accessories that work well together. Full of photos and examples showcasing the latest in color pallet trends, this is a great book for anyone who wishes to add more color to their home. No need to be afraid of making a color mistake, the book will walk you through the entire process.
will show you all kinds of cottage styles that you can incorporate into your own home. Again packed full of color photos that will have you itching to redecorate, this book is a real treat to read! Featuring homes in all kinds of settings, the book shows that it is possible to have cottage style no matter where you live.