pedestrienne

I keep getting this from the library and having to relinquish it because of holds. but it's worth it! I finally made things from it the 3rd go round.
I made:
millet cauliflower mash
steamed greens with zesty flax dressing
parsley brown rice salad with seeds (misleading title - this is really tabbouleh with brown rice & seeds)
pasta with kale, caramelized onions, and goat cheese (I added shiitakes to this)
marinated beets
dijon-mustard marinated tempeh (okay, but only if you re-heat the tempeh before using)
vanilla chia pudding (not so great unless you have a blender. but still tasty. just looks gross.)
lentil soup with rosemary, squash, and rainbow chard
kabocha chestnut soup with nori sesame "leaves"
sprout salad with toasted sunflower seeds and umeboshi vinaigrette
rustic pea spread (basically just mashed peas and garlic. I added sage.)

I liked all of them, although Chaplin's taste is much more to the sweeter side than mine. Not that I oversalt things - I still have salt from when I moved last year. We just have different taste profiles when we mix veggies and veggie like fruits, or maybe it is that I prefer things acidic and she alkaline. But the thing I love about this book is that I still want to try so many of the recipes. It's things that are different from what I normally eat but attractive to me, and they incorporate a bunch of grains I don't normally eat. Most of them complement each other, which makes it easier to plan a week of meals, and most keep well (the exception was the millet-cauliflower mash which was good on the first day and then had diminishing returns).

And once you get the pantry set up, it is relatively inexpensive.

Chaplin is insistent on soaking grains and beans to dissolve phytic acid, which she says impedes digestion. I think this is a goal to be met in future when I can focus on reminding myself to soak things. I did soak some things for these recipes and my digestion seemed a bit less rocky? but it was by no means a controlled experiment.

2 things that were irksome:
the book refuses to stay open on its own. bad form for a cookbook
lots of mentions of "detoxing" ugh