NAKED FOOD BOOK CLUB REVIEW
Book Title: Peace & Parsnips: Adventurous Vegan Cooking for Everyone
Author: Lee Watson
Publisher / Release Date: The Experiment, June 10, 2016
***
The NEW AUTHENTIC KIND AND ENLIGHTENED DIET (NAKED) celebrates books and cookbooks that embody a philosophy of sustainable health and healing, self-sufficiency and self-care, wisdom, awareness, and consciousness for humans and planet alike.
To request a book review please provide a book sample and email submissions (at) nakedfoodmagazine.com.
WHAT IS NEW:
Many people assume vegan fare is boring and plain. Lee Watson, a vegan chef from Wales, refutes this idea by assembling 200 recipes gleaned from his travels all over the world.
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC:
Watson is no mere dabbler in the kitchen; he is a seasoned chef who has worked in restaurants for over 20 years and toured the world amassing invaluable knowledge and fresh inspiration. From borscht to tabbouleh to shiitake tempura, the recipes in Peace and Parsnips are authentic cuisine from the countries from which they originated.
WHAT IS KIND:
Peace and Parsnips is a well-rounded book: there are simple recipes for a quick snack as well as more involved recipes worthy of the most elaborate, elegant dinner party. Watson also includes guides for stocking your pantry, a list and description of many international spices, and recipes for making your own plant-based milks (soy, almond, cashew, and even sprouted green lentil milk!)
WHAT IS ENLIGHTENED:
Watson starts Peace and Parsnips by explaining why we should all adopt a vegan diet and debunks some of the top food myths associated with eating plant-based. He also includes a section on alternative natural sweeteners to use in place of refined sugar. Our only point of contention is that Watson promotes the use of “good oils” for giving vegan foods “richness and shine”. Although we at Naked Food agree that healthy plant-based fats are essential to our diet, we advocate that these fats come from the whole food, not processed oil (e.g., olives, not olive oil; avocados instead of avocado oil, etc.).
IS THIS BOOK FOR YOU?
Peace and Parsnips contains recipes from every corner of the world. Regardless of your culinary preferences, you’re bound to find imaginative vegan recipes in this book. The inclusion of oil in many of the recipes is the only reason for the loss of one star in the rating.
STAR RATING? (1 to 5): 4
IS IT NAKED FOOD CLUB RECOMMENDED? Yes