It’s all in the name; The Plentiful Herbivore is about satisfying, vegetarian meals. No munching on lettuce like a rabbit.
I know, I know, there are thousands of cookbooks, blogs, shows, social media posts, and sites with ‘new and exciting’ recipes. What could possibly be special about The Plentiful Herbivore? I think you will find my approach to cooking very different from most others. And liberating. I have three central beliefs when it comes to food that influence pretty much everything I choose to make and eat.
EXPERIMENT & CUSTOMIZE – A Choose your own Adventure
I’m not a baker, mostly because I find it tedious to have to follow instructions so closely to have a hope of it turning out ok. I view all recipes as merely a suggestion. They’re a starting point with the building blocks to make amazing meals.
On The Plentiful Herbivore, you will be given recipes that are easily customizable to your preferences. Don’t like quinoa? No problem! Substitute with pasta or rice! You should view each recipe as a Choose Your Own Adventure in cooking.
Most recipes will also follow a similar structure:
BASE + ADD-ONS + FLAVOUR ENHANCERS
The ‘base’ influences the type of dish. It could be pasta, spinach, stock, or rice, among other options. Then you get into ‘add-ons’ where you start to see your veggies, legumes, cheese and other accoutrements. Finally, you top it off with the sauce, dressing, spices, or any other ‘flavour enhancers’. You can probably start to see how the options become endless to make each dish your own.
REAL FOOD
In my own kitchen, I have eliminated highly processed foods as much as I can. I make my own salad dressings and sauces from scratch. I use fresh fruits and veggies. It can mean a little more effort on my part, but the result is so worth it. I always know exactly what I’m eating, with no hidden surprises, and I know that it’s fresh, wholesome, and clean.
Another element I try to take into consideration is seasonality. Tailoring your meals towards what’s in season is one way to make it easier to eat fresh foods at less cost.
The end result is a collection of vegetarian meals that are not only satisfying and flavourful, but also healthy, mindful, and guilt-free.
QUICK & EASY
You won’t find any fancy techniques here. You will find easy recipes meant to be suggestions that you can then customize to your liking. Fridge is a little empty? Work with what you have! I will help you build patterns that will become natural over time. I truly believe this is the most important factor during the week. You’ll be less likely to turn to fast food or something out of the freezer during the week if you have an arsenal of easy recipes to whip up with minimal effort.