Happy Monday! I know I posted the last recipe on Thursday (link here) but I wanted to take the weekend to relax and not think about writing. But I am here now and ready to write!

I’m so happy with how this challenge went. Going through all my posts to make my faves list was pretty fun. It was nice to remember all the delicious meals I’ve made. My list has 12 recipes (with links to my posts) but honestly every recipe in this book was really good. I will for sure be making recipes from this book again. I am so happy with this cookbook choice, as well as the other cookbook I went through prior (Yum & Yummer / Yum & Yummer top posts).

Just like with Yum & Yummer, all the recipes are so bright and healthy. Specifically, I love the amount of fresh vegetables and herbs that are used. If you don’t often use fresh herbs in your cooking, I highly recommend you start – they add so much good flavour and colour to dishes. There was one ingredient used in several recipes, which I had never really cooked with before this cookbook: pepitas (pumpkin seeds). I love nuts and seeds, and pepitas add such a nice texture and nuttiness when toasted. You can throw them on almost anything – yogurt, salads, taco bowls – and they’re nutritious which is a bonus.

I love the amount of information in this cookbook. There is a whole section at the beginning of the book that talks about ingredients and nutrition – it’s fantastic for beginner cooks. If you’re trying to get into cooking (especially vegetarian recipes), I highly recommend getting this book. Also, within each recipe, there are so many ways to adjust the ingredients to certain dietary restrictions (dairy free, nut free, vegan, etc.), so you can customize anything.

Aside from being so informative, all the recipes are quite easy to follow. The steps are clearly marked with lots of detail. As long as you have all the ingredients ready before starting to cook, it should be smooth sailing. None of the recipes even call for crazy equipment, most used (and necessary) item I used was a food processor. It is a great tool in the kitchen and helps to cut down prep time.

Now, without further ado, here is my list. The only order I’ve put them in is chronologically, for when I made them:

• West African Peanut Soup (recipe #1)
• Roasted Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Crostini (recipe #6)
• Easy Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe #28)
• Sweet Potato, Poblano and Black Bean Enchiladas (recipe #36)
• Spinach-Artichoke Quiche (recipe #48)
• Banana Coconut Pancakes (recipe #50)
• Avocado, Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Toasted Pita Wedges (recipe #52)
• Make-Ahead Green Smoothies (recipe #53)
• Green Goddess Kale Salad (recipe #65)
• Tuscan White Bean, Kale and Farro Stew (recipe #70)
• Taco Party (recipe #72)
• Crispy Kale Pizza with Marinara Sauce (recipe #74)

Let me know if you would like me to go through another cookbook, as well as any book suggestions! I may not start another challenge right away, but I will consider a third book if I get a nice response 🙂

I hope you’ve enjoyed this and I look forward to getting back to my homemade posts soon! As well, make sure you subscribe to my email newsletter, the next one is going out April 6 –> subscribe here.