Fast Review:
A welcome addition to any kitchen looking to eat better. This book will help you make nourishing food and inspire you with different ingredient combinations. The Sprouted Kitchen is realistic healthy food you want to eat!
Sara Forte’s Sprouted Kitchen blog is beautiful. It is sleekly designed and simple. Her goal, as stated on her blog, is: to make healthy-ish food that fits into your everyday life, using mostly produce, whole grains, healthy fats, natural sugar alternatives and the like. Her husband is the photographer for her website and both books. The Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods was released in 2012 and it is extremely representative of the blog’s style and voice. If you’re looking for a cookbook full of fresh takes, here it is.
Who’s Kitchen Would You Find It In:
Fans of healthful takes on food, those focused on a primary produce oriented diet, cookbook readers who like bright California style cuisine
Nuts and Bolts:
The book begins with “A Bit About the Sprouted Kitchen”; followed by “Ingredients and Tools”; before getting into the recipe sections. The recipe sections are split into the following chapters: “To Start the Morning”; “Salads and Sides”; “Mains”; “Snacks to Share”; “The Happy Hour”; “Treats”; and “Etc.”. The introduction to the blog is helpful– especially since Sara includes a bit on how to read the book. This includes a lot about seasoning preference, where they get the majority of their produce, and really encourages the reader to go with their intuition– cooking should be fun! “Ingredients and Tools” breaks down what to stock in your pantry and is really focused on minimally processed staples. The list of tools is refreshingly minimal and most of it you probably already have.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and is a fitting start for Sara’s recipes. There are a wide variety of morning meals included: omelets, breakfast tostadas, plenty of baked goods, and even a vegetable-based eggs benedict. You’ll be planning a healthy brunch in no time. “Salads and Sides” is self-explanatory but is anything but boring. Even the green bean recipe (haricot vert) here looks refreshing and colorful. The recipes here rely on familiar vegetables and grains with interesting twists (honey mustard and broccoli, acorn squash with hazelnuts and balsamic). While “Mains” mostly focuses on vegetables, there are a few fish and poultry dishes included. The vegetarian entrees are hearty and filling. The next chapter focuses on snacks or small meals. Sara says she prefers to eat a number or small meals a day and these keep her properly fueled. Some are simple riffs on hummus, a fun strawberry and leek quesadilla, or smoothie. “The Happy Hour” focuses on getting together with friends for drinks and appetizers. There are plenty of drinks and nibbles in here to make any happy hour a hit. If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, dessert is still probably the thing people look forward to most. Sara takes care of your even your most decadent dessert craving in “Treats.” Chocolate, cookies, cakes…they’re all represented here (and more!). The cookbook rounds out with “Etc.” or handy staples to have on hand like roasted garlic, or caramelized onions.
The recipes here are easy to follow and beautifully photographed. Everything is clearly laid out and every recipe has a section next to it. This includes a story, pointers, commentary that makes for conversational reading.
Pick your copy up at Relish Decor today and don’t forget to try out the second cookbook from The Sprouted Kitchen while you’re there!
What to Make:
For Breakfast: Roasted Tomato and Herb Omelette (p. 23) and then eat the rest of the roasted tomatoes for the rest of the day, Pumpkin Pecan Granola (p. 36)
For Dinner: Haricot Vert with Avocado Goddess Dressing (p. 56), Mashies and Greens (p. 83), Walnut-Crusted Wild Salmon with Edamame Mash (p. 123), Chipotle and Apple Turkey Burgers (p. 129)
For Your Happy Hour: Toasty Nuts (p. 146), Black Cherry Refresher (p. 168), Baked Artichoke Dip (p. 173), Red Grape Salsa on Crostini (p. 186)
For Dessert: Almond Meal-Strawberry Cake (p. 202), Peanut Butter Pretzel Tartlets (p. 206), Inside-Out Apple Pie a la mode (p. 216)
