The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook

by Jenn Sebestyen

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook by Jenn Sebestyen is a collection of kid friendly plant based recipes for dedicating one (or more) days a week to meatless meals for ethical, health, or other reasons. Due out 19th Nov 2019 from Quarto on their Fair Winds Press imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

The author is appealingly honest about her background and her journey to a plant based diet. It's an interesting (and slightly humorous) read and I found her reasoning and honesty refreshing. She says quite frankly that her reasons aren't necessarily anyone else's reasons and that readers don't need to decide immediately (or ever) to adhere to a plant based diet, but there are respectable reasons for making one or more meals per week meatless. These include health, cost, environmental, and cruelty-free/philosophical grounds. Her writing style throughout is friendly, positive, and accessible.

The book follows a logical format with good contrast on the pages and a readable typeset. The photography, though not abundant, is clear and easy to follow. I would estimate a third to half of the recipes are pictured. The introduction and background (~6% of the page content) are followed by 11 mostly alliterative chapters (bountiful bowls, satisfying salads, perfect pasta, comforting casseroles, etc) which are grouped by type.

The recipes have the ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric measures in parentheses. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are all easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. There are also footnote hints for getting kids/family members (mostly kids) involved in the meal prep. I really liked the inclusion of alternative prep methods along with the family involvement aspect.

This is an appealing, well written cookbook with a generous selection of wide ranging tastes from world cuisine. The recipes aren't difficult. The ingredients aren't difficult to source or 'bizarre' and they really will appeal to a family aesthetic. I liked the philosophical background (we've been doing meatless Mondays for a while now) and I like the humor and fun of this cookbook.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.