Spork Fed Cookbook Review

If you understand what it is to relish reading a good cookbook, then you'll completely understand why I dove deep into Spork-Fed: Super fun and flavorful vegan recipes from the sisters of Spork Foods by Jenny Engel and Heather Goldberg. Having been a longtime vegetarian leaning towards vegan eater, I appreciate the cooking tips, ingredient suggestions (I'm beginning to master the ingredient swap) and creative approach to this type of diet.

Each recipe has a little preamble with some "Sporkie-Scoops" toward the end outlining ways the food items may benefit your body and mind...fun and informative!

There are also loads of photos. I won't apologize for preferring shiny photos with my recipes. I'm like a magpie that way. The suggested menus page even has little thumbnails with photos of the dish! Joy for the visually inclined!

My family and I tried an assortment of dishes from Spork-Fed and the two my kids enjoyed most were (yes, I do try to be a crowd pleaser:)

Homemade BBQ Sauce Page 114

Tamar inspired me to make my very own barbecue sauce. I could easily have dumped some store bought from a jar and called it a day...but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

And here is the finished product...Barbecue-Style Spelt Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Tempeh Bacon from page 116 (plus asparagus because I can't eat a meal without green.) Oh and corn on the cob, since it was after all, barbecue.

Before the oven...

After...nom, nom, nom...

These Pear, Fig and Sage (fresh from my garden) Tarts with Roasted Garlic Aioli (page 2) were, how shall I put it? The BOMB. They were little parcels of deliciousness. Oh my goodness I didn't know food (that I make) could be so good!

And as for little 'ole me I was swept away in a rhapsody of flavors by the Caribbean Salad with Crispy Plantains and Avocado Mango Salsa in a Light Lemon Vinaigrette (page 26) I have long been a fan of fresh vegetables and this was a delicious representation of what vegan cooking can be. Note...those are peaches in case you noticed. My mangoes were not ripe. Sniff.  

 

This is the meal plated...the Salad, Plantains, Cuban-style black beans and coconut rice with a blue corn tortilla chip garnish. Perfecto!

To be honest, I wasn't familiar with Hearts of Palm before preparing this meal...and luckily Trader Joe's had a jar...similar to artichokes, but with with the texture of cooked leeks. They were good and nicely paired in the salad!


That was my adventure with the Spork Sisters...for more about them visit: Spork Foods where you will find their cookbook, loads of downloadable cooking class videos and lots more!

Bon Appetit,

Deirdre