My Thoughts in a Nutshell
This book is for YU (Yes, you)! Although I do not live a gluten and dairy free lifestyle, I was intrigued at the possibility of introducing more plant-based meals into my diet. Reading this book was enlightening, inspiring and motivating. I won’t be jumping in to a 100% plant-powerful diet, but I will certainly begin to make small changes in my diet for my health an well-being. There’s tons of recipes I’ve bookmarked to try and great tips on updating recipes that I already make and love.
The Details
YumUniverse by Heather Crosby
Publication Date: October 28, 2014 by BenBella Books
Genre: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Cookbook
What’s it About?
No matter where you land on the diet spectrum, more whole, plant-based foods can enrich your life and improve your health.
If you’re transitioning to a plant-based diet or you just want some ideas for preparing scrumptious veggie dishes, Heather Crosby provides a step-by-step guide to simply adding more delicious, health-boosting meals to your existing routine, whether you’re a meat-eater or a vegan.
YumUniverse: Infinite Possibilities for a Gluten-Free, Plant-Powerful, Whole-Food Lifestyle offers a creative collection of more than 150 craveable recipes without meat, dairy, gluten, or soy. But this is more than just a cookbook—it’s a treasure chest that will help you build health-promoting habits and recipes of your own for a lifetime. As a former veggie-phobe, Heather knows firsthand how overwhelming yet rewarding the transition toward a plant-powerful diet can be, so she offers expert advice for folks seeking to adopt and maintain a whole-food approach to what they eat.
Fans of YumUniverse.com, Heather’s inspirational food website, and new readers alike will discover recipe goodness like her Fig & Caramelized Onion Tart and Almond-Cardamom Cream Chia Pudding with Fresh Berries, as well as divine desserts like Mexican Unfried Ice Cream and Chocolate & Salted Caramel Stack Cake.
A plant-powerful, gluten-free lifestyle is delicious and doable. So, say “goodbye” to the dieting roller coaster and embrace a long-term wellness adventure with tasty, healthy, plant-inspired cuisine.
Why I Wanted to Read It…
When I saw what this book was about, I was excited because my older sister eats a gluten and dairy free diet. She gave up gluten and dairy a long time ago, and she raves about how much better she feels. I’m looking forward to trying recipes from this book, both for myself to eat healthier and possibly to help my sister find something new and delicious that she can enjoy eating.
My Review
This book is for YU (Yes, you)! Loved this in the foreword of the book!
I recently was given the opportunity to read a review copy of Heather Crosby’s new cookbook YumUniverse through NetGalley and it is AMAZING! Although I do not live a gluten and dairy free lifestyle, I was intrigued at the possibility of introducing more plant-based meals into my diet. I figured that this cookbook would offer a handful of recipes and tips to try, but I was rewarded with much more than just recipes. It’s an inspiring read, even if you have no intention of going completely gluten-free.
The book is broken down into three sections; 1. Why 2. How 3. Let’s Eat! It’s pretty easy to understand and follow, but essentially the first section tells you WHY you should consider a plant-powerful lifestyle, the second section tells you HOW to make the changes in your life and eating habits and the third section LET’S EAT is filled with delicious recipes!
You might have read many of the important messages that are found in this book in your readings or online. But it’s great to have it all in one place and coming from an author that’s been in the same situation as most of us are in now; gluten, meat and dairy eating people, suffering to an extent from what we put into our bodies. Food is fuel for your body and it is incredibly important to have a healthy diet to have a healthy life. There are tons of chronic diseases that can be avoided by eating better and this book is the perfect inspiration to help you get on the right path to feeling wonderful in your own skin! There’s a ridiculously long list of major health benefits to eating a plant-powerful diet and even if you don’t intend to do it 100%, you should still consider adding more plant-powerful foods to your diet. In a nutshell, you should try to incorporate more plants and less processed food to your diet and you will feel exponentially better.
YumUniverse is more than a cookbook, it is the ultimate healthy guide book that offers a comprehensive path to a healthy lifestyle. It’s packed with inspirational passages on the why and how of a plant-powerful diet and it’s got everything you need to know about how to shop for, make and store healthy food. It explains in detail about all of the things you might’ve heard about but didn’t know what they were, how they taste or how to use them. You’ll get introduced to the controversy over coconut oil, the types of flour you can use that don’t contain gluten, and all of the wonderful gadgets to keep in your kitchen that will help you prepare and make all of the types of food you want to eat. There’s also a great list of resources for more information and recipes in the back of the book.
As I mentioned before, I wasn’t expecting to find more than a handful of recipes that I would want to try. I was pleasantly surprised to find a ton of recipes that I’ve bookmarked to try. The following are the recipes that I’m looking forward to making soon; Orange & Pepita Granola ~ Herbed Carrot & Sweet Potato Hash ~ Mushroom, Caramelized Onion & Artichoke Quiche ~ Chickpea Flatbread ~ Homemade Spice Mixes ~ Sausome Sauces ~ Crispy Chickpeas ~ Multi Bean Chili ~ Sweet Potato, Kale & Lentil Stew ~ Black Bean Soup ~ Fig & Caramelized Onion Tart ~ Simple Cashew Cheese Spreads ~ Simple Hummus ~ Green Smoothies ~ Chocolate & Salted Caramel Layers Cake with Chocolate Frosting ~ Dark Chocolate, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Brownies ~
The first recipe I was dying to try was for the Dark Chocolate, Sweet Potato & Black Bean Brownies. As a self-proclaimed baking lover I never would have thought you could bake brownies that were gluten, dairy and egg free AND taste delicious! Click here for the link where you will find an excerpt from Crosby’s cookbook of some seriously delicious brownies.
After reading the YumUniverse cookbook, I was inspired to make small changes in my diet and add a recipe section to my blog. I’ve always loved pinning delicious looking recipes on Pinterest but now I’m going to start sharing the recipes that I try at home on here for my readers. I read Crosby’s cookbook cover to cover and highly recommend that you go and order yourself a copy – whether it be a kindle edition, hardback or paperback book. The kindle version (only $9.99) is super user friendly; you can highlight, bookmark and click the link to different recipes in the book. If you’re the type to prefer to have a physical book to mark up, make notes and peruse, the paperback edition is under $14.
My Rating: 5/5 Stars
Thank you to Heather and BenBella Books for creating and publishing an amazing cookbook and to NetGalley for providing me with a review copy prior to the public publication day.
About the Author
Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Twitter | Facebook
Heather Crosby
Heather is also a certified T. Colin Campbell Foundation plant-based wellness coach who has developed a unique and well-loved collection of over 500 gluten-free, plant-based recipes on her popular website YumUniverse. And since she didn’t start eating fruits and veggies until her 20s, she’s dedicated to helping folks transition and maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle with acceptance, know-how, (and of course) tasty recipes that everyone will love. She knows first hand what it’s like to make major changes and she’s not interested in labeling you—just providing creative tools and recipes that inspire and help.
In an effort to kick medication and heal naturally from disease, Heather’s been fine tuning the maintenance of a plant-powerful lifestyle for almost a decade, and sharing what she’s learned with thousands of folks all over the world—because a journey is always better shared with friends.
She loves chicory root tea, the city, the country, listening to records, creative everything, bulky scarves, thoughtful food, cardamom, laughing, cooking and road-trips.
This looks great, I’m definitely going to buy it! Such a great review!
I wasn’t a fan of many of the recipes in the book, especially the Black Bean Brownies. I do use a lot of fresh veggies when I cook. I think I’ll just stick to what I know.