At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well

I begins with the fact that this is a beautiful book - it is large, comprehensive with detailed information, recipes and stunning photography. Though as other reviewer pointed out, is a large with a stiff binding that would make it a little tricky to use while mid recipe but it makes a beautiful coffee table book or you could just dive right and not mind the spine taking a bit of a beating if you want to use it regularly when cooking - which I do . It begins with a great foreword from the Chef, detailing her beginnings and how her journey with food evolved which is always an interesting read to me, then part one which was inspiring - "The Pantry" . It begins with a beautiful picture of a resourceful and well stocked pantry, which immediately had this' 'Type A 'neat freak searching Amazon for all manner of glass storage jars. Though my pantry is rather well stocked, my beans, grains and pulses currently reside in the plastic bags they arrived in, so now I am determined to build up a collection of storage jars so my panty looks as good as this! The pantry guide covers essentials : grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, super foods, oils, vinegars, seaweeds, spices and vegetables together with detailed descriptions of each item which is far more comprehensive than other books that fall in this category. The it looks at what you need in your fridge, freezer, equipment and recipes you can make from your pantry with a week's guide. Then we move on to the recipes: Breakfast, soups, salads, snacks, drinks, whole meals, and desserts . At first I was a little worried given the overall look of this book that this would be merely a true coffee table book with nothing I could attempt however I was wrong. The recipes did not call for a bunch of random ingredients that live in health food stores only, nor complex technique but was easy to duplicate. The kale slaw and red lentil soup were easy to prepare and delicious and the black rice breakfast pudding is divine (though I did cheat and use store bought nut milk). Finally there is an extras section containing my life with tea, cleansing and organics . I am a big tea fan but this takes it to a new level by indicating the health properties of various teas. The cleansing section was common sense and yes contains real food not juices and minimal calories! This book is simply excellent in terms of not only being beautiful and a comprehensive guide to many aspects of a healthy whole food diet, but also having recipes that are most importantly tasty, easy to follow and with readily available ingredients! My new favorite cook and other ideas book!

I bought this book in July of 2016 along with another plant based book by a popular author. At the time, I had become a chef in a plant based lifestyle center (where disease is treated with diet and other lifestyle changes). For some reason the other book I purchased had recipes that seemed to catch my eye a bit more and though I marked dozens in this book I hoped to make, I never got around to them. I tried several in the other book and though I changed or alterned every recipe I tried I still kept using that one and largely by-passing Amy's. (And so far mine has not fallen apart so the binding had nothing to do with my oversight.) Last May we visited friends in OK and the "other book" stayed behind as a parting gift when we left. In Jan of 18, I found myself back in the professional kitchen. This time cooking for a group of massage students after a year and half of travel and other duties. In Feb. I made the pistachio tart for a special dinner and though I can not speak to the taste (due to my food sensitives), it was simple to make and my husband snarfed down the little bit left after a dinner for 15. (There was more than one dessert though the tart is super rich and would easily serve 12). I loved her idea of a pistachio dukkah and made something similar which my tribe used on a daily basis. This weekend I needed some fast and simple dishes to transition my students after a week of juicing back to normal food. I picked up Amy's book and quickly picked the Shaved Zucchini Salad and Sweet Corn Soup as the first two courses. WOW! The soup was absolutely simple and amazing. True, it requires corn cobs. And fresh corn. So it won't be on our table mid-winter. But if you freeze your own corn and planned ahead I'm guessing you could freeze some cobs and make it then too. Except its the freshness and lightness, and that delightful summer taste of corn without getting your teeth all filled with stuck corn that make this an absolute delight. I took the leftovers to friends for supper and they were equally intriqued and delighted. The salad was one of the best I've ever had. And I've eaten more than my share and a few other people's too! I shaved the zucchini's a day ahead and tossed it with chives fresh from the garden. My assistant slightly burned the pine nuts which gave the garnish a bit of a grilled flavor, good, though unintended. And I don't know if making it ahead gave the zucchini time to mellow but I hardly knew I was eating zucchini. Though I love zucchini in just about any way. One of my students commented that she didn't like raw zucchini normally but she decided to give it a try and w suprised to find she enjoyed it. I expect to eat this on a regular basis all summer long. And I should add that the first summer I had this my sous chef made the black rice crackers and everyone went nuts for them! They were gone so fast I forgot we made them. :) I do believe that I will give a few more recipes a try from this book. I am so happy with these. I am beyond delighted to find some recipes that I can make as written and find them so yummy. A note about the sourcing of ingredients other than perhaps a seasonal reason to not find ingredients, I can't imagine what in here is complicated or impossible to find. Maybe not at your local grocer but likely your local co-op has everything you need and for sure amazon or azure standard etc. would have what you need. I have yet to see an ingredient I couldn't find locally in one of her recipes. And I live in South Dakota, 30 min from Rapid City. Let me put that into perspective for you who may not be familiar with this lovely state: the entire population of the state is less than the city of Nashville, TN. RC itself has appx 70,000 people. It ain't big by any means and the closet "big" city is 6 hours away. If you are looking for a bunch of fifteen minute recipes that let you get dinner on the table by 6:30 when you got home at 6:00, this is probably not that book. Though neither the soup or salad were complicated they did take longer thand 30 min start to finish and certainly there are more complex recipes than those. If you enjoy spending some time in the kitchen chopping and prepping food and/or you want some fresh recipes for weekends or entertaining, when you have more time to be in the kitchen, then yes give this book a chance. It has some delicous recipes that are different than others floating around. You will likely delight your family and wow your guests. One last note: the few recipes that use dairy are easy to sub and make vegan. Gluten free is a little more difficult but certainly doable if you know how. There are a fair number of recipes that use spelt and oats (not all of us with celiac can eat them gf or not) But inspite of those drawbacks to me personally, I'm happy I bought the book and finally decided to try more of these delightful recipes.

Update in 2016: Amending my review from last year because of binding issues. Yes, it fell apart right away, yes, I am going to take it to the copier store to get it drilled. I paid over $100 or more, 20 years ago for college texts that fell apart and I had to get drilled - and where are they now? I'm actually using this book every week! Is $40 too much for the decades of wisdom this author has collected through hard work, and the kindness of all the others she has learned from? Ask yourself - are you going to let something so simple as poor binding get in the way of your enjoyment of this book? This is one of our "go-to" cookbooks since we got it. No, I'm not: a chef, a nutritionist, and I don't work for the publisher or the author! We just love fresh, non-processed food, and am willing to make an effort to eat clean and healthy for my family and the planet. The recipes are probably too involved for many of us in this "instant gratification" society that have a "30 minutes or less" attitude about cranking out food (and we want it cheap), with our crazy/busy schedules. You have to plan (cooking & shopping), you have to soak, you have to have some patience, and a well stocked pantry. You won't be disappointed! For comparison: meal time preparation is nothing compared to 11 Madison Park, more on the order of Ottolenghi, Alford&Duguid, to name a few. Review from 2015: Instant classic - a great addition to a clean, modern, healthy living cookbook library. Many of the recipes are somewhat involved, but cooking from scratch always is. If you eat fresh, use raw ingredients and want some new ideas for your cooking (even if you are an Omnivore), this is a great book. It does not disappoint! I would say this cookbook is very different from other Vegan/Vegetarian cookbooks (Veganomicon, Peace in Every Bite, Deborah Madison, etc.). Every dish is sophisticated, even very simple ones. The photography is excellent, the instructions and explanations are useful. Taste has not been sacrificed in the name of clean/healthy eating. Mysteries of vegan dishes are explained, especially when it comes to desserts.

This is a really lovely book. I've been cooking vegetarian, vegan, raw and living foods for years and found lots of nice things in here. I assume the publishers will correct the the crappy binding which broke while I was simply reading the book and not even exerting it to kitchen use, as it undermines a lovely book. The recipes are really conducive to being done in the home kitchen, as per the title. I've made several things and liked them all, and plan to do more. The simple red lentil soup, which really is a cinch to make and is very healthy and nourishing was a big hit with several sets of guests and looks good with a little turmeric added for colour, and I've added it to my repertoire as a simple weekday dinner as well. The bean bourguignon (although this is definitely for those hankering after meat\recent converts to vegetarian food). I had the foresight to make double the vegetable stock and freeze half so that when I make this again, it will be less work. I think this was one of the longest recipes in the book. I've made the date pistachio praline tart several times, the apricot coconut bars and the earl grey tea cake. I've made a lot of cakes and raw cakes, and loved the crusts and desserts in this book. The apricot bars are truly wonderful. Commercial desserts just won't do after you eat something so delicious, real and wholesome at the same time. Very nicely written and beautiful photos. I'll use a lot from this book. Recipes lend themselves easily to tweaking to suit personal taste and possession of a Vitamix allows you to grind the sometimes small amounts of flour you might need for a recipe, and I've also substituted one wholemeal, non-gluten flour for another listed with no ill effects. The recipes are not cheffy, i.e. they are easily achievable and don't require hours of time and an army of sous-chefs. There isn't much in terms of ingredients that most vegan cooks would not have to hand, I think, and it's easy to see where you can do things ahead or in stages.

The recipes are unique and clearly described. I also enjoyed reading the non-recipe pieces of this book, which gave an explanation of many essential staples to be stored in the whole food pantry and described the interesting history of the author. Although some recipes needed to be passed over until I could obtain the right ingredients, the recipes I have tried came out great. I was pleasantly surprised by the many interesting dessert recipes! But what I liked best about this book is its beautiful layout and photography that allowed me to relish browsing through the recipes and information. Its large size, hard cover and soft earthy color scheme create a lovely look on your kitchen counter. The photographs offer delicious-looking life-size images of the dishes that can be prepared and the ingredients that go into them. My one complaint is that binding appears to be poor quality because the pages began to fall out of the front section of the book after just two days. Nonetheless, I was happy to add this recipe book to my collection.

Amy Chaplin is a genius! We ordered this first book after absolutely loving her most recent: Whole Food Cooking Every Day. Amy's books are both full of great nutritional education, kitchen and pantry organization hints, cooking tips, and we love how the recipes are simple but taste phenomenal. We recently returned to a vegan, GF, whole food diet. We are self-proclaimed foodies who love to cook and eat, and seeing that Amy has received a James Beard for her definitely influenced our decision to buy. We were excited and hopeful, but Amy's books exceeded our expectations. Her recipes are simple - focusing on quality ingredients blended creatively to create nutritious, tasty meals that sustain health without giving up an entire day to cooking. We have many traditional, vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, but Amy's books are hands-down our new go-to favorites. They don't live on a bookshelf, but rather sit open and well-loved on the kitchen counter. If you're looking for a way to incorporate healthy, plant-based whole food cooking into your life, buy Amy Chaplin's cookbooks (BUY BOTH!!) You won't regret your decision!

First, a note on Amazon customer service: it's the BEST ever. I received my first copy of this book and opened it that evening. I was incredibly excited to read through it and start making some of the recipes. The book is beautiful, but as soon as I opened it, the entire center fell out of the binding. I asked Amazon for a replacement book on Tuesday morning, dropped the defected book at UPS Tuesday afternoon, and Wednesday around noon, the replacement showed up! It was so fast that I was really confused as to what the package could be before I opened it. Now, on to the book itself. It's amazing! I own a few dozen cookbooks, all splattered from lots of use and love in my kitchen. This book, however, is the only one I've read cover to cover and then wanted to read again as soon as I was done. I want to make everything in it! Many cookbooks have recipes for things I'd never make or eat, or ingredients I'd never buy, or equipment I can't afford/don't have room for. This book has completely accessible recipes, they are healthy, beautiful, a perfect balance between simple and interesting, and it has meals for everyday dinners or occasions for entertaining. If I was for some reason cruelly forced into having only one cookbook, it would be this one.

This book is larger than I expected. It is a beautiful cookbook. Very easy to understand her directions and the food photos are gorgeous.. i just became a whole foods person. I am excited to start making these recipes. Buy for your self, or buy as a gift for someone. It is a beautiful cookbook. Educational for a newbie like me. I love this book.

I own a few hundred cookbooks but only a dozen or so are favorites that live on my kitchen shelf. At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen has quickly earned a spot in that group. From the quality of the paper to the gorgeous photography and the fantastic recipes, I love everything about it! To me, this book is an invitation to engage in the nourishing rituals of shopping for quality ingredients (whole, seasonal, local, organic) and preparing them in a way that delivers maximum taste and health benefits. Amy Chaplin’s professional background shines through these pages: her experience as a chef, recipe developer and teacher is evident in the perfectly composed recipes and the clear, concise instructions. The first part of the book offers thoughtful, well-edited sections on ingredients, equipment, and techniques, where Amy shares a cooking philosophy that is gentle for our health and for the planet: practical strategies to reduce plastic use; methods for soaking and preparing grains, beans and nuts; etc. This is followed by more than 150 inspiring recipes that comprise a nice balance of simple, quick recipes for busy days and recipes that require more time or involve several components. Throughout the book Amy offers several suggestions for meal/menu composition and I especially enjoyed her description of “A week of meals in my kitchen.” There are also many great tips that will enhance my cooking skills; for example, Amy suggests adding an umeboshi plum instead of salt when cooking rice and the result is indeed very good. My copy of the book arrived with the cool fall weather and in the last week I have enjoyed making several comforting recipes: *Millet Cauliflower Mash *Superfood Oatmeal with Goji Berries, Chia, and Mulberries *French Lentil Soup with Rosemary, Squash, and Rainbow Chard *Greens and Grains Roll with Avocado and Carrot Dipping Sauce *Creamy Cauliflower and Celery Root Soup with Roasted Shiitakes *Chocolate Pots de Crème Everything was exquisite and I look forward to cooking and eating my way through this delightful book!

Großer Fan der Autorin und bringt die ganzheitliche Küche in tollen Rezepten zusammen. Manchmal sind nicht alle Zutaten einfach zu finden und man muss zB in den Bio-Laden fahren. Aber das zeigt auch, wie eingeschränkt mein Verständnis von Lebensmitteln war bevor ich das Buch gekauft habe. Es hat nachhaltig mein Kochen verändert.

Toutes les bases pour tout comprendre, présentées de façon claire et avec de superbes images qui donnent envie. Principes testés et approuvés. Une femme remarquable, par ailleurs. Excellent ouvrage !

Gosto muito dos livros da Amy Chaplin. Receitas interessantes, poucos ingredientes. Boas informações técnicas

La cucina di Amy, prevalentemente vegana, a tratti vegetariana e qualche volta aperta a formaggi locali, è un incanto. Un incanto però con i piedi ben piantati per terra, un autentico desiderio di condividere e un senso pratico a prova di dummies (vedi il paragrafo in cui suggerisce come ripiegare se si cambia programma e si ha, come da lei suggerito, messo a bagno cereali e semi oleosi per il pasto dell'indomani) Questo libro, sorprendentemente goloso, è curatissimo, sia nei contenuti che nelle fotografie. Altri mi affascinano di più ma sull'isola deserta porterei questo e solo questo.