'A Modern Way to Eat' Cookbook Promises to Make You ‘Feel Amazing’
By Joanna Prisco
Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week is A Modern Way To Eat: 200+ Satisfying Vegetarian Recipes (That Will Make You Feel Amazing) by Anna Jones, a cook, writer, and food stylist who has worked with some of the best culinary minds in Europe.
The longtime protégé of Jamie Oliver, Jones cut her teeth at his restaurant training program Fifteen in London, followed by years of cooking alongside the “Naked Chef” in destinations as far-flung as Sydney beaches to American Indian reservations.
Along the way, she began to notice that her personal eating habits had shifted away from the rich sauces and meat-centric dishes common to many restaurant menus and gala events.
Warm Salad of Roasted Kale, Coconut and Tomatoes from ‘A Modern Way to Eat’ (Photo: Ten Speed Press)
“All my friends, whether or not they are vegetarian, want to eat more simple, seasonal, vegetable-led food,” writes Jones in the introduction of her book. “As the number of vegetarians in the U.S. slowly creeps up, the number of people reducing the amount of meat in their diet is skyrocketing.”
An outline for A Modern Way To Eat, a cookbook centered on healthy meals made from fruits and vegetables, emerged.
“However it works for you, I think we all need some new ideas,” Jones continues. “We are reaching a middle ground, bridging the gap between heavy cheese- and carb-laden vegetarian offerings and the nutrition-led green juice diets.”
With her collection, Jones hopes to offer a happy medium between the two.
“We want the best of both worlds, mind-blowing flavor that does us good: a stacked high burger that is super tasty but also healthy, a brownie that is devilishly chocolaty but boosts our energy, too, a breakfast pancake that leaves us satisfied but is packed with nutrition,” she writes.
To that end, the chef-author uses toasted nut butters in place of butter in cookies, coconut oil for buttering toast, and quinoa or millet in morning oatmeal, employing alternative ingredients only where they fit best and taste most mouth-watering.
Avocado & Lemon Zest Spaghetti, left, and Popcorn Tacos, right, from ‘A Modern Way to Eat’ (Photo: Ten Speed Press)
“This book deserves a home in any cookbook collection because it shows you how to celebrate vegetables, something we should all be doing,” writes celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in the foreword, praising his former pupil.
The resulting dishes range from Avocado and Lemon Zest Spaghetti to Warm Salad of Roasted Kale, Coconut and Tomatoes to Speedy Sweet Potato Quesadillas. Surprised? Preparing lighter cuisine doesn’t require heavy lifting in the kitchen, Jones promises.
“Though I cook for a living, I am also pretty impatient and want my dinner on the table in less than half an hour most nights, especially after having spent a day behind the stove already,” she writes. “I cook under the same constraints as most people I know. I don’t want too much bother or dirty dishes at the end… So rest assured, with only a couple of special exceptions in this book, my recipes are quick and won’t use every pan in the cupboard.”
Visit Yahoo Food throughout the week for recipes from A Modern Way To Eat.
Check out other cookbooks from Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week:
Modern Jewish Cooking by Leah Koenig
Oh Gussie! By Kimberly Schlapman
A Girl and Her Greens by April Bloomfield
