REVIEW: The Colorful Family Table

The Colorful Family Table
Author: Ilene Godofsky Moreno

I collect cookbooks. From a 100-year old cookbook for homemakers that seems to believe lard is a food group all on its own to a vegan gourmet extravaganza that intimidates me, I have a bit of everything. I won this family-friendly vegan cookbook in a Goodreads.com giveaway. When it arrived in my mailbox, it was a cold, wet, snowy day outside...so I sat wrapped up on my couch reading about lovely veggie goodness! mmmmm!

The Colorful Family Table is a collection of plant-based recipes to please both adults and finicky children. I no longer have young children at home, but I do have a teenager who thinks most vegetables come directly from satan. I think some of these recipes might change his mind about eating more vegetables and fruits! From wholesome baked apples to more daring fare like cauli-brocc tots (tater tots made with cauliflower and broccoli), I think he will like quite a few recipes in this book! My husband will absolutely love a lot of these dishes!  (My husband is diabetic and currently on a dirty keto diet to help him regulate his blood sugar/A1C and his weight). Let me  just name off a few: Balsalmic cabbage steaks, cheesy broccoli dumpling stew, stuffing hummus, smoky brussels chips, and meaty stuff zucchini boats....just to name a few!

The book is organized by the seasons, with sprinkles of helpful advice and ideas (like lunch box ideas, little recipes for extras like gravy, garlic sauteed greens, etc) here and there. All of the recipes have lovely full color photographs, and detailed ingredients listings and instructions.

This book could be useful to a vegan or vegetarian household....or for those who like to have an occasional meatless meal....and cooks who just want to add some pizzazz to their veggie dishes. The recipes are varied and all look really good! There are desserts, breakfast foods, lunches, dinners....all sorts of plant-based yumminess! The ingredients are simple.....most can be found at any grocery store. The few that might require a trip to a health food store are basic and not expensive. Nice mix of sweet and savory....and easy to prepare! Nothing intimidating or "weird'' ..... dishes that could easily be served to children, teens and picky adults without any eye rolling or exclamations about "Oh no....another weird vegan thing we have to try! Can we have a pizza delivered later?''  ha ha

This is the first cookbook by Ilene Godofsky Moreno that I have read. She's also published The Colorful Kitchen -- I definitely need to get a copy!

**I won a copy of this book from Goodreads.com. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.**