Read about Thrive Foods!

I was given a copy of "Thrive Foods" to review and I have nothing but good things to say about it. The book was written by Brendan Brazier, a former professional triathlete and creator of Vega Foods, a line of whole food nutritional products. This is his third book and it's full of  referenced nutritional information and recipes. 

Because I am interested in cooking, at first glance my focus was on the recipes (there are 200!). In it you'll find recipes for smoothies, salads, soups, dips, spreads, dressings, snacks, breakfasts, main courses and desserts. I've made several, one of which I've included in this post. All were fresh tasting and delicious. 

A lot of the recipes are raw or low-temperature cooked foods and all are carefully created for optimum nutrition and taste. Brendan also includes recipes created by well-known chefs whose focus is either vegetarian or vegan, such as Tal Ronnen, of Oprah fame, and recipes from well known restaurants like Candle 79 in Manhattan, New York. 

This is a picture of the Black Bean Soup from Candle 79. It's like eating a bowl of fresh.

As a cookbook Thrive Foods is well worth buying, but it's much more than that. Brendan begins his book by highlighting the benefits of a plant-based diet. He provides information on the components of good nutrition and the nutrient-dense foods that provide them. He explains why nutrient dense foods are essential for feeling and looking our best, as well as having the sustainable energy we need to make it through the day. He also demonstrates how eating a plant-based diet is good for our planet, something we should all be paying attention to.

Now for the fun part!! Go to Brendan's Facebook page  where you can download a Thrive Foods introduction and three recipes! Or... you can pre-order Thrive Foods on Amazon.com. Believe me, you'll be glad you did!

I want to thank Cierra at Vega for the opportunity to review the book and make some delicious dishes!

NOW... Here's a recipe for you to try. It's Garlic Thyme Sweet Potato Oven Fries... it's quick, easy and yummy. Enjoy!

Garlic Thyme Sweet Potato Fries

Serves 2

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 T. coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds
1 T. thyme
1 1/2 T. coconut oil
1/2 T. basil
sea salt to taste

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into wedges or chunks. In bowl, combine the garlic, pumpkin seeds, thyme, coconut oil, basil, and sea salt.
• Add the sweet potatoes, stirring with your hands to make sure all the pieces are covered with the mixture.
• Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking tray lightly oiled with coconut oil; bake for about 35 minutes.
• If you prefer the potatoes crispier, leave in the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes.

Roasted Pumpkin Bisque

My daughter bought a new cookbook. It's "Totally Vegetarian," written by Toni Fiore, and there are some great recipes inside. Many of them are vegan and many others can be adapted. She's made 3 recipes from this cookbook and all of them have been wonderful. This bisque is the best! I only changed a couple of things. I switched out the sugar for agave nectar and added cashew cream instead of soy milk. So get to the store and buy a pie pumpkin before their all gone. Then try this soup. It's delicious! 

Roasted Pumpkin Bisque

One 2-pound sugar pumpkin

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 - 2 teaspoons rosemary leaves

Fine sea salt

Black pepper, to taste

4 cups vegetable stock

1 - 2 teaspoons agave nectar

1/2 to 1 cup soy milk or cashew cream

1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped chives

Sprinkle of nutmeg (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the pumpkin in half across the equator, not stem to bottom. Remove the seeds and strings with a spoon. Place the pumpkin cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast until tender about 40 minutes. Set it aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the pulp and place in a bowl; discard the shell.

Heat the olive oil in a 3 - 4 quart heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, ginger, and a sprinkle of salt. Saute until the onion is translucent and the carrots begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir well and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft. Remove from the heat and stir in the agave. Let cool 10 minutes.

Transfer the soup to a blender and blend, slowly adding the milk a little at a time. You may need to do this in two batches. Check the texture, which should be smooth and dense, you may not need to add the entire cup of soy milk or cashew cream, so do this to your taste. When the soup is whipped and creamy return to the pot and heat through. Stir in the chives, season with black pepper & sprinkle with nutmeg if using.Serve hot.

Roasted Buttercup Squash

My family has always enjoyed roasted squash as a side dish, but its usually coated in butter and brown sugar. So the challenge was to provide added flavor to the squash(because that's what they are used to) without the fat. Buttercup squash is a sweet variety of squash so that was a good place to start. I made two glazes and this was the one my family all agreed was blog worthy.

Roasted Buttercup Squash

1 Buttercup squash - cut in half, seeded, and sliced into quarters
Pam - non-stick cooking spray
Dry roasted pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with the non-stick cooking spray. Lightly spray the flesh of the squash and roast flesh side down for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip so the other edge of the squash will become caramelized as it continues to roast for 15 minutes more. Remove the squash from the oven and flip it onto its skin. Brush a layer of the glaze onto the flesh and roast for 5-10 minutes more, or until tender. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

The Glaze

½ C Balsamic vinegar
1T Honey

In a small pan, simmer the balsamic and honey mixture until it is reduced by half (15 – 20 minutes).

Note: You will end up with leftover glaze and its great on veggies or greens. If you can't find buttercup squash, you could use Kabocha or acorn.