Becoming Crunchy

I was absolutely thrilled to receive a copy of The Organic Family Cookbook for review – already being a big fan of author Anni Daulter from Ice Pop Joy and Bamboo Family Magazine, I couldn’t wait to see what she’d come up with for this cookbook.

Truly, my expectations were surpassed. I am a lover of cookbooks in general and I have to say that this one goes right up there with those 70’s style Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks in the category of awesome (have you seen those? They really are awesome… ).

The recipes, extra tips, pictures, personal stories – there is so much to be found in here. I could go on forever, but let me highlight a few of my favorite things…

Family

This book is truly a family cookbook. Anni’s 4 beautiful children are involved throughout the project – it’s very obvious to see how much inspiration they provided, even to the point of contributing recipes. Together with that, there are tips everywhere on ways to get kids involved – whether at the farmer’s market, gardening, preparation, you name it – I can’t wait to start applying these ideas with Bean.

Real

With ‘organic’ in the title, you know the ingredients you’ll find here are going to be the best. The recipe for banana bread really stood out to me in this regard – it was one of my first experiences in baking a sweet treat that used absolutely no refined ingredients – something I really was quite skeptical of. But truly – this was the best banana bread I’ve ever had – the flavor was amazing and I felt so good about what was inside! I’m actually planning on making this bread for Christmas gifts this year (a twist on an idea Anni shares in the book) and am so looking forward to sharing it with loved ones.

Flavor

Of course, all those real food ingredients make for amazing everything in this book. I’ve made well over half the recipes and been so happy with every one – as have Bean and the husband!

Some of our favorites have been the Bakery-Worthy Mini Broccoli & Cheese Crustless Quiches, the quinoa made both sweet and savory (Bodhi’s Warm Berry Quinoa w/Honey Butter & Simple Quinoa w/Peas & Corn), Austin & Cameron’s Pastrami & Bleu Cheese Melt (drool!) and of course, the Whole Roasted Herb Chicken with Roasted Veggies & Dark Chocolate Dipping Sauce (I’ve never made anything that made me feel so decadent!).

Several of the recipes I tried were ones I actually didn’t think I would like – I am quite picky but I was inspired to be adventurous (that pastrami sandwich was one of them!) and I was just blown away by how good it all was.

Easy

This, of course, was my favorite part of all. I love to cook, but I’m not such a big fan of the complicated – especially now that time is so limited as a working mom! Again, Anni stays totally true to the theme of family in this – the recipes are simple, ingredients are easy to sources, and the end results make it seem like you did all kinds of work – exactly what I’m always hoping to find in any recipe.

I did have a few minor issues – one is that this book is quite heavy on the grains, so if you’re grain free it might not be for you – though there are several grain free recipes that are really good. The other is that some of the recipes took quite a bit longer to cook than what the instructions called for – particularly the chicken w/chocolate – though I do have to say that this is something I often find with new recipes I try, so it could very well be my stove! It is just something to keep in mind…

Ultimately, I highly recommend The Organic Family Cookbook – it’s pretty much perfect for just about anyone – especially people interested on getting more on track with eating real food and/or sharing the experiences with their children.

Are you ready to do some organic family cooking? You can buy a copy of the book HERE (it would make a great Christmas gift!) AND you can enter for your chance to win a copy below:

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