Plant & Planet: Sustainable and Delicious Vegetarian Cooking for Real People

Delicious vegetarian recipes are paired with “practical, real life advice for a better planet” in this excellent collection from the folks at BuzzFeed’s Goodful. While they believe cutting out meat is the “most effective way to reduce your environmental impact,” the authors also explore other simple eco-friendly practices, such as buying seasonally and sustainably (“lean heavily toward fresh produce and pantry staples”), reducing packaging, and extending the life of food through proper handling. With a recipes section guided by the mantra “work smarter, not harder,” it will come as no surprise that meal prep here is king. Accordingly, unfussy instructions are on offer to make a week’s work of grains, precook beans, and roast veggies in batches. To save money and time, home cooks are offered a tantalizing selection of five-ingredients-or-fewer meals—including charred whole broccoli salad—and ten meals that can be made in less than ten minutes—such as mushroom scallops with quick pea mash, and caramelized banana and orange parfaits. Zero-waste dishes, including a glorious grainless pie crust with whole-citrus filling, zero-waste pesto, and vegetable scrap stock, are easy on the wallet as well as the planet. Home cooks looking to eat more consciously will find this immensely inspiring and deeply satisfying. (Dec.)