Feel Good Kitchen: 80 Plant-Based Recipes to Boost Your Mood and Nourish Your Brain

Nourishing Amy blogger Lanza debuts with a poorly organized assortment of basic vegan recipes. The collection is divided into two sections of 40 recipes each: part one, “Healthy Brain,” focuses on foods that Lanza claims support cognitive function via “high levels of antioxidants, B vitamins, healthy fats, and omega-3 fatty acids”; part two, “Happy Mind,” features ingredients shown to support ”good gut bacteria” and improve one’s mood. Both sections are further split into breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Lanza doesn’t spend much time on the science behind either diet, and the plentiful overlap between them makes the division feel arbitrary. Chia seeds star in both “brain food granola” and “mood-boosting” Neapolitan chia pudding, for example, breakfast recipes separated by almost 100 pages. Cocoa powder, which has been “shown to improve memory and mood,” is included in a dark chocolate truffle recipe in the first section, while dark chocolate, a “natural mood booster,” is added to a mushrooms and lentil chili in the second section. However, the recipes themselves are accessible and nutritious, with curries, salads, and protein bowls in abundance. Vegan cooks looking to expand their repertoires may find some value in Lanza’s approach, but the awkward structure limits the usefulness of this ho-hum volume. (Mar.)