PlantPure Comfort Food by Kim Campbell

PlantPure Comfort Food by Kim Campbell ISBN-13: 9781637742273 Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: BenBella Books Released: Dec. 13, 2022

Source: ebook review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In PlantPure Comfort Food, Kim Campbell—Director of Culinary Education and Development at PlantPure and daughter-in-law of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, the “science father” of the modern plant-based nutrition movement—offers comfort food recipes to satisfy a wide range of palates, making a healthy, plant-based lifestyle more accessible than ever. From enchiladas to pho bowls to buffalo pot pie, the possibilities for plant-based eating are endless—and delicious!

This third PlantPure cookbook offers over 100 reinventions of comforting culinary classics, including Southern Style Polenta and Greens, Lasagna Stew, Spinach Quesadillas, Chickpea Tikka Masala, Samosa Burritos, Pad Thai Zoodles, Sweet Potato Spice Muffins, Apple Cranberry Crisp. Plus, Campbell offers helpful suggestions on how to swap out flavors and ingredients to truly make these recipes your own, as well as detailed guidelines for swapping meat, dairy, and egg for whole plant substitutes in your own family’s favorite dishes.


My Review:
PlantPure Comfort Food is a whole food, plant-based (vegan) cookbook containing 100 recipes. This would be a good cookbook for someone new to cooking vegan meals from scratch. The author provided cooking tips and most of the recipes were pretty simple to do. The author described plant-based substitutes so you can convert regular recipes.

Most of the recipes served between 4 to 8 people and took around 20-60 minutes to make. Most of the ingredients in the recipes should be easy to get. She included 9 recipes for breakfast, 8 recipes for soups and stews, 6 recipes for spice blends, 13 recipes for breads, 4 recipes for sandwiches and wraps, 12 recipes for appetizers and dips, 9 recipes for dressings and sauces, 7 recipes for salads and sides, 25 recipes for main dishes, 5 recipes for InstantPots, 7 recipes for holiday dishes, and 16 recipes for deserts.

The recipes provided the preparation time, cooking time, how much is made, ingredients, instructions, cooking and tips and hints. Recipes were sometimes labeled gluten-free. There were pictures of the finished product for each recipe, and they looked very tasty. I've made several of these recipes now, and they're as tasty as the recipes I've tried from this author's other cookbook. They're full of flavor and have nice textures. There are times I think "that combination of foods doesn't sound yummy" yet it always turns out well. Overall, I'd recommend this cookbook to those interested in adding more whole-food, plant-based meals to their diet.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes, Volume 4 by Liese Sherwood-Fabre

The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes Volume Four by Liese Sherwood-Fabre ISBN-13: 9781952408205 ebook: 196 pages Publisher: Little Elm Press, LLC Released: December 6th 2022

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from NetGalley:
Arthur Conan Doyle's original tales include many references to everyday Victorian life that are no longer part of current readers’ world. What Holmes would have eaten from a can while searching for the hound of the Baskervilles, Watson's enjoyment of a yellow-back novel, or the proper use of a gasogene would have been common knowledge to the Victorian contemporary but compels modern readers to run to the nearest reference book. These twenty-four short essays pull such items from the past and expand on their significance in the story. As an additional bonus, this book contains an essay on the role of scandal in Holmes' cases. After enjoying these concise treatises on Holmes’ world, readers will have a deeper understanding and appreciation of both the times and the life of the world’s greatest consulting detective.

Topics covered include: The Pinkerton Agency, Victorian Firearms, Handcuffs, Gossip, Canning, Collecting, Ears, Stocks and Bonds, Yellow Paperbacks, Opium Dens, Handkerchiefs, Plaster of Paris, Seltzer Water and Gasogenes, Voodoo, Curare, Cocaine and Other Addictions, Freemasonry, Tweed, Leprosy, Whist, Homelessness, Chemistry, The London Underground, and Scandal in the Canon.


My Review:
The Life and Times of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of 24 short essays on the historical context of things mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories. Each essay was inspired by a comment or incident in a Sherlock Holmes story, and we're told where the essay topic is mentioned. We're given a brief history or background information on the topic. The footnotes show that most of the information was found online or in a small number of books about Victorian England, so you could look up much of this information for yourself if so motivated. However, it is an interesting and informative read.

Topics covered include The Pinkerton Agency, Victorian Firearms, Handcuffs, Gossip, Canning, Collecting, Ears, Stocks and Bonds, Yellow Paperbacks, Opium Dens, Handkerchiefs, Plaster of Paris, Seltzer Water and Gasogenes, Voodoo, Curare, Cocaine and Other Addictions, Freemasonry, Tweed, Leprosy, Whist, Homelessness, Chemistry, The London Underground, and Scandal.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.