Book Review: Martha Stewart's Vegetables

Back to my beloved cookbooks.

So much love for them.

I am on a kick to eat healthy at every meal and when I saw an offering from Blogging for Books to review this veg-heavy tome, I jumped on it.

Brussels Sprouts. Tomatoes. Zucchini. Salsify.

Salsify? What is salsify?

Well, thanks to Martha Stewart and her crew, I now know that it is a tasty root vegetable.

Fried Chicken with Puntarelle Salad

This book is filled from beginning to end with recipes, tips, and inclusions about all sorts of vegetables and ways to prepare them. Broken into categories such as Roots, Pods, and Shoots, each chapter delves into a single subset of the vegetable kingdom starting with The Basics: seasonality, buying, varieties, storing, prepping, cooking, and flavor pairings. From there, you dive deep into recipe after recipe for each type of veg.

Roasted Beet and Potato Borscht. Salt-Baked Potatoes, Shallots, and Chestnuts. Skillet Pizza with Greens and Eggplant. Egg, Asparagus, and Mushroom Stir-Fry. Rhurbarb Chutney with Pork Roast.

The delectable list goes on.

Each chapter includes stunning photography, easy-to-follow recipes, and little tidbit tips to guide you along your food adventures.

Smoky Brussels Sprouts Gratin

This book is all pros, for the most part. A few cons that don't really diminish the experience, but nonetheless, are noteworthy: many of the plant-based photos don't include the names of what's in the photo, so it leaves the reader guessing if they've never come across something like salsify; a large majority of the recipes feature meats or sweets or pasta, so the veggies aren't always the star of the show - something I had expected with a title like Vegetables. 

But, all in all, a really lovely book filled with recipes to inspire vegetable lovers, adventurous eaters, and those trying to broaden their palate and plate. What a lovely offering. Thanks, Martha.

FEATURED CONTENTS:

• Bulbs ~ garlic, leeks, onions, ramps, scallions, shallots, spring onions
• Roots ~ beets, carrots, celery root, jicama, parsnips, radishes, rutabaga, salsify, turnips
• Tubers ~ jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, sweet potatoes
• Greens ~ beet greens, bok choy, broccoli rabe, chard, collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens
• Stalks & Stems ~ asparagus, celery, fennel, kohlrabi, rhubarb
• Pods ~ edamame, english peas, fava beans, green beans, okra, shell beans, snap peas, snow peas
• Shoots ~ fiddlehead ferns, microgreens, pea shoots, sprouts
• Leaves ~ cabbages, chicories, endives, lettuces, spinach, spring and wild greens
• Flowers & Buds ~ artichokes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chive blossoms, edible flowers, squash blossoms
• Fruits ~ avocados, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers and chiles, summer squashes, tomatillos, tomatoes, winter squashes
• Kernels ~ corn

Zucchini "Pasta" Primavera

*This book was given to me in exchange for an honest review. I'm totally being honest about always being honest, especially about books.