Good food runs in the Pollan family. That’s immediately clear when you realize that the new cookbook Mostly Plants, which refers to Michael Pollan’s most famous quote (“Eat food, not too much, mostly plants”), isn’t by him.
Instead, the cookbook was produced by Pollan’s sisters Tracy, Dana, and Lori, and his mother, Corky.
The result is a collection of 101 “flexitarian” recipes that emphasizes filling your plate with fresh, whole foods and teaches you how to do that in seriously delicious ways.
“This book is not about what you need to remove from your diet, meat or otherwise,” the Pollan women say. “We want to focus on what you can add to it: more healthy whole grains, beans, and fresh produce.”
They start by letting you into their kitchens, with a guide to choosing produce, seafood, poultry, and meat, a list of pantry and kitchen utensil staples, and stove-tested kitchen advice and shortcuts. One of the best features is a section called “tips to make any dish taste better,” where they troubleshoot your cooking. Is the dish too sweet? Add this. Is it too spicy? Add this.
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The Mostly Plants Recipes
Then, they present the plant-forward recipes, all of which are marked vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, and our favorite…fast! There are vegetarian, seafood, and meat mains, salads, soups, sweets, and a whole chapter of burgers, patties, and sandwiches.
Like this recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Burgers, which will easily become a summer grilling go-to.
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These burgers perfectly encapsulate the Mostly Plants ethos. They’re made with fresh, whole foods and are deliciously simple. And sure, they’re burgers with meat involved, but they’re also stuffed with zucchini and fresh herbs.
Get the full recipe for Chicken and Vegetable Burgers with the Works, here.
(Photos: Nicole Franzen for Mostly Plants)
