The Oh She Glows Cookbook

Here is another brand new gem of a cookbook, The Oh She Glows Cookbook:  Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out, by Angela Liddon of one of the top vegan blogs in the world, Oh She Glows.  I've been a faithful reader of Angela's blog for more than five years now and her creativity in coming up with new recipes always amazes me.  Angela's story is quite compelling.  She overcame an eating disorder a decade ago and put an end to weight and health issues through a vegan diet and lifestyle.  Angela's version of vegan diet is plant-based (mine back in law school was more vegan-processed-foods-based -- fake cheese, fake meat, and soy ice-cream anyone?).  Having become older and wiser I can't get enough of veggies these days, so Angela's recipes and all her vegan wisdom are very welcome in my kitchen.   So I was very excited when I learned a few months ago that Angela got a book deal and marked my calendar for Spring 2014.

The cookbook is finally here and it's everything I've been waiting for:  gorgeous photography (of the food and the author), one hundred good-for-you vegan recipes, an overview of Angela's natural food pantry, a run through Angela's favorite kitchen tools and equipment, a basic cooking chart, and a very informative introduction that details Angela's "journey to health."

The recipes are divided into sections:

• Breakfast
• Smoothies, juice & tea
• Appetizers
• Salads
• Soups
• Entrees
• Sides
• Power snacks
• Desserts
• Homemade staples (in case you want to learn how to make your very own Creamy Vanilla Almond Milk -- I do!)

This appetizer from Angela's book combines three of my favorite foods:  strawberries, mango, and avocado.  Yum!

Glowing Strawberry-Mango Guacamole

Makes 3 cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Gluten-free, nut-free, oil-free, raw/no-bake, soy-free, sugar-free, grain-free

Ingredients:

• 2 medium avocados, pitted and roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 fresh mango, pitted, peeled, and finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped hulled strawberries
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (optional)
• 1 to 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste
• Fine-grain sea salt
• Corn chips, for serving (I used Garden of Eatin' Sweet Potato Chips)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, gently mash the avocado, leaving some chunks for texture.
2. Rinse and drain the chopped onion in a strainer to wash off the sulfurous compounds.  This makes the taste of the raw onion more pleasant.  Fold the mango, strawberries, onion, and cilantro (if using) into the avocado.  Season with the lime juice and salt to taste.
3. Serve immediately with your favorite corn chips.  Avocado tends to spoil quickly, so leftovers won't keep for longer than 12 hours or so.  One more reason to dig in!