Rainbow Bowls

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 18 DEC. 2023

Rebel Recipes blogger Webster (Be More Vegan) presents a cute, gifty volume of 40 one-bowl vegan meals designed to maximize flavor and nutritional value by incorporating a variety of colorful vegetables and fruits into one's diet throughout the day. The collection starts with breakfast bowls, divided into sweet (including matcha, coconut, and cacao overnight oats) and savory (such as spicy tomato hash), and ends with fruity desserts (plum, blackberry, and tahini crumble). In between, chapter titles seem arbitrary: "Restorative Bowls" include a cauliflower rice bowl which is "restorative and cosy" while the mushroom ragu with parsnip and carrot mash's earthy flavors land it under "Comfort Bowls." The rainbow theme is similarly loose, and some dishes—including charred green veg and toasted sourdough salad and spinach and tamarind green lentil bowl—are actually fairly monochromatic. Vibrant photos and an index of produce by color do most of the heavy lifting. To amp up the vegetable content, Webster focuses on bases of veggie mashes and pulses over grains like rice and pasta. Flavor profiles range far and wide: sweet potato–based recipes alone include both hearty sweet potato soup featuring Ethiopian berberi and cajun-spiced black beans with crispy sweet potatoes. Despite some flaws, this is sure to appeal to vegan chefs.