Plant Power Bowls: 70 Seasonal Vegan Recipes to Boost Energy and Promote Wellness

by Sapana Chandra

Discover 70 nourishing, plant-based recipes to energize and fuel your body, naturally—from Instagram star, certified health coach, and Real + Vibrant’s Sapana Chandra. As a certified health coach, Sapana ensures that each bowl contains a balance of healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, and proteins—plus the yum factor! The recipes in this book honor Sapana’s common-sense philosophy for good eat real (food) and live well, and you will feel vibrant. Recipes are arranged seasonally so you can make the most of your area’s local bounty and eat fresh throughout the year.   • White Bean & Rosemary Crispy Potatoes Bowl with a Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce, and Roasted Beet & Citrus Bowl with a Pistachio Citrus Sauce• Sumac Falafel Bowl with a Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Sauce, and a Blueberry Mango Chia Breakfast Bowl • Roasted Curried Cauliflower Bowl with a Creamy Turmeric Dressing; Kale & Persimmon Buckwheat Bowl with a Creamy Cashew Sauce • Warming Chickpea Coconut Curry Bowl and Mediterranean Buddha Bowl with a Creamy Kalamata Sauce …But Sapana wants us treat ourselves too! She also includes a chapter on ice cream bowls where you can indulge in Blackberry Lavender, Pineapple Black Pepper, or Chocolate Tahini Fudge.   Not strictly for vegans, these recipes will appeal to everyone who wants to include more plant-based meals in their diets.

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Vegan, Vegetarian

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 16, 2019

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is hands down the BEST recipe book I have ever used. I bought the ebook so I can reference it on-the-go. I just realized I've never rated it despite using it for 3 or 4 years now???

I use this everytime it's my turn to cook because:

1. It's VEGAN!! It feels good in my bod, lots of veggies, and it's way easier to cook veggies than meat, let's be honest here.
2. The sauces they recommend??? AMAZING. I have loved everything from the mint chutney to an orange balsamic vinaigrette.
3. It's SEASONAL!!! It helps you eat seasonal veggies and feel extra good!

As someone who has made most recipes, love that I can add any veggies that are about to turn to the bowls, and remixes the recipes as I go but always know I have a reliable base - I LOVE THIS BOOK. 10/10 GO EAT YA VEGETABLES.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's subheading should be "my argument for unseasoned vegetables". This is how you make children and also grown adults like me afraid of vegetables. Just unseasoned everything: veggies, beans, grains, you name it. I can't stomach unseasoned, boiled potatoes. I can't handle unseasoned beans. They taste gross. I ended this book STILL with zero ideas for how to willingly eat veggies that aren't first smothered in cheese.

And also this author believes that soy will give you cancer bullshit so no thanks I'm gonna go eat my bbq tofu nuggets in peace bye

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a vegan but so surprised how many recipes are appealing to me. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to add WHOLE food in their diet.

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to like this book. The eaters at my house generally like bowls. I looked forward to all the vegan dressings.

But I made several recipes, and most of them were greeted by "please never again." We got tired of eating the bowls before we'd had enough fuel. Flavors weren't exciting enough, textures weren't varied enough, dressings weren't punchy enough. And it took a lot of work to make all the parts and end up with only two bowls (on the bright side, since we didn't like them, it was good not to have leftovers). And (at least in winter) I don't want a big pile of raw greens in my bowl. Especially not a pile of cilantro.

So after looking through the book again and realizing I didn't want to invest my time and taste buds in another recipe, this one's headed back to the library.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a simple, easy to follow guidebook on making bowls for healthy vegetarian/vegan meals. The recipes are divided into seasons which is helpful. The ingredients are not expensive and easily found at any market. The author states in the beginning that it is simply a helpful guide and you can change or add ingredients to suit your individual taste such as adding spices or substituting ingredients.

This was exactly the recipe book I was looking for since turning to the vegetarian lifestyle recently. The recipes are straight forward and easy to follow. The dressing recipes are also simple to make weather for making just for that dish or making in larger batches.

Bowls are very popular these days and a great way to eat healthier without complicated meals.

[Haley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite cookbook! I usually make two plant power bowls every week. I love the seasonal organization, and I love that there is a picture for every recipe. The bowls are very filling and flavorful, and they leave me satisfied and energized.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wide variety of vegetarian options for every season, and tons of dressings! Can’t wait to try the ice creams (Chocolate-Tahini Fudge and Strawberry-Ginger)!

[Brenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book as a starting point for ideas on how to add more veggies into my meals.
The author tells the reader you can adjust these bowls however you like - they don't have to be vegan. For example, there's a black bean and cilantro taco bowl recipe that packs in a ton of veggies! I added lean ground chicken with taco seasoning and some cheese. It was delicious and healthier than my usual taco salad recipes. Basically, you can add whatever seasoning or extra ingredients you want.
It's definitely faster and easier sticking to the recipe in the book (cuts down cooking time), but you can get creative with many of the recipes and feel good that you're incorporating more veggies into your diet.
The dressing and sauces are delicious! I loved the Lemon-Tahini dressing in the Winter Glow Bowl (roasted sweet potato, seasoned roasted chickpeas, kale, carrots, avocado, and pomegranate). I was a little skeptical on some of the ingredient combos in this one (I swapped the kale for spinach), but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I love the pomegranate seeds with tahini and sweet potatoes!
You could also easily use these bowls as side dishes. Lots of great ideas in this cookbook!

[Sarah Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is currently becoming one of my favorite cookbooks that I own. Everything I have tried from this cookbook has been fantastic and solid and quite delicious. The pictures are perfect, and each recipe is written well, tested, and easy to follow. A great, solid cookbook.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use salad dressings from Farmers Market or Whole Foods. Not enough time to make my own salad dressings.