Today I get to share with you guys an awesome new cookbook by my good friend Gena Hamshaw, Power Plates!
Power Plates is a hearty, power-packed vegan cookbook filled to the brim with colorful and nourishing meals. It is loaded with creative ideas for all your favorite plant-based ingredients. Today, I also get to share a recipe from the book: Sweet Potato Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Beans and a flavorful Hemp Chimichurri Sauce and/or Cashew Queso. (pictured at top)
This beautiful hardbound book is perfect for flipping through when you need some healthy-delicious inspiration, in a flash. Learn more about Power Plates, get an awesome recipe and more…
Sochi and MrWhite approved..
Raise your hand if you already know and love Gena Hamshaw?? Yup, I am guessing there are a lot of raised hands out there.
Gena has been in the blogging world for many years and has been pumping out some of the most genuine and heartfelt + practical and nourishing content for years and years. From recipes and life stories to special features like her “Weekend Reading” posts, Gena’s blog The Full Helping is definitely one to put on your blog-browsing rotation.
I met Gena, gosh, nearly eight years ago! Wow, time flies guys. We met at a blogging event in California – and we were able to connect even closer than the usual hello’s and goodbye’s of those massive brand-hosted events because we were both vegans, we both lived back in NYC (at the time) and we both had a history of eating disorders. Needless to say, I have been beyond lucky to have Gena’s genius advice, sassy wit, loyal friendship and creative talents in my life for these past years.
Power Plates. Power Plates offers up 100 nutritionally balanced, one-dish vegan meals. Every recipe contains key healthy fats, complex carbs, and proteins, which together make for a full meal — things like Macro Bowls (love those!), Warm Tofu chop Salad, Balsamic-Glazed Tempeh and Veggies over Soft Polenta and many many more inspiring dishes.
Check these beauties out!…
* Masala Lentil salad with cumin roasted carrots.
* Mulligatawny
* Sweet potato salad with tempeh and maple mustard dressing.
My Must-Try’s!.. After a few indulgent flips through Gena’s Power Plates cookbook, these are the five recipes that really caught my eye..
1. Creamy Brown Rice with shiitakes and peas (page 182)
This sounds like my kind of comfort-food rice bowl. I am LOVE with the idea of making a creamy rice using cashew cream. And the peas add a bonus of color, protein, texture and sweetness.
2. Kimchi Fried Rice (page 198)
This just sounds so freaking fantastic. Healing, warming, inviting, colorful – so many intense flavors in a sizzling skillet. And this fried rice is actually incredibly healthy.
3. The entire soup section. (page 101)
Maybe it is because it is still technically winter, but I am in love with the entire super creative and hearty soup section. It can be challenging to make soup into a beautiful meal, but Gena’s Power Plates recipes do just that! I love the look of the thick and creamy Tortilla Soup (swoooon!), also that rustic White Bean Ribollita and the warming West African Peanut Stew.
4. Wholemeal Muffins (page 50)
I absolutely adore vegan baking. And I am always looking for new ways to pack some serious nutrition into my muffins and loaves without compromising the delicious textures and flavors. Well these muffins do just that with their shreds of carrot, oats, walnuts, raisins and apple.
5. Deli Bowls with a smashed chickpea salad (page 169)
These Deli Bowls are so fun! I love this idea of adding a bunch of deli-style vegan salads and creating an easy go-to lunch or dinner bowl. The chickpea salad with scallions, capers, vegan mayo and Dijon sounds so flavorful!
…but seriously guys, I could barely narrow down five fave things because the bowls in this book all look so fantastic!
Who is this book for?
– If you are not vegan and just looking to add more plants to your diet.
– If you are vegan and looking for go-to one-bowl recipes that are nutritionally balanced + delicious.
– If you have no idea what you are looking for in a cookbook, but just really want to get inspired and excited about healthy cooking.
– If you love looking at jaw-dropping food photos.
– If you want a gorgeous coffee table-worthy cookbook.
– If you want to give the gift of health + delicious cooking to someone. Gift-approved!
– If you like eating delicious food.
So, get your hands on this book ASAP so you can see exactly what I mean.
And keep scrolling to get one of the recipes from the book!…
* Rice, beans, tofu and greens.
Get this recipe below..
Sweet Potato Bowls with Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Beans
(p. 145 in Power Plates by Gena Hamshaw)
I love every part of this dish: the spice-rubbed sweet potatoes, the rice flecked with lime zest and cilantro, and the tangy black beans enhanced with creamy avocado. When served over fresh greens, they add up to a perfect summer meal.
MAKES 4 BOWLS
SWEET POTATOES
3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and diced
11⁄2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika1 teaspoon ground cumin
1⁄2 teaspoon coarse salt
1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
RICE
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 cup (185 g) white or brown basmati rice, rinsed
2 cups (475 ml) water1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh cilantro
BLACK BEANS
1 1⁄2 cups (270 g) cooked black beans, or 1 (15-oz, or 425-g) can, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
Pinch of ground cumin
1 to 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 smallHass avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
BOWLS
5 cups (150 g) firmly packed baby greens, such as spinach, arugula, or romaine
Hemp Chimichurri Sauce (recipe follows) or Cashew Queso Sauce (recipe follows), for drizzling
Hemp Chimichurri Sauce
MAKES 1 CUP (240 ML)
1⁄4 cup (40 g) shelled hemp seeds
6 tablespoons (90 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
11⁄2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil1 cup (40 g) firmly packed fresh parsley
1⁄2 cup (15 g) firmly packed fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine the hemp seeds, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, oil, parsley, cilantro, garlic, salt, and pepper in a blender (preferably a high-speed blender) and process until smooth. If the sauce is thicker than you’d like, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to achieve the desired consistency. (Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, the sauce will keep for 5 days.)
Cashew Queso Sauce
MAKES 1 CUP (240 ML)
1⁄2 cup (65 g) raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste1 teaspoon chili powder
1⁄4 teaspoon smoked paprika3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) water
1⁄4 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Combine all the ingredients in a blender (preferably a high-speed blender) and process until totally smooth. If the sauce is thicker than you’d like, add another tablespoonful of water.
Ps. (Bonus points to anyone who takes a sec to give Gena a glowing review on Amazon. Us authors greatly appreciate that!)
Recipe reprinted with permission from Power Plates, copyright © 2018by Gena Hamshaw. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.Photographs copyright © 2018by Ashley McLaughlin
