Wicked Healthy Cookbook Hardcover – May 29, 2018

I was SO excited for this cookbook. I have tried and loved recipes from the Wicked Healthy blog so I was really anticipating this cookbook, I thought for sure it would be the cookbook of the year for me. Sadly that is not the case. I got this book on the day it was released and have since tried several recipes. None of them were anything to write home about. They were either really bland or very garlicky (and I even reduced the garlic amount). While the recipes don’t lack for imagination they have definitely lacked in flavor.Another thing to note is that there are a LOT of harder to find ingredients in this book. I knew going in that there would be a lot of mushroom recipes since that is what they favor. So I knew some of those recipes, the ones that call for Lobster mushrooms and such, would be ones I would skip. Although I did order some Dried Black Fungus mushrooms online for one of the pasta recipes. That was probably one of the least flavorful recipes I tried.Here are just a few of the ingredients I think are hard to find or very expensive (at least in upstate ny): Black Garlic, wood ear mushrooms, lobster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, white balsamic vinegar, lions main mushrooms, Pok Pok Som Chinese celery drinking vinegar, maitake mushrooms, Banana Blossoms, fermented black beans.I am a pretty seasoned cook and these are just a few that I found hard to come by. For someone with less cooking knowledge or time there were a bunch of other things that would probably be hard to get.It is a very beautiful book and it has lots of good info in the front. I just wish that for a book that requires lots of the more obscure ingredients and quite a bit more work in the kitchen that the recipes would taste a little better.

My boyfriend enjoyed some of their online videos so I got us this cookbook, not knowing much about it personally. Every time I use the cookbook I hate it a little bit more.1. I've lived in multiple countries and have a pretty broad knowledge of food, but as others have stated, nearly every recipe calls for an ingredient that I have never heard of and/or have no idea where to find.2.Also annoying is that not every recipe has a corresponding picture and the name of the dish is obscure enough that I cannot immediately imagine what it is I will be cooking making me unmotivated to try it.3. Many of the recipes call for unnecessarily complex garnishes or plating that you would never bother with unless you were trying VERY hard to impress someone.Now, all of this would be excusable if I was being given the key to the most delicious vegan meals I've ever tasted. I will go to great lengths to make great food. This is not great food. The most I can say is that it's perfectly okay which is not nearly good enough.

I own a lot of Vegan / Vegetarian cookbooks, and honestly it does get to a point that they feel all the same with some variation of chia pudding, overnight oats and avocado pudding - so this is a refreshing add to my collection for it does none of that - nor is is preachy. The authors state simple, feel good advice - eat more fruits and veggies, move your body, reduced salts, fats and sugars and the wicked healthy food mantra that they have is the same one I was bought up with: 80% healthy, 20% wicked, so you live life to the fullest but have fun with food and eat in a way that makes sense.They begin with some basic food philosophies and information that is not at all judgmental, before a guide to what to have on hand - both food and equipment, and a huge focus on building flavors in your dishes. Then we have first bites which are small dishes or snack type foods, handhelds, bowls, straight up vegetables, comfort food, natures candy, wicked healthy juices and cocktails and finally sauces / basics. However another HUGE call out about this book is you can flip to the back if you have a certain dietary restriction and they group the recipes to meet that need: Reset, raw, whole food, gluten free, no added sugar, nut free, soy free and no oil - this is a tremendous resource for anyone looking to cook within these guidelines.This is not normally a chapter I would first flip to, but I loved the juice / cocktail section. On a hot summer day I am always seeking something beyond water or an ice cool beer, so they have some amazing coolers such as the strawberry/lime which are delicious and also a good healthy alternative drink for kids but they also have some great ideas for infusing and we currently have some lavender vodka infusing for their "love not drink" with lavender syrup and Prosecco!This book also has a lot of innovative recipes -nachos made with Brussels, kale Queso , smoky poutine, and how about 6 different ideas to make plant based "bacon " !! There are 9 options for an oatmeal bar ; a plethora of options for a taco bar, even a variation of a lobster role using mushrooms!! The other big call out, is there a not a lot of weird ingredients in these recipes, so most are easily attainable without huge cost, or a crazy shopping trip. Some of the recipes can be fussy with many steps, but the stunning photography shows an amazing outcome and it is my plan to update this review with pics as I work through them to note how challenging they can be - but some of the dips, drinks, sauces are remarkable easy.In summary, this book is one of the most innovative I have come across for some time, it features recipes not seen anywhere else and stunning photography to guide you, as well as being an interesting read. I cannot wait to work my way through this book and add some new dishes to my table!

Aside from the cover, which gives me the creeps, this is a beautiful cookbook. The format is great and there are so many creative ideas my head is spinning. This is a cookbook for the confident cook with access to speciality ingredients. I wish they had used more testers. I made the hot chocolate lentil and grilled asparagus tacos. It calls for black lentils which I love. The recipe calls for very little liquid and a short cooking time. The lentils need almost twice the amount of time they recommend and about double the liquid that said, the dish with a little tinkering was delicious. The brownies had the same issue, they needed more almond milk or water, and again the finished product was good with some adjustment. The other issue is the ingredients. I live in Eugene OR so I didn't have trouble finding what I needed, but many of the ingredients were expensive. This is a great idea book for special occasions. I'm sure I'll have fun with the filled pasta and the drinks look great too.

I'm going to echo some of the previous reviews. I was very excited for the release of this book and after getting it on launch I can confirm I haven't made one single recipe. It may not seem fair to criticize it despite not cooking anything but here are my reasons:- The cookbook is VERY much for the American market. I felt like it was very heavily advertised here yet the measurements are in cups and product suggestions are all American. I feel like this is something that should have been addressed by the UK publisher.- Not every recipe has a picture. Small annoyance but worth noting.- Despite the fact that I'm a keen cook, I felt a lot of the recipes are overly complicated and use a lot of different ingredients.- Speaking of ingredients, quite a lot of the recipes use things that are near impossible to find. They work with Tesco on they're wicked kitchen range and it baffles me that they didn't consider the kind of things that are actually available in UK supermarkets. I live right by a huge Tesco superstore which has a large selection of different exotic foods and I'd still struggle to find stuff there. They've only just started selling fresh shittake mushrooms! That combined with the suggestions of American products means you'll be making a lot of substitutes.Overall, I'm extremely disappointed. I don't think it's a good advert for plant based eating either, makes it look overly complicated. I bought the Bosh! cookbook around the same time and would recommend that in a heartbeat. Lots of delicious non nonsense recipes with easy to find ingredients.

this is a nice looking well made book, but should not be for sale in UK. I will probably never make any of the recipes from it, as nice as they all look most of the ingredients are just not available in this country especially not in Cornwall.

Quite disappointed with the book, first part not actually any recipies. Also one of the reasons I bought the book was an advert for a great looking veggie burger! In the book the burger is actually shop bought and just pimped up by the boys! Great to see more vegan books in production and this book will appeal tou some, unfortunately it's not for me.

I bought the book on the recommendation of a friend's mother, who raved about it. I was disappointed by the contents to be honest. Many of the recipes didn't really appeal. If I'd seen the book first I would not have bought it. The book arrived in good time.

All I can say is that if you want to find new delicious, easy to make recipes that even the non-vegans would love, then this is your go to book!I have already made about 8 recipes from this book and a few I have made over and over again. My son loves the King Satay (pg 70), without the satay (due to allergies), daughter loves the New England Lobster roll (pg 120), hubby always wants the Roasted Cauliflower Fagiola (pg 164) and at the moment my favourite has to be the Corn Dumplings in Coconut Corn Broth (pg 87), to die for!!!But as stated, I haven't even made a fraction of the recipes, but this cookbook is a definitely a must have!