More Veggies Please! by Nikki Dinki

MORE VEGGIES PLEASE! by Nikki Dinki is a beautiful cookbook filled with “Easy Kid-Approved Meals and Family-Friendly Comfort Foods with Surprising Veggie Twists.” Dinki, an experienced chef who has her own website and who appears on the Food Network and elsewhere, offers recipes for more veggies at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus snacks and desserts!  The photos are gorgeous – very appealing, as is the friendly tone where Dinki encourages her readers to try classic, remix, and Top Ten recipes. For example, I am looking forward to trying Zucchini French Toast, Double Chocolate Chip Muffins (a top ten choice made with spinach and avocado), Grilled Cheese with Sweet Potato, Pumpkin Pasta Dough, and Eggplant Parm Meatballs.  In addition to a standard index, she offers a helpful, color coded Recipe Checklist where readers can track comments and rate each recipe. Plus, there’s a super-fun section: What to make with what you have … this is perfect for gardeners because it lets readers search quickly by ingredient (e.g., eggplant, cauliflower, pumpkin) and Dinki separately notes Freezer Friendly recipes, too. One disappointing note: she doesn’t include nutrition information with each recipe so while all those veggies may be healthy, some recipes may add on calories, like Carrot Biscuits which makes 8 biscuits with a full stick of butter and a half cup of heavy cream. Overall, a fun and inspiring text.