Andrea Duclos - The Plantiful Table

Praise for

The Plantiful Table

With inspiring flavors from Japan to Latin America, these recipes will definitely entertain the palate. Whether youre looking for vegan meal ideas or simply looking to cook more wholesomely for the family, this cookbook is a delight.

ALI MAFFUCCI, food blogger and New York Timesbestselling author of Inspiralized

The Plantiful Table is a beautifully crafted book filled with approachable meal ideas for vegan and vegetable-loving families. Andrea is a modern-day earth mama and her voice is warm and welcoming. Picking up this book makes you feel as though youre at her family table.

JESSICA NADEL, author of Greens 24/7 and Superfoods 24/7 and creator of the blog Cupcakes and Kale

With fun and inventive recipes like Hearts of Palm Patties and Indian Mango Pizza, Andrea Duclos shows us that plant-based eating can be something the whole family can get on board with (including the dog!). The Plantiful Table is a must for those looking to bring their family together to share healthy, hearty plant-based meals!

KRISTY TURNER, author of But I Could Never Go Vegan!

The Plantiful Table is a fantastic book to get the entire family excited about healthy eating and dipping your toe into more whole-food recipes. Dreas love for being a mother and mother earth shines through each recipe!

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN, dietitian, nutritionist and creator of the blog Nutrition Stripped

The Plantiful Table

Easy, From-the-Earth Recipes for the Whole Family

ANDREA DUCLOS

a cookbook from

To my parents, for believing in my potential.

To my daughter, for making me a better person.

And to my husband, for loving me for who I am.

I love you.

Welcome to my cookbook! Im Andrea, but most people know me as Drea. Im a lover of fresh air, hot sun, cool breezes, lush greenery, and plants. Lots of plants. Mostly eating them.

I didnt always feel this way. In fact, when I was growing up I hated vegetablesunless you count potatoes or corn, in which case, I loved vegetables. Okay, yes, I know that potatoes and corn are, technically, vegetables, but I tend to think of them more in terms of a starch and a grain, respectively, especially the way most people eat them these days. Either way, Im pretty sure I didnt eat my full daily portion of healthy veggies as a kid. In fact, I dont think I tried salad until college, and even then, it was coated in ranch dressing. Other than the broccoli my mother sometimes forced upon me, I dont think I ate anything green. Thankfully, change is a constant part of life, and I eventually learned, at my own slow pace, that there was a delicious world beyond French fries at every meal, pasta smothered with cheese, and pizza nine times a week.

Gradually, I opened my taste buds to more options. I tried and retried mushrooms, broccoli, and tomatoes. I know, I knowan adult whos scared of tomatoes! Let me be honest: Even to this day I only like tomatoes when theyre cooked. If Im going to have a raw tomato, it needs to be (or I would prefer it to be) a fresh heirloom variety. At the very least a perfectly ripe organic tomato. Does this mean Im still picky? Maybebut I consider it craving only the highest quality in taste. Ive been told that picky eaters make the best cooks, and I like to believe it.

These days, there isnt a fruit or vegetable I wont eat or at least trywell, except bananas (heres on that little quirk and how I get around it). Is this transformation a miracle or an earth-shattering story? No, but it is a good life lesson that, whether youre a child or an adult, even taking little steps, one day at a time, can open up a world of possibilities.

, that its a delightful balance of good-for-you and tastes-so-good. Just because Ive embraced a diet of mostly plants, that doesnt mean Im a stranger to lifes more indulgent, fried, gluttonous pleasures.

Besides being a tomato critic, pizza lover, and ex French-frytarian, who am I? Well, Im a blogger. (If you just cringed a bit, I confess that I do the same every time I say the word bloggerbut, well, thats what I am and what I love to do.) Its actually pretty awesome. Ive been at it for about five years, and as Ive grown and changed, so has my blog, ohdeardrea. Its amazing to spend my time connecting with people across the world who hold so many of the same loves, values, and yearnings to grow. I would blog for that reason alone.

As Ive shared my ever-growing appreciation for natural foods and, more important, my interest in helping families eat healthfully, my readers have helped me discover that, although I may not have a culinary school degree, you dont need to be a professional chef to create delicious, wholesome recipes that everyone will love. Through my blog, I hope to inspire people to cook more real, whole-food meals for their kidsadventurous eaters and picky feeders alike. If I make just a small difference in how a family eats, I know that it can blossom into much bigger, even happier changes.

I want to show potential cooks that preparing healthy food is not about knowing every last technique or about being classically trained; its about wanting to do it and then taking the necessary steps. Even one step forward is progress!

Whats day-to-day life like in the ohdeardrea home and kitchen? For starters, Im lucky enough to live in a bright, cheery house in South Florida with my beautiful family. My family consists of my husband, Alex, a talented chef and gifted bread-maker (youll see some of his contributions throughout the recipe section), and my toddler-kiddo-daughter, Marlowe, who makes delicious kale pesto, guacamole, and, thanks to my mother, now knows the proper measurements to make rice (but as Marlowe will tell you, Im not allowed to use the stove).

Marlowe is a vegan like myselfor vegan-ish, depending on how strictly you view the rules. We do eat honey, but nothing else from the animal world. You can, however, find dairy milk and cheese in our home, because, well... Alex. Hes not vegan or vegetarian or anywhere near those things. Are meals difficult for us as a mixed-food family? Not at all. With the exception of the late-night eggs that Alex sometimes fries up or his fresh mozzarella on pizza days, we dont make separate meals. I think were a pretty good example that meals dont have to be labeled as vegan or not veganits all just food.

Our house is sweet, and we enjoy living in Florida. Were always working on ways to improve our home and garden, and we try to spend our spare time outdoors, venturing to farms or botanical gardens as much as possible. I love the changing and learning that takes place as I grow with my family. I love the care we put into our food and our rarely rushed meals. In the summer we sometimes feel trapped inside from the heat, but in the warm winters we thrive. No matter the season, though, our life revolves around our vibrant space and the food we raise, buy, make, and eat in it.