Sunderani - The Two Spoons Cookbook : More Than 100 French-Inspired Vegan Recipes

I must begin by thanking YOU, kind readers and followers of Two Spoons. It wouldnt be possible to do what I love, creating plant-based recipes worth sharing, without your support. Thank you for choosing this book, visiting my blog, sharing my recipes with your friends and family. I wish I could thank each and every one of you individually, because your contribution has had a profound impact on the trajectory of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To my husband, Mitch: Thank you for your unwavering support and for giving me the title of best cook you know! Cooking is my love language, and it brings me so much joy to make recipes for you and our growing family. You have been my biggest cheerleader from the very beginning. Thank you for seeing my light on the days when I couldnt find it. And thank you for getting only slightly annoyed when I set the oven mitts on fire while developing my Pear Tarte Tatin recipe for this cookbook. I will eventually get around to buying a new pair...

To my mum and dad: Mum, thank you for running over at the drop of a hat with kitchen and styling accessories. I am so grateful for your constant support in my creativity, and I have you to thank for it. Dad, thank you for eating all my recipe-testing rejects. There have been many, and youve taken it like a champ.

To my talented friend Lauren Miller, who is responsible for much of the lifestyle photography and the cover photo in this book: You believed in this project before I even had a cookbook deal, and Im so happy to have taken this journey with you by my side. Thank you for bringing my visions to life and for telling my story through your art. And to my beloved and gifted friend Craig George, who is responsible for the Paris photography in this book. Thank you for capturing pieces of our life in France. I cherish them fondly, and its a great honour to share them.

Thank you to my wonderful editor, Andrea Magyar, who I respect and admire so much. You saw the vision for this book and gave me the opportunity to create it with your gifted team. I am a better writer and recipe developer because of you. A big thank you to everyone at Penguin Random House Canada who contributed to creating this book. There are many hands that touched it, and I am so grateful for your contributions.

A million thank yous to my recipe testers (and friends)! Im publishing this book with confidence knowing just how much you enjoyed these recipes. Im so appreciative of your honesty and feedback. To name a few who went above and beyond: Krystal (who cooked every recipe from the booksometimes twice!), Matthew, and Erin. Thank you, my sweet friends.

And finally, to my fellow Canadian food bloggers: Angela Liddon, Erin Ireland, Joy McCarthy, Laura Wright, Lauren Toyota, and Sam Turnbull, to name just a few. Im a forever fan of your work, and youve all inspired me in more ways than youll ever know. Thank you for lighting my path and sparking the flame to pursue my own dreams. Its an honour and privilege to be among you.

The saying You are exactly where you need to be has never felt more certain than it has while I was writing this cookbook. Before moving home to Canada from France, my husband and I hummed and hawed about whether it was the right move. Were we ready to say goodbye to the life we had built together in France? There were so many things we were going to miss! Our beautiful apartment with its Juliet balcony, the cobblestoned streets, daily farmers markets, and boulangeries at every corner. Heck, we could even bring our sweet dog, Penny, into restaurants! It seemed absurd to give up a lovely life we had taken comfort in.

Yet deep down there was a strong yearning, a voice inside saying, Its time to come home now. I will forever be grateful to that little voice that guided us back to Canada, for the next year and a half would prove to be the most rewarding and most challenging of my life.

Upon returning home, my Two Spoons blog flourished. In a few months, my Instagram and blog following soared, and partnerships with beloved brands came flooding into my inbox. Somehow, little old me was making a name for myself in the plant-based community, and my recipes were becoming ever more popular. I was able to transition Two Spoons to my full-time job and truly live my passion for making delicious plant-based recipes worth sharing.

Six months after moving home, I was offered the opportunity of a lifetimeto write this cookbook. Things were unfolding in ways that I had only ever dreamed of. In addition, that deep yearningthe voice that said Its time to come homefelt all the more sure.

At the same time that my business was soaring, however, my personal life started to unravel. The year 2020 marked the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which left the world reeling in isolation and confusion. There is no doubt that we all felt the weight of it. In addition, Mitch and I had planned to start a family when we moved home. Unfortunately, this was not happening as quickly as we had hoped, and six months later, my anxiety surfaced.

#Tryingtoconcieve took over our lives, and the rollercoaster of hope and disappointment was a never-ending journey. The idea of having a baby began to feel utterly impossible after so many months of trying. And then, my one-month-old nephew, Max, suddenly passed away, which shook our family to the core. It seemed like even when you could have a baby, you still could not really have them. Just a few weeks later, Mitch and I were medically diagnosed with infertility, and my anxiety cascaded into depression.

My close family and friends, who were aware of our struggle, would ask, Is it hard to write a cookbook with all of this going on? The truth is, it was my saving grace. This book was my light source, which brought me true joy in creating something to love during a time that would have otherwise been too heavy to hold. The kitchen became a place to lose myself in joy and passion. My book became a safe space amidst all the noise, where I could quietly feel that deep yearning again: You are exactly where you need to be.

I have never felt as sure of these words as I do today, or as resilient, as I make my final remarks for my baby of a book, then move my hand down to my baby bump that is starting to take form.

We do not always get to choose what life throws at us, but we do get to choose how we react to it. In struggle, there is learning to be had, and beauty to be revealed. I chose to pour my beauty into these recipes as my guide for joy. Fond memories of what-once-was were stored away to be treasured, and beautiful new ones were created. I hope this resonates through the pages.

All my love,

Hannah

Easily my favourite meal of the day is breakfast. From the moment I go to bed, I am counting down the hours to my next meal. Therefore, to break the fast, it has to be delicious!

This chapter has all the sweet and savoury basics covered from quick and easy weekday breakfasts like Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats (). Here is a beautiful collection of my favourite plant-based breakfast recipes that I am sure you will love.