Deliciously Ella Every Day

March 7, 2016
Thumbing her nose at that tempting vending machine muffin, blogger Woodward’s second cookbook (after Deliciously Ella) hopes to preempt last-minute snack temptation with fast, creative make-at-home solutions. By turns charming and practical, Woodward caters to the eater who wants to eat less sugar, flour, meat, and dairy. Like her Deliciously Ella cookbook, this tome liberally relies on dates for sweetness, buckwheat and brown rice for starch, and all manner of vegetables for wholesome sustenance. The recipes demonstrate Woodward’s knack for easy improvisation: the roasted eggplant and tahini bowl introduces black beans to the mix, while the spiced sweet potato stew combines miso and coconut yogurt. For the money, the greatest value is in the dessert and breakfast recipes, which truly make long-term health without deprivation seem doable: gingerbread cookies with buckwheat flour and coconut oil, coconut raspberry mousse made with avocado, and zucchini and banana bread enriched with chia seeds. A warm authorial voice and relatively simple recipes make this another worthy addition to the conscious cook’s library.