By Leigh O’Connor.
Wholesome recipes to feed your family and friends are what you’ll find in Sara Forte’s third cookbook ‘Around Our Table’.
With 120 seasonal flexible vegetable-forward dishes, this latest offering from the ‘Sprouted Kitchen’ guru answers the question "what do I make for dinner when I feel overwhelmed?”
This is Sara’s most personal book so far and comes from years of work on her blog and Cooking Club, which has provided insights into how people actually want to cook and what obstacles they face.
She shares her honest and unfussy tips from heavy-lifting sauces that can work for multiple meals to truly flexible recipes, tips on which dinners will travel well, feed a group and freezing options.
There are ideas for life’s big moments – meals for birthdays, bridal showers and to deliver to families with new babies, or sick relatives. The book contains sample menus for easy entertaining and make-ahead meals in an approachable, forgiving way that relies on a mix of homemade and packaged ingredients.
Sara and her husband Hugh live in Southern California with their kids, Curran and Cleo, and spend their free time at the beach, searching for the perfect local taco and sharing citrusy tequila cocktails with friends at their home – expect the recipes to have a SoCal twist!
Here are three great ideas for breakfast and weeknight dinner:
"Quite often in my adult life, I have found the need for an egg-dish recipe large enough for a group: Christmas morning, a bridal shower, Mums’ group, office breakfast and Father’s Day brunch to name a few,” Sara explains.
"Not to mention for those mornings when you need something handheld to take with you to work or school - slabs of the frittata are perfect between a toasted English muffin.
"Chorizo can be pretty spicy, so to keep it kid-friendly, we’re not using a ton here. You could use some cooked and crumbled bacon or breakfast sausage in its place for something milder."
"This is the quickest weeknight dinner! That is especially true if your sauce and slaw are prepped ahead. To be honest, shrimp is not my favourite, but my field research shows that many folks find it easy to cook at home and it roasts quickly, so here we are.
"Yes, there are jalapeños here, but you can remove the seeds to make it more kid-friendly, or even sub in mini bell peppers to bring the heat level down."
The batch of taco seasoning will make a bit more than you need for this recipe - multiply it by two or three to make a jar to have on hand!
"Make these tasty meatballs into a meal for company by serving them with smoky eggplant dip, some good naan and a green salad. Admittedly, the spices and condiments are crossing over a few different types of cuisines, but I think it works!
"Harissa paste has a bit of heat but is still passable for my kids, especially if I smash the meatballs into the couscous.”
This cookbook is like talking to a friend who has a little more kitchen experience than you and understands the obstacles that you are up against!
