Plant-based diets are a wonderful way to protect the planet, but fruits and vegetables still have carbon footprints, and often the parts we throw away or compost are the most nutritious and delicious bits. Ellen Tout, sustainability expert and dedicated vegan, is passionate about maximizing the benefits of veganism, and through just a few simple tips, tricks and ingenious recipes she can revolutionize the way you cook.

Transform banana skins into pulled ”pork”; make amazing vegan butter from the liquid in a can of chickpeas; give new life to leftover wine by making your own vinegar; forget everything you knew about kiwi by whipping up a batch of ”whole kiwi” salsa for tacos. Arranged alphabetically, not only does each section include internationally-inspired recipes, but also tried-and-tested, environmentally-friendly alternatives to household cleaning, beauty products, and pet food. Dye fabrics pink with avocado skins; or transform a coconut half into a houseplant pot. ”Compleat recipes” show how to make dishes that use every part of the ingredient, such as Pumpkin Pie with Caramelized Seeds or Carrot Top Tabouleh, while techniques such as pickling, fermenting and off-cuts broths can save pretty much anything from the bin.

Whether you’re an experienced vegan cook, or just starting to explore plant-based eating, you’re sure to find inspiration from this encyclopaedic guide.

My Thoughts:

When I first picked up this book I was excited as I hate waste and love new ideas of how to reduce waste. This was the perfect book for me, I am not a vegan and I don’t think I ever will be but this gave me an insight into what I could do and should be doing to help combat waste. It is a really good book packed with lots of information but not too overloading, I can see myself coming back to the book time and time again. Compleating is completely eating all the parts of a fruit or vegetable, and in this book it is broken down into all the different types of fruit and veg and shows you how you can compleat eat. There are recipes, how to make it last, when in season and also the nutritional benefits. It is a very detailed book and I hope people that read it will be more conscious of what they are throwing away and I hope it helps the environment. This book is going to be a staple in my kitchen.

I received an ARC copy of this book for an honest review.

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