Simply Laura Lea: Balanced Recipes for Everyday Living Hardcover – Illustrated, April 7, 2020

Y'all order this cookbook, STAT. I implore you! I preordered it back in the Fall and she sent out some recipes early so despite getting this cookbook just a few days ago, I've had the chance to make a few items from it including the buffalo cauliflower hummus, the double chocolate avocado blender muffins, the hungry girl cookies, and the pumpkin spice cake. I've also made a ton of recipes from her blog and her first cookbook. Let me just tell you...they are all phenomenal. Alas, what's most amazing about this cookbook is the THOUGHTFULNESS of it. Since I've been making her recipes for a while, I have a ton of her staples already stocked in my pantry and fridge (think nutritional yeast, miso paste, almond flour) so when I went through the book, I literally will pretty much just have to get the fresh veggies & fruit or anything chilled like tofu or tempeh to make the desired recipe. I own a million cookbooks all w/ delicious recipes, but I don't make a fraction of them b/c I would have to buy a multitude of random ingredients (many not even available at most grocery stores) and whatever I don't use of said ingredient would go bad before I used it up. Therefore, her streamlining makes this cookbook so accessible, smart and economical! Also, I'm vegetarian and can't eat any cow dairy and there are SO many recipes for me to make in here! She said people requested more veg/vegan dishes and she definitely delivered. I could not be more grateful. Also, she gives a ton of alternatives if you want to make a vegetarian recipe vegan. The only recipe I struggled a bit with was the pumpkin spice cake and here's why...the cake was great, but I subbed vegan cream cheese for the regular cream cheese and I think I should have let it come to room temp before mixing with the butter. I actually have a degree in baking and pastry arts from the Culinary Institute of America and I do think the having the traditional cream cheese cold with the room temp butter would have worked, but since I subbed the alternative, it ended up lumpy despite perpetual mixing. Otherwise, I've had grand success with all of her recipes...specifically the hungry girl cookies are TO DIE FOR! My sis is GF and is beyond obsessed with them. Oh, I meant to mention that the only pantry item I've had to get is Frank's RedHot which seems so random, but her explanation of why she uses it is so logical and, actually, a bit genius. Buy the book so you can discover why!! Thank you, LL, for bringing such delicious and nutritious food into my kitchen and belly!!

I discovered LL about a year ago. I made quick work of her first cookbook and was totally blown away as nearly every recipe had me and my husband exclaiming how delicious the food was without sacrificing nutrition. I've probably made 70-80% of the recipes in the first cookbook and totally credit it with helping me branch out of the traditional breakfast world of boring oatmeal.Anyway, this review is about this 2nd book which so far has been equally amazing. I honestly didn't think it would be able to compete with the first but so far I've made 5-7 dishes from it and all have been just as stellar. The others look equally amazing and I now have zero doubts that LL has delivered another home run.I'm all about the quality of the food (which she nails) but the book is also gorgeous, amazing photos, clear instructions (and LOVE that she suggests sides for all entrees), lots of helpful tips, pantry notes, ingredient highlights, and scores of sauces, etc. to add to your arsenal. Worth the money at least 10x over. I almost exclusively cook from her two books now. Also love the Run Fast East Slow cookbooks and Thug Kitchen books. All amazing!

This book is not only stunningly beautiful - it's incredibly useful and so enjoyable! It's very apparent that Laura Lea poured so much time, work, and love into every detail of this book. If you're new to some of the alternative/healthier ingredients, (or already love them), this book is for you. It contains a perfect, thoughtful guide to oils, flour, dairy and non-dairy, sweeteners, trendy foods and equipment... plus brilliant tips and tricks for the home chef at any level. Full of creative and delicious ways to cook with nutrient dense, whole foods- this book is a true investment in your health. I am the owner of a private chef company that has been cooking LL's recipes for over 5 years for our clients (and ourselves!) and this new book certainly doesn't disappoint!

I felt the need to use my husband’s account to write this review. I’ve been a big fan of Laura Lea since her last book. I’ve made at least 20 of her recipes multiple times and was very much looking forward to this new release. I wanted to wait to write this review until I tried some of her new recipes to give a fair feedback. This week I made six of her recipes and they were all amazing. Every night when we sit down to eat, it’s an excitement, just like ordering take out. Her recipes are so full of flavor. These are not your average recipes that require adding salt and pepper to taste. She makes very interesting combinations that turn out super rich and delicious. My 16 month old loves many of her recipes (this week he loved eating the One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta, Italian Marinated Shrimp, steak Bites cut into small pieces, and Italian Green Bean and Toasted Quinoa Salad). I find myself sitting here planning my meals for next week. The author reuses many of the ingredients that you’ll need to stock up (nutritional yeast, miso paste, tamari sauce...). I like this book even more because the author is trying to simplify some of the recipes without compromising the flavor. The preparation time would be the only downside for busy people since the meals require some different steps. However, there are ways to simplify, such as freezing meals and doubling some of the recipes. I hope Laura can continue coming up with ways to simplify the lives of busy families. Looking forward to the new books to come.

Excellent cookbook, Laura Lea has done it again, I have both of her books and couldn’t be more satisfied, every recipe that I have tried did not disappoint. Thank you!