There are things I really like about this cookbook but it's not likely to work for a lot of families. First of all, it's based on the nutritional advice given in the China Study book, which basically studied thousands of people long-term and found that a plant-based (vegan), whole foods diet was best for good health and long life, along with avoiding added fat and sugar. As such, many people are not going to be that pleased with the recipes since even if it's called macaroni and cheese, if it's made with just plants and no added fat, it's not going to be like the gooey stuff your taste buds are used to.

All that aside, many of the recipes are simple and they tend towards real, whole foods. For instance, the chorizo (Mexican sausage) is made from millet, apple cider vinegar, garlic, Mexican oregano, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt and a pinch of allspice. Color photos accompany every single recipe, which I appreciate. The book is also written to be used with kids cooking the recipes too and being involved in the kitchen, which I appreciate.

There is no nutritional info given because the authors say that there are problems with the current system and instead there are icons showing what types of foods are featured in the recipe. I prefer nutritional information even if there are problems. Many of the recipes call for wheat (often whole wheat), which is not a good fit for gluten-free families.

I am not as hard core as the author or editor (the daughter of one of the authors of the China Study book) and would probably adjusts the recipes somewhat and use small amounts of healthy oils and other "cheats." With minor adjustments, I think many of the recipes would work well for our family but I have not tried any yet. I have bookmarked many to try and will update my review with those results.

My rating system:

1 = hated it
2 = it was okay
3 = liked it
4 = really liked it
5 = love it, plan to purchase, and/or would buy it again if it was lost

I read a temporary digital ARC of the book for the purpose of review.

Tons of healthful recipes in here, including ones that my kids like enough for me to make again -- hurrah!

What a Wonderful Cook Book The China Study Family Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Bring Your Family to the Plant-Based Table is by Del Sroufe. I found this book very interesting and easy to Follow with great Illustrations throughout.

I really wanted to like this cookbook. I am a firm believer in the results of the China study and have been a strict vegetarian for over 15 years. While the front section of this cookbook has some great information about plant-based diets, I am not impressed with the recipes. The photos do not make the dishes look tasty. I don't know exactly what it is about the photos, but something gives them a look that is just gross to me. I read through all of the recipes and only chose one ("spaghetti and meatballs") I wanted to make after seeing the ingredients and the photos. Even some that sounded appealing based on the names like "chorizo" and "grilled cheese sandwiches" I can tell will not be good based on the ingredients.

Great recipes that make sense and are healthy. Win-win for a cookbook

The China Study has always been my go to for new vegans and vegetarians. The fact they now have a family cookbook makes it even more accessible to the masses. Healthy food is for everyone and this new installment truly shows that there is delicious food for every age.

Some interesting recipes, but nothing that jumps off the page. A lot the recipes seem to be whole wheat heavy, which does not seem to be as popular in cooking. It will be a nice book to read along the china study though. I think people who are big fans of the china study will be anxious to see the cookbook.

This book is suitable for beginners (in the kitchen and/ or on plant-based diet) and specially for families with kids, as it includes a lot of information about how to involve them in the kitchen. Even if I don't have kids, i enjoyed reading about it and will surely come handy when we have little visitors to our place. The recipes are easy to understand and follow, nothing overly complicated. I feel that most cookbooks assume you know a lot about cooking and that is why our food doesn't look as in the picture (at best) or becomes a total failure (at worst) and this book has tips at the bottom of each recipe that really help avoid kitchen failures. I appreciate that a lot, as I don't have the time or energy to struggle in the kitchen figuring out how to make things work.

For those familiar with the book The China Study by Campbell & Campbell, it will come handy the "plant-part" category symbols used for each recipe (to easily ensure varied meals). I tried 2 recipes already: Chocolate pops and Spaghetti and meatballs, both were delicious and hassle free. Some recipes have ingredients that might be "exotic" for those starting their journey into a plant-based diet, but they are easy to find at the grocery store, as I said, this is beginners-friendly.

The cherry on the top: it has a lot of classic recipes like mac & cheese, chilaquiles, burritos, gravy, ramen, etc.

Hundred recipes which are plant based for the whole family.....

Yes! We need more books like this. Sroufe works to bring children back into the kitchen by engaging families to create and enjoy healthy meals together. Sroufe encourages a plant-based diet but even if you do not want to put restrictions on your diet this book can still be used for Meat-Free Mondays, during Lent, or even if you use this as a base and decide to add meat to the mix later. The tips for engaging children are great and include working with a variety of age ranges. There is a great balance between visuals and text. The recipes include many different styles of cuisine, leaving all palettes and cravings satisfied. .

My family does not follow a plant based diet, but I do think it is important to eat a predominately plant based diet. Finding recipes my whole family will like without meat is always a struggle so I wa excited to see this book specifically for families. I found a lot of recipes in the book that I know my family would love, particularly in the soup section. The only complaint I have is that there is a heavy reliance on whole grains which we do not eat in our house since we are gluten free. I can come up with gluten free versions of the recipes but I would have love to have had a gluten free suggestion along with the original recipe for families like mine. I recommend this book to anyone looking to eat more plant based foods.

I think this is an exceptionally well done cookbook. It has 100 recipes All the recipes have a "Note for the Cook" and at least one Recipe Tip. There are great photos. There are little symbols for each recipe I find really useful. Very family friendly.

Green Goddess Slaw has been a real hit at some potlucks this spring. I have a little herb garden in the backyard and the fresh basil can't be beat. We also are a big fan of Corn and Black Bean Salsa. It's easy to make and I keep most of the ingredients on hand. I make my own corn chips (page 86) and throw this on a big salad some week nights. There are some nice interviews with people choosing to eat more plants and whole foods, including T.Colin Campbell.

I like for instance this little recipe tip for the Caesar Salad. "Vegetable salads by themselves are not a filling meal. I make this salad a meal by adding 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas or white beans."

So many helpful tips. This cookbook was just the thing I needed to help me move forward with my new plant based life after following The Engine 2 Diet and losing weight. I was ready to branch out and have some new go to recipes. This did the job! I'm an especially big fan of the Greek Hummus Pitas for lunch work days.

Many thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books for a digital copy to download in exchange for a review. Highly recommended to all who seek to heal through a healthy diet and lifestyle. It has changed my life. Give it a try!

I love that the beginning of this book has a section about getting your children involved in the kitchen. He breaks down by age group and what tasks they are best to help with. It's so important to get your kids involved, especially if they are new to a plant-based diet. Experts say that kids are more likely to eat vegetables they grow in a garden and the same is true for cooking! There is also a section about oil-free cooking and baking which is helpful for people new to the idea. I really appreciate that this cookbook has a photo for nearly every recipe! I love being able to see exactly how my recipe is supposed to turn out. I would like to also mention that the recipes in this cookbook seem really simple, nothing too complicated. Many of the recipes look amazing! I am looking forward to making the Chocolate Doughnuts, French Toast Casserole, Black Eyed Pea Gumbo, Ramen, Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes, Chunky Monkey Cookies and so many more. Oh and I thought it was funny to see a recipe for chocolate covered, peanut butter-filled dates because I love making those!!

Love these recipes! I honestly wasn't a big fan of The China Study and it's probably because of the lack of applicability and all the scientific references. This gives you some great family recipes to try and make the vegan lifestyle work for a busy family. I really loved the author's discussion of how it was difficult for his mother and other family members to accept that they could not "feed' him the same anymore. So relatable! Love, love, love this cookbook!

I loved this cookbook and I've loved every recipe I've tried!
The carrot cake bars are divine and I love that this book meets all of my needs. Often I find vegan books but theyre still unhealthy or vegetarian but they use too much dairy for my tastes.
The china study cookbook is everything I needed and more!

(review to go live upon release.)

I like this book so much! The recipes are easy to do, taste great, easy to modify, and healthy. The China Study Family Cookbook by Del Sroufe helps people transition to a healthy plant-based diet. That's what I'm trying to do now, so this book gives me a lot of inspiration to make a healthy plant-based dinner & lunch!

I received an ebook of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

Here is the cookbook companion to T. Colin Campbell's The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted And the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, And Long-term Health.

That book is a wonderful read, and an excellent introduction to the healthy benefits of a plant-based diet. I was very excited to see this cookbook. Inside are recipes for breakfast, dressings, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, soups, casseroles, mains and desserts.

I feel like this book is aimed mainly at helping families successfully start eating a plant-based diet, as there are tons of beginner's tips, the recipes are simple and straightforward, and there are a lot of meatless versions of classic recipes like Spaghetti and Meatballs, Pepper Steak, Sausage Gravy, etc.

There are so many recipes trying to mimic meat, that while it might be useful for those changing their diets to exclude meat, yet still crave meat, it was a bit of a turn off for me. For those familiar or used to eating a plant-based diet, this might help round out any rough edges, but will not introduce many new ideas.

Helpful information included:
- how to transition to a plant-based diet
- age appropriate advice for involving children ages 18 months and up in cooking
- tips for beginning or new cooks
- tips on oil-free cooking

Memorable recipes:
Twice Baked Samosa Potatoes
Apple Butter Pizza
Baked Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Black Eyed Pea Gumbo

Overall, an excellent choice for those wishing to convert from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet. Great for families and beginning home cooks.

"The China Study Family Cookbook" is a whole food, plant-based (vegan) cookbook containing 100 recipes. It's intended for families, so most of the recipes were for 4 or 6 or 8 people. The author also explained how to get kids involved with making the food (so many of the recipes are fairly easy to make). He also assumed that the reader had little experience in the kitchen, so he explained things like knife safety.

The cookbook is targeted at people who are used to popular, Standard American Diet foods. He has healthy versions of hot cocoa, baked donuts, Mac & Cheese (with no cheese), meatballs (with no meat), and so on. The intent is for a similar taste and texture experience, but with much healthier ingredients. Some recipes did use gluten-containing grains or tree nuts (if this is a concern for you), but others didn't. There were pictures of the finished products, many of which looked very tasty.

There were also some short articles about people who went vegan, why, and how they did it when the rest of their family wasn't interested in eating vegan. Overall, I'd recommend this cookbook to people with families who are interested in adding more whole-food, plant-based meals to their diet.

I was excited for this book at first as someone who works hard to maintain a mostly vegetarian diet. Unfortunately, the recipes in these book didn't really manage to wow me in any way, or really have anything to set them uniquely apart from other vegan recipe collections.

I felt this book would be difficult for families transitioning into eating a plant-based diet. It seems that most recipes were very time consuming. The author makes a great attempt to offer recipes that are reminiscent of many nonvegetarian ones. But it just seems to fall short of doing that.
I received this e book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.