Back to the Cutting Board by Christina Pirello

Thinking this would be a vegan plant-based cookbook to get some new ideas from I eagerly opened to find…just that. I also found that many of the flavors and ingredients would be difficult to find where I live in the Middle East. That said, the recipes were not difficult to read and would be easy to follow and the photographs looked tasty and rather oriental in inspiration with rustic pottery and dishes to display them. Many of the recipes look similar to meals I might cook at home using what is at hand…although the author’s kitchen has much more variety than mine does and she uses combinations of ingredients I have not used together before. This book also speaks about “The Five Transformations of Energy – The Dynamic Cycles of Nature” - yin & yang – earth/soil, metal, water, wood/tree, fire – not the ones I am familiar with. The idea for the title – her grandmother’s cutting board made by her grandfather – that stuck with me and will stay with me longer than anything else in the book.

Thank you to BenBella Books for the ARC – This is my honest review

3-4 Stars

Back to the Cutting Board focuses on vegan friendly recipes that are comforting and that can make a more healthier you. In the book, Christina Pirello shares some of her favorite vegan recipes that have not only made her healthier but changed her life.

Myself and some of our patrons are familiar with Christina Perillo and her show Christina Cooks where she demos her most popular vegan recipes and connecting them with a personal experience she shares with her viewers. The book was very similar to that but at first we were very skeptical because we do not have a strong vegan interest at our library but a HUGE comfort food fan base and delicious food fan base thanks to our Cooking Demo event we do at the library. After reading the book, I do now have an interest of learning more about vegan cuisine and found some recipes to try out such as the Sweet Onion Gallette and the Crack Potatoes.

It is also crucial when it comes to reviewing cookbooks that they must include photos of the final dish before/after the recipe and this book certainly does. An informative cookbook that could potentially start a movement and make everyone much healthier. That is why we are giving it 5 stars! #backtothecuttingboard #netgalley

#BackToTheCuttingBoard #NetGalley

Simple ans delicious. This cookbook is fantastic, it gives us back the power to create real and heartwarming soul cooking. An excellent idea of gift for this Christmas.

The best cookbooks are not just a compilation of recipes, but also a story of how and why the cook enjoys her craft. And cooking is definitely a craft requiring many more skills than most people have. I learned to cook because my mother did not cook. By reading and listening to my local experts...including all of the cooking shows on PBS...I can now say I'm a good, leaning to great, home chef. I have learned many wonderful ways to prepare healthy food from Christina Pirello's shows and books. You can too.

I am not 100% onboard with her sometimes unscientific nutrition information. Some of it is fine when she talks about vitamins and minerals benefiting the body, but then she also goes off on some pretty unsupported benefits and theories as well. I ended up skipping most of her advice sections because of that if they weren't directly related to cooking techniques. So definitely take what she's saying with a grain of salt. But, that being said, she's definitely advocating healthy eating that I can get behind in general. Plus her food looks fantastic. Plenty of pictures of drool-worthy food and great recipes that I've flagged to try out sometime. I've been a fan of her show for a while now and her cookbook did not disappoint in terms of food.

Macrobiotic meets Ayurvedic! This book contains gorgeous vegan, plant-based recipes with unique flavors. The recipes are moderate in difficulty and may include ingredients that could be challenging to find at your local grocery store. I thought the recipes looked healthy and full of flavor. I was however not in agreement with the authors' information on the five elements of food (earth, fire, water, metal, wood) however those interested in the macrobiotic and ayurvedic lifestyles will enjoy that information (and that doesn't take away from my interest in the recipes themselves).

I love discovering new plant-based cookbooks, but this one was NOT for me. The only part of the book I enjoyed was the beginning when she reviewed different chopping and cooking techniques.

This book is very heavy on the the philosophy of cooking, proven by the three chapter introduction. The author talks about the elements of earth, fire, water, metal and wood as well as certain ingredients and how they affect body organs which I fould to be a strange component for a cookbook. NOt to mention, the author has no medical background and I question the claims she makes. Sadly, the recipes were lacking too--only three that I would actually make.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. However, all opinions are my own.*

I picked up this book thinking I would get some simple, rustic, veggie-forward recipes - possibly for different seasons - and maybe a knife skill or two. This book is much heavier on philosophy than on pedagogy.
I’m a believer in the laws of thermodynamics so I can see where the “Nourishing Cycle” comes from; everything is transformation of energy. However, this is also where I start to get nervous about medical claims that are not substantiated.
“The dried daikon and shiitake travel deep into the body to aid in breaking down stagnant and accumulated fast in and around various organs.”
A quick PubMED search will show you that high dose shiitake powder *may* prevent visceral fat deposition in a rat model being fed a high-fat diet in a couple open-source international journals. That’s not enough to safely make this claim.
I can try to tell myself that people aren’t planning to get medical advice from a cookbook that’s not being marketed as such. Like me, they’re probably here for recipes and aren’t paying attention to the lengthy prose separating each section. (Hopefully.)
“Leafy greens promote vascular strength, helping to create strong red blood cells; they are rich in calcium, iron, folic acid, and vitamin C.”
“Arame, which is a great source of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals, will create strong vitality.”
Ok, sure. That’s the type of information that makes sense. Vitamins are found in the recipe ingredients. Cool. The organization of the book makes a lot of sense and the graphics for earth/metal/water/tree/fire are a nice touch on each recipe. The photos are absolutely gorgeous. Thanks to netgalley for and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

1/5 stars for medically questionable information
4.5/5 stars for recipes and photos
2.75 stars, rounded to 3

I was beginning to wonder, as I started this book, when exactly the recipes would begin... Be patient! Christina Pirello gets to them and they are worth the wait! Do read the beginning, tho' as they are informative and entertaining! As to the dishes- vegetarians and likely vegans will have a field day with these tasty dishes. I'm not, but do enjoy my fruits, veggies, etc... I look forward to fall just to try the Sweet and Sour Brussels Sprouts, Cracked Potatos, and Squash and Corn Chowder. Other recipes will do well for light lunches. I also appreciated the chopping tips at the beginning! I seldom use my food processor for chopping, slicing, etc. Give me a sharp knife and a cutting board and I am satisfied! Great book!

The author describes cooking as a peaceful time in her life as a child because of the love, focus on cooking and the silence. She enjoys cooking from scratch, and she even has a heirloom cutting board!
You are presented with a list of beans, grains, nuts, spices, etc to have on hand that are nutritious and full of protein.
There are explicit instructions given for dicing, cutting, making julienne strips, and shredding so that you can present your food in a variety of ways.
You will find such recipes as sweet root vegetable stew, (made with winter squash, carrots, apple juice, and soy sauce.) sweet and savory Brussels sprouts stew (made with shallots, dried cherries, organic corn kernels, Brussels sprouts, and arrowroot powder.) and spicy Asian coleslaw (made with cabbage, carrots, cucumbers, radicchio, scallions, and a Lemon - Spice Dressing made with ginger, mustard and brown rice syrup.
The recipes come with explicit and almost poetic descriptions, such as calming the body and feeling strong and centered. The author even describes how some of the ingredients are good for certain parts of the body. e.g.(Hiziki is so nutrient-packed, I call it rocket fuel in a cup. Loaded with calcium, vitamin C, iron, folic acid, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals, hiziki helps create strong bones, lustrous hair, healthy blood, and smooth organ function. In this salad, hiziki’s strong flavor is complemented by the rich sesame dressing.)
There are multiple soup recipes, the author even tells you how to make your own stock, this recipe for Pesto Vegetable soup using miso, red wine vinegar, pine nuts, potatoes, carrots squash and beans looks delicious and filling!
This is a plant - based cookbook, but by reading the recipes and learning how the food is prepared, along with the delectable photos, you will not miss using meat, and your appetite will be fully satisfied!

Wonderful book! I really appreciated the explenations and the recipes. I found the dessert recipes fantastic as I'm diabetic and that dessets can be eaten by diabetics too.
A very good book if you want to eat tasty and healthy!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC