I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This book is full of tantalising looking meals that are based for familys to enjoy together even if they are meat lovers. The book is based on swapping one meal a week but can be used for the whole week too.
The variety of meals are fantastic and include non complicated methods and ingredients that most people will already buy or be familiar with.
The book also encourages childrens involvement in helping to prep these meals.

This book has a lot of great recipes and has great sections, such as soups, pasta, one pot wonders and comforting casseroles. Even though I would love to see more photos in the book, I still liked this one a lot as it illustrates that going vegetarian (or have a few more vegetarian dinners) isn't too complicated.

The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook by Jenn Sebestyen is a collection of kid friendly plant based recipes for dedicating one (or more) days a week to meatless meals for ethical, health, or other reasons. Due out 19th Nov 2019 from Quarto on their Fair Winds Press imprint, it's 176 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

The author is appealingly honest about her background and her journey to a plant based diet. It's an interesting (and slightly humorous) read and I found her reasoning and honesty refreshing. She says quite frankly that her reasons aren't necessarily anyone else's reasons and that readers don't need to decide immediately (or ever) to adhere to a plant based diet, but there are respectable reasons for making one or more meals per week meatless. These include health, cost, environmental, and cruelty-free/philosophical grounds. Her writing style throughout is friendly, positive, and accessible.

The book follows a logical format with good contrast on the pages and a readable typeset. The photography, though not abundant, is clear and easy to follow. I would estimate a third to half of the recipes are pictured. The introduction and background (~6% of the page content) are followed by 11 mostly alliterative chapters (bountiful bowls, satisfying salads, perfect pasta, comforting casseroles, etc) which are grouped by type.

The recipes have the ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric measures in parentheses. Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. The ingredients are all easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store. There are also footnote hints for getting kids/family members (mostly kids) involved in the meal prep. I really liked the inclusion of alternative prep methods along with the family involvement aspect.

This is an appealing, well written cookbook with a generous selection of wide ranging tastes from world cuisine. The recipes aren't difficult. The ingredients aren't difficult to source or 'bizarre' and they really will appeal to a family aesthetic. I liked the philosophical background (we've been doing meatless Mondays for a while now) and I like the humor and fun of this cookbook.

Five stars.

There's lots to like about this plant-based (vegan) cookbook that promises kid-friendly, simple meals that even meat lovers can enjoy for Meatless Monday. Most of the recipes are pretty easy and use ingredients that families are likely to be familiar with and easy to buy. The photos are appetizing and most of the recipes seem pretty tasty. While you can definitely tell they're vegetarian, it's easy to forget they're vegan a lot of the time even though they rarely rely on fake foods (very rarely, they call for things like plant-based cheese slices). The author also does a great job of talking you through the reasons to do Meatless Mondays without being preachy at all, and gives you lots of information on how to do it at the start.

What I liked less -- there are not nearly enough photos for my taste. I really like to see photos of every dish. There's just not an excuse for a mainstream published cookbook that has color photos not to go the extra mile and do them for every recipe these days, or at least for most. Also, there is no nutritional information. This drives me crazy, especially for a cookbook that is 1) claiming to be healthier and 2) working to meet the needs of meat-eaters whose number one question is always "what about protein?". And speaking of which, while many of the dishes are quite high in protein (which is not hard to do with vegetarian or vegan foods, despite the myths), some really are pretty miserable in that department. The Vegan Scampi in Lemon Garlic White Wine Sauce is not only going to be really low in protein, but low in other important nutrients too. Canned hearts of palm and a little garlic, parsley, vegetable broth and lemon juice are the "veggies," with the rest of the dish being white pasta, olive oil, bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, wine and such. I'm guessing that's pretty low in most nutrients I want in a dinner meal for my family (and has refined, processed wheat as a main ingredient), but without nutritional information it's just a guess. It takes just a few lines to include information like calories, fiber, protein, fat and carbs, which is important information for many of us. Again, there's no good excuse for a major publisher not to have someone on the team run nutritional information.

All that said, this is a good cookbook and many of the recipes seem tasty and easy. It could make a great intro especially for folks who are new to meatless cooking or who are looking for some fresh inspiration.

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

This a great recipe book to add to your cookbook collection. I often go to Pinterest to try to find meatless monday recipes so I'm happy to know that I have other options to choose from now. The recipes are rather simple and you can make substitutions where needed. I enjoyed the photos as well.

Absolutely love the information before the actual recipes at the beginning of the book and that it does not sound condescending or know-it-all. Cannot wait to try some of these recipes out! Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful cookbook.

This is a good starter book for anyone wanting to add some meat free meals into their diet. It tries to offer something for everyone and consider as many different diet options as possible. The pictures that are included are beautiful and vibrant but it would have been better if they were available for all recipes. It is a good informative book with some good recipes. The layout, organisation and the format of the book is very good too.

Although this book has a target audience of families who typically eat meat, as a vegetarian I’m always looking for new recipe ideas and this book is full of them. From salads, soups and wraps to casseroles, pasta dishes, breakfast foods and many more, it’s full to the brim of great recipes and meal ideas. The photos of the foods look fresh and tasty and the recipes themselves are easy to follow. Whether you’re a meat eater that wants to cut down or a vegetarian/vegan needing new ideas, I would highly recommend The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook. My only problem is going to be deciding which meal to make first!

This really is a good book. I'm not a vegetarian but do like to make a vegetarian meal at least once a week. This book has lots of great recipes and best of all I found the ingredient lists to be quite minimal and mostly things that I would keep in my cupboards anyway.

I am looking forward to trying some of these recipes over the next few weeks. I love the layout and simplicity of the book in general

I definitely recommend this cookbook.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.


Where can you go wrong with this book? If you do nothing else this holiday season then grab this cookbook and do the world and yourself some good. This book will make you healthier....if you follow it. You can help the environment and do your part by eating less meat. Animals will thank you for it, and so will your wallet. It’s an easy concept overall that meatless Monday’s do some good. I did not know how it came about (meatless Monday) but the first part of this cookbook explains that....no spoilers.

What did I like? I felt like there’s a recipe for everyone in this book. Quick and fast recipes or slow and yummy ones... you pick. The book has many easy to make recipes and enough pictures to make you drool over a few.

Would I buy this book? Yes, there are some yummy recipes in this book that I would definitely make. I love making new dishes from someone else’s perspective, and these are easy to follow.

Thoughts for the author? Not a new idea but your doing your part in getting the word out...how to be healthier should be a goal for everyone. Thanks for the look at a wonderful cookbook!

This book has simple recipes and beautiful, bright photos. This meatless Monday book is vegan - as there are substitutes for cheese sauce (using squash) and other items that would possibly use cheese or eggs. I think this would be a great book to start with for families wanting to participate in Meatless Mondays.

I have followed a plant-based diet for over forty years so am always interested when a new book is published which may encourage and help others to do the same. The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook has over 100 plant-based, child friendly recipes, aimed at doing just this.

The book begins with the usual introductions about the benefits, essential store cupboard ingredients and utensils. These are the chapters which tend to make me feel a little chuffed as I tick of the items I have. But then there is a section on how to involve children, how to get them to change eating habits and it’s all good advice, well put.

As this book is aimed at those switching to plant-based, the recipes themselves are basic and simple to prepare and are indeed ideal starter meals. I would, though, have liked a handful of more adventurous dishes. The meal recipe categories are good icluding One Pot Wonders, Bountiful Bowls and some Sauces & Staples but not every one has a photograph which I think is a shame.

Overall, a good starting place for plant-based eating, which will be a hit with those who follow Sebestyn’s blog but I’m not sure will catch the eye of many. Of course, I could be totally wrong…

Thank you to NetGalley and Fine Wind Press for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book, which I have voluntarily reviewed.