Book Review: A MODERN WAY TO EAT by Anna Jones



I have to be honest, I was really uninterested in reviewing A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones. The problem was the cover.  It's like a third grade book report cover.  When I think about the cover, all I remember is blond girl with a blue shirt.  I don't think, wow, I bet that's a great looking cookbook!

If you look Janet Fletcher's Yogurt, that is a beautiful cover that makes you want to see what's inside.  Maybe they were going for a more minimalistic cover, but then do it right, like Food52's Genius Recipes.  That's minimal, but beautiful. And the title, I don't know why but for me it has a weirdly condescending, Gwenyth Paltrow kind of tone to it...not appealing.  Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see what it was about, and I'm glad I did.

We have been trying to cut down significantly on the amount of meat we eat.  Unfortunately, most vegetarian recipe books either contain a lot of obscure ingredients I would never bother buying, or it's mostly salads or side dishes served in large portions under the guise of being an entree.  I remained hesitant until I saw that the author worked with Jamie Oliver, whom I love.  If he's going cosign to the recipes on this book, then I'm in.

Plus it helps that her food looks amazing.  I think I'll surprise my two maniacs with these Banana, Blueberry and Pecan Pancakes this weekend...



While the outside of the book is blah, the inside is beautiful.  All of the recipes have easy to find ingredients.  I like that everything seems so fresh and light, but I believe they'd be filling.  I haven't tried the recipes yet, but once my veggies start growing this season, I intend to go through all the recipes in this book.  Although, since I'm not growing Portobello mushrooms I guess there's no reason to wait to make these The Really Hungry Burger this weekend too...

WOULD I BUY IT?  Absolutely.  Please, don't let the boring cover discourage you from buying this book.  The recipes in here are original, interesting and not like the recipes I've seen in other vegetarian cookbooks.  They don't appear complicated to make nor do they involve bizarre, speciality store ingredients.  Whether you're vegetarian or simply need inspiration for Meatless Monday, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of A Modern Way to Eat.

Check out a list of recipe reviews from this book at Be Vegantastic!

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.