Creator of Seattle's Plum restaurant group and former personal chef to Stevie Wonder offers a cook‑from‑your pantry vegan cookbook, with accessible recipes for the whole family, every day.

A plant‑based lifestyle has finally come of age and she is a beauty to behold. However, when you're vegan—or striving to eat a more plant‑forward diet—it can still be easy to feel like an outsider where food is concerned. Many people aren't quite sure how to marry their newfound vegan lifestyle with their desire for veganism to finally be simply good and fuss free!  In Simple Goodness, Makini Howell offers readers a thoughtful, familiar, good‑food centered approach to vegan cooking that is sure to please every palate at the table—from the most experienced foodie among us to the youngest.
 
Developed over her life as a vegan, from childhood with her father's guidance to a professional chef, Howell's recipes reflect a vibrant, layered, and accessible approach to vegan cuisine that draws on the many cultural influences that make up the rich American landscape—from nostalgic, like the Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Pie, to comforting, like the Slow Cooker “Chicken” Noodle Soup, to exciting, like the Salvadorian stew‑filled pot pies. They are satisfying, fill up a full plate, and feed a group, with organization that follows a natural progression from snacks and breakfasts to lunches and weeknight dinners. Simple Goodness is aimed at home cooks who are experimenting with a vegan diet, cooking for friends and family who are discovering vegan food, and with a sweet nod to the little people in your life. These recipes will give you a deeply satisfying and delicious start‑to‑finish plant‑based meal at home. As you cook your way through these recipes, you—and those you lovingly feed—will ease into a lighter, plant‑forward diet without sacrificing flavor, texture, or that vital sense of Goodness.
 
As Makini says,
Simple Goodness is chilling in the back of my boyfriend’s pickup truck with a Caesar salad and a bottle of wine at the lake. Simple goodness is a sun-kissed picnic in the park with bomb smoked tofu sandwiches. No need to substitute anything, it is delicious just as it is.
 
Simple Goodness says veganism is here, it’s staying, we have taken up space in many people’s lives and we’re deliciously not going anywhere.
 
Simple Goodness is taco night with chorizo tacos, cauliflower tacos, Just Egg tacos, all types of flavors and options that you can think of.  Simple Goodness no longer ask you please try veganism, it no longer says “I promise it’s good and it will taste like chicken,” because plants don’t taste like chicken. We no longer make excuses for veganism, we no longer explain veganism to you.
 
Simple Goodness simply says my plant based life is good and yours can be too—just use what’s in your pantry.

BIO

Makini Howell is a lifelong vegan, chef, restaurateur, community leader, and plant-based food advocate. She is the owner of Plum Vegan restaurants, Makini has had the unique opportunity to serve as chef to the stars, cooking vegan dishes for Stevie Wonder on his 2015 tour. She is also a culinary advisor for companies like Google, where she is currently developing new, plant-forward food programs. She is the author of Plum: Gratifying Vegan Dishes from Seattle’s Plum Bistro and host of the monthly TV show Makini’s Kitchen on King 5 News in Seattle.

REVIEWS

"Makini’s cooking will excite and satisfy you…Makini can teach you how to become vegan for the rest of your life if you desire. Her ways should be passed on from generation to generation, for generations to come.” -- Stevie Wonder

[H]  Hachette Go  /  December 03, 2024

0.95" H x 9.4" L x 7.67" W (2.02 lbs) 256 pages