Dr. Mao’s Secrets of Longevity Cookbook

I love to cook and as a dairy-free vegetarian, I often feel that I do a pretty decent job staying healthy. Dr. Mao’s Secrets of Longevity Cookbook, however, proved to be an invaluable resource with tons of advice, vegan-friendly recipes, and detailed information on how to make every meal a bit healthier. Dr. Mao’s begins with an ingredient breakdown and examines healthy eating practices, including offering suggestions for substitutions that are healthier options. There are multiple menu plan suggestions that are really useful and enough vegan-friendly options that this cookbook proved really valuable. The first couple chapters are helpful at establishing sound dietary guidelines on subjects ranging from caffeine to dairy and from gluten to supplements. These are really helpful, but I loved the recipes as they made the suggestions much more tangible. With recipes like Vegan Milk, Dr. Mao’s Hot Herbal Cereal, Eggless Tofu Scramble, and Squash Peanut Soup, there are plenty of vegan recipes. Plus, with options like Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup, Creamy Sweet Potato Soup, Mango Avocado Salad, Broccoli Stir-Fry with Yam Noodles, and Stuffed Pumpkin, there are satisfying vegetarian options that are packed with nutrients and sure to please even non-vegans. I loved this book and the recipes, although really healthy, are tasty and fairly easy (no crazy steps or hard-to-find ingredients here).