Happy Herbivore: Holidays & Gatherings by Lindsay S. Nixon (Cookbook Review)

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Bestselling vegan author Lindsay S. Nixon brings “healthy” and “holidays” together in her new book, Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings, filled with easy recipes that celebrate and define our favorite occasions throughout the year. Whether you’re planning an elaborate Thanksgiving, a no-fuss dazzling New Year’s Eve party, an omnivore-approved potluck for Super Bowl Sunday, or a lazy Sunday brunch with friends, this is the only cookbook you’ll need. Including more than 130 recipes with new and old favorites, Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings guarantees you’ll have a healthy, festive, deliciously memorable meal—whatever you’re celebrating!

Twelve different special occasions are covered in detail with more than two dozen menus and detailed, step-by-step instructions, so your party planning is easy and effortless. Nixon’s fuss-free, fast recipes are also weeknight practical, so you can enjoy all her hearty main dishes, savory sides, and sweet treats all year long.

True to Lindsay’s beloved “everyday” cooking style, Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings focuses on using only whole, unprocessed plant foods with no added oils or fats, or wacky, hard-to-find ingredients. She makes it easy to impress guests while also celebrating health—and without breaking the bank.

Say yes to Portobello Pot Roast, Thanksgiving Loaf, Hot Chocolate Muffins, Mini Corndog Bites, BBQ Sliders, Cauliflower Hot Wings, Cherry Tart Brownies, Lemon-Rosemary Meatballs, Beet Salad, Banana “Cake” Pops, Mini Soy-Free Quiche, and more. With Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings, your healthy, hearty dishes will be the life of the party!

My thoughts-

By the sheer amount of cookbooks I review on this blog, you have probably caught on to the fact that I love to be in the kitchen. October kicks off my absolute favorite time of year. The holiday season is filled with family and friends, joy and cheer, celebration and lots of great food! I love to host guests at my house for the holidays and I also have a very large family that gets together for *the* biggest food holiday, Thanksgiving, and we each bring several dishes. Many of my aunts have their signature thing that they always have to bring (one brings coconut pies, another pumpkin pies, we have one person that always brings pea salad and another that always provides the mashed potatoes). Since I am of the younger generation, I do not have an assigned food so I like to try out new things. This year I am particularly interested in offering a healthier version of whatever I bring, but that still brings the great flavor we expect this time of year. I have many of the Happy Herbivore cookbooks so I was really excited to see that there is one focused on just holidays and gatherings. All of the recipes are mouthwatering. Even though they are vegan, they all sound like they would be fantastic and I know from experience making some of Lindsay Nixon's other recipes that they will be well received by carnivores and herbivores alike.  There are veganized versions of Thanksgiving and Christmas staples, but there are also sections devoted to New Year's eve and the super bowl, as well as an entire section on appetizers in case you want to change things up. There are so many delicious sounding recipes, I don't even really know where to start. I think that I may make the magic cookies first. They DO sound magical (and super tasty). I would recommend Happy Herbivore Holidays & Gatherings to anyone looking for a new spin on classic recipes or who will be serving vegetarians or vegans this holiday season.
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