I’ve got a treat for you! Lindsay Nixon, aka “The Happy Herbivore,” is doing a blog tour for her newest baby book Happy Herbivore Light & Lean, and she’s stopping by to say, “Hi!”
This is Lindsay’s fourth book, and it promises not to disappoint. I own the three previous HH books, and I love them all. So when Lindsay’s publishers posted they were looking for bloggers to help promote HHLL, I jumped at the chance. Why not? Who doesn’t love delicious and easy-to-make, low-fat, oil-free, vegan goodies??
Happy Herbivore Light & Lean: Over 150 Low-Calorie Recipes with Workout Plans for Looking and Feeling Great is a unique addition to the Happy Herbivore family. This time, Lindsay has included a fitness component. If you follow the Happy Herbivore blog (like I have for many years), you know that Lindsay used to be a personal trainer. And, since being active is an important part of any healthy lifestyle, it’s only natural that fitness and food make an appearance in this latest addition to your plant-based book collection.
According to Amazon:
With easy, no-fuss recipes, the bestselling Happy Herbivore cookbooks show how easy, affordable, and delicious eating healthy can be. Now, in her latest cookbook, Happy Herbivore chef Lindsay S. Nixon provides recipes that put a special emphasis on weight-loss and a set of exercises that, like her recipes, are quick, easy, and produce great results.
Like all Happy Herbivore cookbooks, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean contains filling, flavorful, plant-based recipes that take 30 minutes or less to prepare. But this time, Nixon takes healthy to an all-new level, with low-calorie, satisfying meals that will help you achieve your weight-loss goals—and without deprivation.
True to its title, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean also includes “recipes” for your body with basic workouts, plus tips and tricks that will inspire you to move more for a trimmer, more-toned you. As always, Happy Herbivore Light & Lean recipes are free from oils, processed foods, and diet chemicals such as artificial sweeteners.
Happy Herbivore Light & Lean keeps it healthy, keeps it simple, and keeps it delicious.
Are you excited yet? Wait…there’s more! I had the chance to ask Lindsay a few questions. Here’s what she had to say:
VV: After four cookbooks, where do find your continued motivation?
HH: Contractual obligations with your publisher, I find, make one very motivated 😉 Though in all fairness I signed up for a total of 6 books freely. I had (still have) a lot of ideas. I’m one of those people who likes a challenge… a goal to work toward. My fans and supporters are also incredibly motivating. Everything I do, I do for them
VV: Since Light & Lean introduces readers to the fitness component of HH, are you going to continue to incorporate it into the mix? For example, are you perhaps going to offer fitness plans in the future?
HH: There are fitness plans in the new book 🙂
VV: With the holiday season upon us, what’s your best tip not only staying plant strong but light and lean as well?
HH: Have a plan in place. Have a strategy before you walk in the door to a party, hit the buffet line or sit down to dinner. If you want to indulge a little, great, but decide what and how much before you start feasting with your eyes.
I was really interested in the motivation part. I can barely come up with enough content for a weekly blog post, let along fill 4 (6?!) cookbooks with tasty and unique recipes and stories that keep people coming back for more.
I’ve got one last surprise for you. Lindsay’s publishers graciously agreed to share a recipe from HHLL, and I chose Meatloaf Bites. Why? Because I love meatloaf (meat-less loaf?) and anything that’s bite sized. Seriously. I can’t resist finger foods! (That’s tiny food. Not food made from fingers. (Hey. It’s Halloween. I don’t know where your mind is! Ha!))
Meatloaf Bites
Makes 8
Gluten-free, Quick, Budget
One afternoon I grabbed what I thought was corn from the freezer but later realized it was mixed vegetables. Once they thawed on the counter I knew they weren’t going back in, so I looked for a new, inventive way to use them. A can of kidney beans started calling, and before I knew it I had a vegetable-filled meatloaf in the oven. Since this meatloaf is baked in a muffin tin (great for serving sizes and portion control), I call it meatloaf “bites” and, yes, leftovers are great as a burger!
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp chili powder (add another 1 tsp if you like it spicy)
3 tbsp ketchup
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce (recipe in full cookbook)
1 c frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
6 tbsp instant oats
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or use nonstick. Mash beans in a bowl with fork or potato masher until well mashed. Add remaining ingredients, except oats, and stir to combine.
Stir in oats. Spoon into muffin tin and pack down. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp on the outside and fairly firm to the touch (firms a bit as it cools). Serve with ketchup, Quick Gravy (pg. 188), etc.
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[Note: I added the mechanical emphasis to make the recipe appear more consistent with the way I post recipes. I also added the color to make the recipe stand out. I didn’t want you to miss anything!]
Disclaimer: Lindsay’s publishers offered to send me a copy of HHLL for participating in the blog tour (but I would have done it anyway. I’m always happy and willing to help promote a healthy, plant-based life!).
Aren’t these the cutest?! See…finger foods! And that ketchup frosting? What a great idea!
Are you excited yet? You can pre-order your copy of HHLL here. Books are scheduled to be available at the beginning of December, but I’ve heard through the grapevine (OK, it was on the HH blog *wink*) that preordered books may ship sooner. Order now, and you might have a new resource for your [American] Thanksgiving meal planning!
Enjoy your Meatloaf Bites!
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Thanks for the review! I think I need to order this book.
I’m always surprised by what I find in her books. I go into them thinking there can’t possibly be anything new, and there always is 🙂
Sounds like my kind of cookbook!
I’m excited to check out the rest of it, too, Laura 🙂
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