Oh She Glows, created by Angela Liddon, is one of the biggest and most well-known vegan blogs out there, for good reasons: her writing style is warm and relatable, her recipes are simple but well-designed and her photography is breathtaking. After being a regular reader of OSG for a couple of years, I was lucky to meet Angela at Vida Vegan Con last May and she was just as lovely in person as she is online. So when the kind folks over at Penguin mailed me a copy of Angela’s new cookbook to review, I couldn’t wait to crack open this new title that’s already made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list.
When I first flipped through The Oh She Glows Cookbook, the most prominent feature was Angela’s trademark photos, which accompany almost every recipe (100+) inside. While reading through each recipe and headnote, I couldn’t help but smile while looking at each carefully crafted page that is packed with dishes that joyfully embrace real, whole-food ingredients and celebrate freshness, color and creativity.
Although there are easily 20 recipes I bookmarked while initially reading through it, I started off with making Angela’s Walnut, Avocado & Pear Salad with Marinated Portobello Caps & Red Onion. Simple in approach and ingredients, but well thought out in its combinations of flavors and textures, this salad is a breeze to put together, tastes fantastic and looks beautiful on a plate. After the shoot, Jeff and I ate every last bite, swirling around the last bits of avocado and walnuts with Angela’s homemade balsamic vinaigrette recipe.
Because I loved this recipe so much, I’m excited that Penguin has not only allowed me to share it here, but is also offering one free copy of Angela’s book to one lucky reader through this post!
To enter, just leave a comment below sharing the name of one of your favorite recipes from Oh She Glows or your favorite whole food ingredient, including your email or some way to contact you in your comment. I’ll randomly choose and announce the winner on April 8. (Shipping is limited to US/Canada only.) Good luck!
Congrats to Ashley, the winner of this giveaway!
WALNUT, AVOCADO & PEAR SALAD WITH MARINATED PORTOBELLO CAPS & RED ONION
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 2 servings
Reprinted by arrangement with AVERY, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © GLO BAKERY CORPORATION, 2014.
This salad was inspired by a dish at a local restaurant where my girlfriends and I meet for lunch once a month. With buttery pear slices, grilled marinated red onion, and portobello mushrooms, toasted walnuts, and creamy avocado, it’s a delicious mix of my favorite flavors and textures, and it’s filling, too. Each portobello mushroom packs in around 6 to 8 grams protein, so add one or two and you have yourself a protein-packed salad that will go the distance.
Ingredients
- 2 large portobello mushrooms
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 recipe Effortless Anytime Balsamic Vinaigrette (see below)
- 1 (5-ounce/142-g) box mixed greens
- 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 avocado, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) walnuts, toasted
effortless anytime balsamic vinaigrette (makes 3/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup (60 mL) apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons (45 mL) flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons (7 mL) Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) fine-grain sea salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
For the salad
- Gently rub the outside of the mushrooms with a damp towel to remove any debris. Remove the stems by twisting the stem until it pops off; discard it or freeze for another use, such as a stirfry. With a small spoon, scrape out and discard the black gills.
- In a large bowl, combine the mushroom caps, onion, and half of the balsamic vinaigrette and toss until fully coated. Marinate the mushrooms and onion for 20 to 30 minutes, tossing every 5 to 10 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Place the mushroom caps and onion on the pan and grill for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until grill marks appear and the vegetables are tender. Reduce the heat if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside until the mushroom caps are cool enough to handle, then slice the mushroom caps into long strips.
- For each salad, place a few handfuls of mixed greens in a large bowl and top with half of the chopped pear, avocado, walnuts, and grilled mushrooms and onion. Drizzles with some of the remaining balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy!
For the effortless anytime balsamic vinaigrette
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients or simply combine them in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake. This dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for at least 2 weeks.
Notes
Feel free to adjust this dressing to suit your own taste preferences. I tend to like an acidic bite to my salad dressing, but if you prefer less acidity, simply decrease the vinegar or increase the sweetener. Have fun and play around with the amounts!
Thank you for your beautiful review and kind words! 🙂 Your photos are gorgeous. I'm so happy you are enjoying the cookbook so far.
I hope we can see each other again soon…it's hard to believe the last VVC was almost a year ago now! xi
It's my pleasure, Angela! I cannot wait to cook my way through your book — it's so beautifully done!
I love Oh She Glows! My favourite recipe has to be "The Nourish + Glow Miracle Bowl". Such a wonderful recipe, simple, healthy and delicious. I can be reached at rajan.neeraja@gmail.com. Hope I win her cookbook!
It's so exciting to see one of my favorite bloggers come out with a cookbook! My favorite recipe from the blog is the Caulipower Fettuccine Alfredo. http://ohsheglows.com/2014/01/20/cauli-power-fettuccine-alfredo-vegan/ I'm always looking for ways to cook cauliflower and this was great.
Avocado is my all time FAVORITE whole food ingredient. It makes everything instantly better!
britnicroq@gmail.com
I love this recipe: http://ohsheglows.com/2013/04/17/banana-bread-protein-bars/?utm_source=feedly
Excited to dive into thecookbook!
Oh she glows is my favourite recipe site right now! it's exactly how I like to eat and cook, whole, gluten free, vegetarian but without pounds of incredibly expensive nuts or other expensive ingredients. simple good whole food! I love the cauli-power alfredo sauce. surprisingly rich and incredibly satisfying. I'd LOVE a copy of the book!
@julie_toole (on the twitter) 🙂
I love every one of Angela's recipes that I've made, but I especially love her avocado/basil pasta sauce.
@hannah_voss
Using Angela's recipes easily becomes addictive!! I have turned time and again to one of my very favorite pasta dishes, the avocado / basil, when I'm in a hurry but still want a healthy, yummy meal.
Huge treat having an all vegan cookbook that never fails to deliver the best!
I love everything I've made from Angela's website! My favorite is probably the walnut apple lentil loaf, or the avocado basil pesto pasta
BeccaMFerguson@aim.com
Bananas are so incredible in their versatility and natural sweetness. Can't believe I grew up not liking them!
veggieloops@gmail.com
Yum! I'll try this next. I have so far eaten the life affirming nacho dip, the power miso bowl, several dressings and the creamy avocado pasta – all of it delicious!!! Love this book.
So many great recipes it's hard to choose just one. I have really enjoyed the Taco Fiesta Potato Crisps.
They wouldn't be called "whole food," but her chocolate peanut butter balls are to die for. They're really not too sweet, and for those it might concern, they're also gluten-free:
http://ohsheglows.com/2013/12/16/peanut-better-balls/
I love Angela's Twix bars. And her edamame hummus! And her cauli-power fettuccine!
Pink Power Detox Smoothie! It's a wonderful way to welcome spring and spring colors back to this side of the earth!
Angela's recipes have helped me to finally make the transition from vegetarianism to veganism, and I feel like every aspect of my life has improved following my decision–I feel better physically, I know I'm eating even more healthily than I was as a vegetarian, and the accessibility and down-to-earth writing in every recipe means that I'm finally learning to cook, too, albeit in a haphazard kitchen catastrophe sort of way. 😛
I'd love to have this book to help me on my journey!
julia.s.friedrich@gmail.com
I'm not sure if it's in her recipe book, but Angela has the most amazing recipe for vegan oatmeal raisin cookies. Even my husband (a non-vegan) loves them! Our favorite way to eat them is for breakfast, dunked in our coffee. Sooooooooo good!
http://ohsheglows.com/2010/09/11/the-ultimate-vegan-oatmeal-raisin-cookie/
I've recently just started actually enjoying avocado, and now I can't get enough!
So far, my favorite recipe has been the Lentil Mushroom Walnut Balls with Cranberry-Pear Sauce. I'm a sucker for appetizers. I'll make 3 and call it dinner! She has an amazing selection. My favorite whole foods is probably raw nuts. What a great giveaway!
email : ffff.blog@hotmail.com
I love her chocolate peanut butter cups in jars recipe. I actually made them into a full-size pie, and after one bite by football-playing, meat-loving brother requested the treat for his birthday!
lucia.g.iglesias@gmail.com
My favorite whole food ingredient is either avocado, almonds, or quinoa…I can't decide! 😉
Twitter: @ClnEatingVegGrl
My favourite whole food ingredient is Pics Peanut Butter – its specific but its magic, and I seem to manage to find heaps of uses for it. I think its only available in NZ but that might be changing….naninnz@hotmail.com
I love the Italian bean balls with spaghetti squash!
Courtnee80@yahoo.com
My favorite would have to be the herbal green monster, though that green warrior she posted recently might change that. I've been such a fan of hers for a long time, her photography being the number one reason. When my carnivore friends start poking at my eating habits, I just send them one of her links. "Ya want it, don't cha?"
sysomi@yahoo.com
I love Oh she glows and really can't wait to get this cookbook! One of my favorites are her chocolate peanut butter balls…YUM!! katie.kaapcke@gmail.com
Love Ange, love Medjool dates.
I love Oh She Glows — my favorite recipe of hers is Itty Bitty Garlic Pumpkin Knots, I make them every fall! http://ohsheglows.com/2010/10/21/itty-bitty-garlic-pumpkin-knots/
Thank you for the recipe and giveaway! My favorite of Angela's recipes is her classic overnight oats.
I love Oh She Glows's avocado pesto! Also the butternut squash cheeze sauce!
Banana bread protein bars are a staple in my house! jessicactripp@gmail.com
My fave is Blueberry Vanilla Bean Pancakes with Blueberry Glaze…yumza! 🙂
I love her blog! One of my favorite recipes is the raw pad thai, it is amazing. I absolutely adore avocado, as whole foods go. I can be reached at DanielaN04@hotmail.com.
My favorite whole foods are mango, banana, and oatmeal. Love Oh She Glows and very excited about the cookbook! jillahood@gmail.com
Hi there! Angela is such an amazing resource for good and yummy food. I would say the Nourish + Glow Miracle Bowl is fantastic! Thank you for the opportunity to win her book:) hr@wynfordtwg.com
My daughter and I love making the Cauli-power Fettuccine Alfredo. It is so delicious!
I have to agree with my mom, the Cauli-power Fettuccine Alfredo is so good and we're making it again this week!
The photos look good enough to eat. I love soups and particularly like the Spiced red lentil, tomato and kale soup. rmlazan@gmail. com
I've been wanting this cookbook forever, it seems! I'd have to say my favorite recipe is the avocado pesto pasta.
I love her Green Monster shakes! They are a summer breakfast staple!!
My family and I love her Tex Mex casserole. tbaxendell@hotmail.com
Oh She Glows is the first vegan food blog I fell in love with. As for a favorite recipe, I'd have to say that would be her Butternut Squash Mac N' Cheez–it's the recipe that convinced me I could give up dairy and still eat some ridiculously amazing food. And, better yet, this food didn't leave me feeling bloated and gross afterwards. So thanks for sharing a rather tasty-looking recipe. And thanks to Angela for giving us a whole book filled with deliciousness!
Angela's blog introduced me to the green monster and really helped transition me to the vegan diet! I really really really want the cookbook!
The Tahini Lemon dressing is a constant go to, especially massaged on kale or chard. Never fails to wow.
Angela's GF crispy PB cookies is a family fave!!!
I love her carrot cake oatmeal recipe, though I usually make a lazy microwave version: http://ohsheglows.com/2010/12/21/holiday-breakfast-in-a-jiffy-carrot-cake-oatmeal/
brandy at nightstand dot org
Butternut squash mac and cheese! My favorite recipe and my favorite ingredient – butternut squash!
kellyreiners@hotmail.com
My favorite recipe on Oh She Glows is the Easy Vegan and Gluten-Free Pancakes. They sound amazing!
I love cooking with beans and nuts, and my favourite recipe(s) would be… basically every dessert ever done by Oh She Glows.
hodderdesigns at gmail dot com
Right now I think my favorite whole food ingredient is oats. They are great in baked goods, can be ground into a flour to be used as a base or thickener.
My favorite whole food ingredient would have to be avocados. I swear I can eat them on just about anything! 🙂
aimeesavon at hotmail dot com
Thank you for this wonderful give away. My favourite recipe is the caulipower alfredo.
dawne68grado@hotmail.com
I love the cauli-power fettuccine and for whole foods I love avocados!
Vegan Fajitas with Lentil Walnut Meat! lola_318 [at] yahoo [dot] ca
Butternut squash mac and cheese has to be my favorite hands down. Any way to make my favorite comfort food vegan… and I am there. kelseyscrowe at gmail dot com
So hard to choose a favorite! On the sweet side, I think the vegan gluten free brownie recipe (loved by non-vegan gluten eaters, too), and the pumpkin pie squares. Savory would probably be the sundried tomato and mushroom quiche. runsintherain228 (at) gmail (.) com
I love Angela's recipes and would LOVE to win a copy of her cookbook! One of my favorite recipes of hers (which also happens to be a popular favorite with friends and family) is her no-bake elvis bars. So easy and so delicious!! perrilove@yahoo.com
Favourite Recipe: Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese. A delightful combination of all my favourites!
Favourite Whole Foods Ingredient: If we restrict the field to just superfoods (no farmer's market hauls, CSA finds, beans, nuts, seeds … I'm awash with indecision!) I'd say chia seeds. They are magical, and remind me of my favourite pet: the Chia Pet!
The avocado walnut salad…too yummy. Trying to get my family on the vegan bandwagon…..so this cookbook would be a big plus! susan@crookedcarrot.com
I love her black bean and kale enchiladas. My email address is: purnima.barve@gmail.com
I will always love the first Oh She Glows recipe I ever made-it was a chocolate mousse tort. Mmmmmm.
april_leelee@hotmail.com
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Oh She Glows blog and I read it religiously! My absolute favorite product is cauliflower…I make it a hundred ways!
I love so many different recipes. I must say that anything with Great Northern Beans makes my day happier 🙂
vegan4lyfe@Comcast.net
Oh She Glows lightened up Tahini Lemon dressing has become my go to dressing for everything and sparked my obsession with Tahini…then again most of her recipes have introduced a new obsession into my life (raw almond butter cups anyone).
The OSG lightened up tahini dressing has become by go to dressing for just about anything and sparked my obsession with Tahini…Although each of her recipes has introduced a new food obsession into my life (hello almond butter cups!)
I'd have to say my favourite so far has to be her Green Warrior Protein Smoothie. So good!
One of my favourite whole food ingredients is walnuts, so this salad looks amazing!
I love all of her overnight oats recipes! Thank you for the giveaway!
I love all of her overnight oats recipes! Thanks so much for the giveaway!
I love Oh She Glows Cauli Flower Fettuccine Alfredo and Butternut Squash Mac N Chez-It recipes. What a awesome book!
I love all of the larabar recipes– like this one: http://ohsheglows.com/2008/12/08/homemade-banana-bread-larabars/!!!
My favorite from is her Potato Nacho Plate!! So yummy!
tcenc5@gmail.com
I love her Easy Enchiladas and her Butternut Mac n Cheese.
Chely
pepitajobo at icloud.com
It's hard to pick just one OSG recipe, but I do use the Green Monster smoothie recipe all of the time so I guess that would be it!!
I haven't made it yet, but the Peanut Butter Cups in a Jar on her website looks too good to be true!
There are so many recipes of Angela's that I make over and over, but my favorite is probably her Butternut Squash Mac n Cheeze. Even my husband, who is always skeptical about what he calls "fake" cheese, loves it. I am so glad her book is doing so well–her success is extremely well-deserved!
acookinthemakingblog@gmail.com
so hard to pick just one, but her date bars are DELISH and insanely simple….5 ingredients and NO BAKE! I whipped up a bunch for my engagement party and they were a huge hit 🙂 bmek86@gmail.com
I love the Blueberry Pie Banana Overnight Oats….keden66@aol.com! Thanks for the give away.
Peanut Better Balls!!! AMAZING. My 4 other roommates would LOVE to share this recipe book with me! smwood24@gmail.com
My favorite whole food ingredient is sweet potatoes.
Awesome giveaway! My current wholefood ingredient is brown lentils! (jewles [at] live [dot] ca)
I love avocados as a whole food ingredient. They are so creamy and go well with lots of things!
I make the lasagna with basil cashew cheese from Oh She Glows every winter at least twice. Delicious!
Favourite and most complimented recipe is …. Chilled Dark Chocolate Pie! Every OSG recipe is a WINNER! bmannhardt@hotmail.com
Love the tahini-lemon dressing.
I love chickpeas as a whole food ingredient. In hummus or whole.
My husband and I love Angela's enchilada casserole. We make it at least once a month.
What a great giveaway! I loved bringing Vegan treats to work to share with my coworkers. Oh She Glows sugar cookies are always a big hit! rsmccart [at] gmail [dot] com.
I love all of the overnight oats recipes – great fuel for running!
I love the toffee granola bars on Angela's blog – an oldie but a goodie.
One bowl double-chocolate chunk cookies are a family favorite! http://ohsheglows.com/2014/02/27/one-bowl-double-chocolate-chunk-cookies/
cate_roche (at) yahoo (dot) com
Avocado is by far my favourite whole food, and I love adding it to salads.
nataliemariegilbert {at} gmail {dot} com
I love the lentil walnut loaf! nataliemariegilbert {at} gmail {dot} com
My fav ingredient is coconut! I love her no bake chocolate macaroons 😀
Kbcfischer(at) yahoo.com
Kylan
I love everything on Oh She Glows – but my favorite has to be a classic Green Monster 🙂
kathleenmrussell (at) gmail (dot) com
My favorite recipe of Angela's is definitely her gooey banana bread batter oatmeal!!! It's soooo delicious and tastes just like banana bread batter!! 🙂
Oh!! So exciting!! My favorite from the Oh She Glows site is the overnight oats. What a great idea!! Thank you!
She has so many good recipes, its really hard to choose just one. I like her oatmeal raisin cookies, banana/blueberry overnight oats, and the goddess protein bowl! matane561@gmail.com
We love her Apple Pie Oatmeal and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Thanks!
The Avocado Pasta is one of my all-time favorites! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of this gorgeous book!
gaia (at) cinci (dot) rr (dot) com
I love her smoothie and options for healthier "treat" foods.
delilahmaria at yahoo dot com
im lovin the cauliflower fettucine recipe!!! andreaa.astu@gmail.com
It's so hard to pick just one favourite! But I am loving how quick/easy/amazing the easy alfredo sauce is. jamieashleyward @ hotmail.com
OH! I fell in love with OSG after making her hydrating thai chickpea salad eatplantspraylove@gmail.com
I love eggplant as a favorite whole food ingredient. Also spinach, cashews, and sweet potatoes.
my favorite "Oh She Glows" recipe is Homemade Crispy Twix Bars!! Soooooo Good!!! Dates as caramel is the best thing that has ever happened to me! tarynbone(at)gmail.com
Oh my goodness, that salad looks like it's about to be my favorite recipe. As a nursing mom, I'm enjoying lots of healthy high calorie foods – especially nuts and avocados. Yum!
My favorite whole food is chia seeds, love it in a smoothie to thicken it up to pudding 🙂
also contact me at alicezsky@gmail.com
I think the homemade kale chips are a pretty great recipe. Especially when a tiny bag of kale chips costs $5 at the grocery! My email is freshfromjen(at)gmail.com.
Thanks!
My favorite whole food ingredient is Avocado, hands down 🙂
heatheranne99 at gmail dot com
Love avocados!
Fave whole food ingredient = quinoa!
katilyn dotmascatelli atgmaildotcom
The Oh She Glows caulipower fettuccine alfredo is my go-to comfort food because I don't feel too guilty eating it 🙂 I would love to get my hands on her new book! I've heard rave reviews.
Black Bean and Kale Enchilada. My email address is purnima.barve@gmail.com
butternut squash mac and cheeze
ndmolyneaux at yahoo
I'm a huge fan of Angela and Oh She Glows! I would love the opportunity to win a copy of her new cookbook. My fave go to recipe is her Pumpkin Pie with Gluten free pecan crust. A real crowd pleaser!
I love the Back on Track Green Monster smoothie. I hadn't thought to put cucumbers in my smoothies. And I don't know which I love more, the smoothie recipe or Angela's story of botching her husband's haircut. Very funny!
lise@lisemetzger.com
I love all of Angela's recipes but her Spiced red lentil/ tomato & kale soup is one of my fave. I also love the fact that she has some great gluten-free recipes too! I hope I win her cookbook!! my email is sbelec@live.ca 🙂
I really really love the Oh She Glows cookbook! I have already made many recipes since I got her book about a month ago, but I think my favourite recipe has to be her Chocolate Chip Cookie Bites. When I really need a delicious treat I turn to those. Even my whole family, who I think are not only allergic to 'healthy food' but especially 'vegan food' will take a couple when I'm not looking! kgrottoli@gmail.com
I fell in love with Oh She Glows bars and bites! I would love to try any and all of the recipes in her cookbook!
My email: shandsor@hotmail.com
I loved Angela's take on a chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzard!
Angela's recipes are amazing! I constantly get praise from my family and friends for her delicious meals (which is a HUGE accomplishment seeing as I'm the only vegan among them)! One of the funniest things about her recipes is the questions I get asked by random individuals at the grocery store. I was recently making some of her coconut whipped cream and had at least three people ask me what I was using the coconut milk for. My response? "The most delicious whipped cream you have ever tasted… And did I forget to mention that it is actually good for you? Remember these three words: oh she glows!" My current favorite recipe is her Carrot Cake Oatmeal, which I made this past Sunday for my aunt's birthday. I was actually worried that no one would go for the cinnamon taste, but was pleasantly shown otherwise. We actually had an all-out WAR break out over who would take home leftovers! The best moment of the day came when my mother (an anti-cinnamon-er) almost had a panic attack when I told her that I didn't make any extra cake for her to eat at home! Now, we have the dessert portion of our Easter dinner planned out… With an extra secret batch hidden in the back of the fridge just for her! <3 elletori@gmail.com
Would love to win this cookbook! Probably my favorite Oh She Glows recipe (and most frequently used) would be the Quick & Dirty 5-ingredient Cheeze Sauce! So easy and so good!
My email is sheridanposey [at] yahoo [dot] com. Thanks!
I fell in love with the OSG blog a few years ago and have made many of her delicious recipes. I have a particular fondness for her raw cookie dough bites!
I discovered OSG a couple of years ago and one of my favourite recipes is her scalloped basil tomatoes!! SO GOOD — especially when you're craving healthy comfort foods in the colder months! I'm so excited to get my hands on a copy of this cookbook!!!
Best chocolate chip cookies! They're always a favorite at church potluck
I love her Detox salad – sondi.hardy@gmail.com