When you are looking for a great recipe, is seasonal your thing? How about wholesome? Delicious? With Laura Wright‘s soon-to-be-released cookbook, The First Mess, you can have all of those and so much more! Packed with 125 recipes and gorgeous, rustic photography throughout, this one is a stunner, and so I’m excited to be reviewing it here + offering a free copy of The First Mess Cookbook to one lucky reader through this post!
If you are a reader of Laura’s blog, you’ll know that she has a love for fresh ingredients, a respect towards the process of prepping and cooking them, and an overall approach to keeping it simple. And she does all of that with elegance and grace on her blog, guided by a quiet reverence for food, with statements like:
… A meal is nothing to take for granted, and this blog is a greater reflection of that simple idea.
The First Mess Cookbook is an extension and reflection of this philosophy, and I love Laura’s ability to highlight the sensory experience of an ingredient or dish, connect a memory she had growing up with harvesting and preparing it, and how ethics guided her towards veganism. Reading Laura’s writing is like sinking into a good book, and pairs so well with the culinary offerings that accompany it. After Laura tells us how to stock our pantry and select kitchen equipment, she moves on to morning+breakfast ideas from the sweet (cookies for breakfast) to the savory (miso and turmeric chickpea scramble) to the basics (vanilla coconut coffee creamer).
Laura then moves onward to soups and stews, salads, mains, vegetable sides, small bites and desserts, with equally delicious and doable recipes that will allow you to use up what you already have, encourage you to try something new, or to create your own basics instead of buying them. With a gorgeous earthy+elegant photo to accompany each recipe, Laura has successfully created not only a delicious guide, but also an inspiring and beautiful one.
I’m so happy that Laura’s publisher, Avery Books, has allowed me to share some of her gorgeous photos from the book below, plus a recipe for her Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Rustic Salsa! The First Mess Cookbook is available for pre-order now (it officially releases on March 7), but the nice folks over at Avery Books are offering a free copy to one lucky reader through this blog post!
To enter the giveaway:
Leave a comment below that describes your favorite, simple plant-based dish. That’s it! I’ll randomly select and announce a winner on March 6. Shipping is restricted to US only. Good luck!
The winner of this giveaway is Lauren … congrats and thanks to everyone who entered!
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Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Rustic Salsa
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Reprinted from The First Mess Cookbook by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Laura Wright
I rarely eat burritos in their proper, wrapped-up package anymore. Throwing all the components into a bowl is so much easier to eat and involves a lot less effort. Add to this my love of baked and stuffed sweet potatoes, and you have the inspiration for this dish. While the sweet potatoes roast, you have ample time to fix all the filling components: some spiced beans and rice, a rustic salsa, and guacamole.
Ingredients
- 4 small sweet potatoes
- ½ cup (125 mL) uncooked brown basmati rice, rinsed
- 1 cup (250 mL) cooked black beans
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cumin
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon (2 mL) virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) tomato paste
- pinch of salt
Rustic Salsa
- 1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 cup (250 mL) cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ small red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1½ teaspoons (7 mL) virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Guacamole
- 1 ripe, medium-sized avocado
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- generous pinch of salt
For serving
- shredded cabbage OR romaine lettuce
- hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
- Place the sweet potatoes in the baking dish, and prick each one a couple of times with a fork. Slide the sweet potatoes into the oven and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the basmati rice, black beans, cumin, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, and salt. Pour 1¼ cups (300 mL) water into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Keep the rice warm.
- Make the Rustic Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onions, lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Make the guacamole: Peel the avocado and extract the pit. Place the avocado flesh in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Once you’ve broken it up a bit, add the garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Mash the avocado until the seasoning is evenly distributed and you have a chunky paste. Set aside.
- Place each baked sweet potato in a shallow bowl. Cut along the top of the sweet potato and pull back the skin. Split the sweet potatoes a little bit to make room for the fillings.
- Divide the rice and bean mixture among the sweet potatoes. Top each bowl with ¼ of the Rustic Salsa. Finish each plate with a dollop of the guacamole and some shredded cabbage on top. Serve with hot sauce on the side if you like.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Baked, Simmered, Mashed
- Cuisine: American, Mexican
