The author has kindly shared these recipes:

• pumpkin pancakes with honey butter, pistachios, and fig jam
• Parmesan sesame seed twists
• delicious gratitude red velvet carrot cupcakes

 

The Organic Family Cookbook is like a fresh breeze coming through a window.  In Anni Daulter's hands, going green and eating organic are such acts of love and happiness that the reader forgets that serious issues lie underneath such choices.  To Daulter, healthy is synonymous with happy, and her work is infused with her love of life.  The subtitle of this book states, "growing, greening, and cooking together," and there is no separation between the three in Daulter's mind.  This is life, one aspect flowing into another to create a happy whole.  Gardening provides the freshest of ingredients (and coincidentally helps the budget); greening creates new family traditions that are healthy.  Both of these come together in the kitchen, and the entire family is participating. 

There are many sidebars throughout the book that illustrate how the Daulter family achieved this harmony.  The sidebars are written with such delight that one wants to turn the pages to read each sidebar on its own.  Both charming and informative, the sidebars vary in topic.  Among them you will find tips on how to green your kitchen, how to plan a family cooking day, how to dye eggs with veggie-dye, how to build a compost pile with the children (yes, they can), how to set up an herbal tea stand.  Perhaps our favorite sidebar is Daulter's account of "Zen lettuce," in which the author reveals how she learned to love the patient job of washing and crisping piles and piles of lettuce leaves.

Daulter has divided the book into seven sections:

- Naturally Tasty Breakfasts: "Good morning!  Breakfast gives our day a jump start and gets our blood flowing."  Daulter offers both sweet and savory recipes for differing family tastes.  Among the recipes you will find Garden Breakfast Smoothie with Egg Tortillas, Comforting Banana Nut Cinnamon French Toast, or Best Friend Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancakes.

- Simple Snacks: "It seems like my children are always in need of a snack."  This is a family book, and kids love snacks. These are healthy snacks to please all tastes wile providing nourishment and energy.  Give the kids (and yourself) such treats as Goodwill Banana Bread, Heart-Shaped Lotus Pretzels, or Natural Cran-Strawberry Red Roll-ups.

- Wholesome Lunches: "I am dedicated to making my children home-cooked foods that will give them the energy they need to play and learn throughout the day," writes Daulter.   Here she offers recipes such as Roasted Tomato Garden Tacos, Ham-n-Cheese Panini with Fresh Grapes, or Mini-Chicken Satay Bites with Spicy Peanut Dressing.

-Family Favorite Dinners: "Dinners are a sacred time in my home. I also believe that no matter what their ages, it's important to have the table looking beautiful."  There are recipes such as Grilled Lemon Caper Halibut, Linguine with Spicy Tomato Caper Sauce, Veggie Sliders with Blue Corn Chips, BBQ Chicken, and French Onion Soup.

-Savory Sides:  "Choosing food companions is just as important as choosing whom you will break bread with."  Here you will find savory companions for a main course meal. There are recipes such as Spicy Yellow Potato and Sweet Potato Fries, Zoe's Favorite Baked Parmesan-Crusted Artichoke, Asparagus with Tamari and Almond Slices.

-Refreshing Desserts: "To complete a meal, I like clean simple flavors, ones that are refreshing and inspired by fruits.  It seems that no matter what we decide to serve for dessert, our guests always leave saying 'Wow, that dessert was amazing.'"   Among the recipes here, try Roasted Cinnamon Apple and Sweet Potato Galette, Classic Gingerbread Cookies for a holiday, possibly Simple Peach Berry Souffles or a Triple Berry Cream Cheese Tarts.

-Homespun Extras - No need to buy processed foods, here you will find homemade staples such as Fresh Fig Jam, Simple Herbed Butter, Tomato Catsup, Mustard, or Tofu Mayo.

To add appeal to an already appealing book, The Organic Family Cookbook is laced with color photographs by Alexandra DeFurio.

 

About the Author: Anni Daulter is cofounder of Bohemian Baby Food and Conscious Family Living and is author of Organically Raised: Conscious Cooking for Babies and Toddlers (Rodale, May 2010) and Ice Pop Joy (Sellers, March 2011). She has an MSW from the University of Southern California, and lives in Los Angeles with her husband and four children.

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