The Forks Over Knives Plan Review and Giveaway

This is the book you want to get that special someone, who could use a gentle nudge and some friendly day-to-day hand-holding while transitioning fully to a healthful and delicious, whole-food, plant-based diet. In The Forks Over Knives Plan, husband and wife physician team Alona Pulde and Matthew Lederman meticulously lay out a step-by-step guide to the life-saving plan featured in the groundbreaking documentary, Forks Over Knives.  

Part One explores the many benefits of adopting a whole-food, plant-based diet, and explains how and why it creates and supports vibrant health. Part Two outlines a comprehensive four-week plan and walks readers through each stage of the transition, including a pantry purge. Fear not, vegan friends, this is no slouch into vegan eating plan. This is eating healthfully and deliciously and regaining our health starting right now and being fully supported in the process. Culminating in 100 easy-to-prepare recipes by Del Sroufe and Darshana Thacker and colorful eye-appealing photos by Tina Rupp, the journey to delectable, whole-food, plant-based eating is made delightfully simple and fun! From breakfast right through to after-dinner dessert, readers are treated to taste-tempting recipes like Multigrain Pancakes with Fresh Berries, Beets and Barley Salad, Polenta Curry, and Chocolate Raspberry Parfaits. Here are just a few of the dishes I made from the wonderful recipes in The Forks Over Knives Plan:

Potato-Vegetable Chowder—Who doesn't love a great chowder? This one is seasoned with thyme and is creamy, nurturing, and delicious.

Close your eyes, and imagine you are tasting a spoonful of this wonderfully warming soup.

The Penne with Tomato-Mushroom Cream Sauce was a snap to put together and oh, so delizioso!

This hearty Lentil-Vegetable Stew really hit the spot on one of the coldest days of season so far.

Tonight, I'm going to prepare Roasted Stuffed Winter Squash, so I thought I'd share this lovely recipe with you, too. It sounds so perfectly warming, tasty, and filling on such a chilly day! The recipe is from The Forks Over Knives Plan: How to Transition to the Life-Saving, Whole-Food, Plant-Based Diet by Alona Pulde, MD, and Matthew Lederman, MD copyright ©2014 by Monica Beach Enterprises, LLC. It is reprinted here with the kind permission of Touchstone, A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Photo ©2014 by Tina Rupp

Roasted Stuffed Winter Squash

Winter squashes, such as acorn and butternut, can be tricky to work with because their tough skin is hard to peel. Preparing squash this way -- stuffed with a savory filling and roasted -- puts that sturdy shell to good use. The rice should be quite moist after it cooks in step 3; it provides good contrast to the squash and helps the stuffing mixture stay together without becoming chewy or dry during baking. ~ Darshana Thacker

Makes 4 stuffed squash halves

Ingredients:

2 medium acorn squash
½ cup wild rice medley
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more as needed
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1½ teaspoons dried rosemary
½ cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup finely chopped red bell pepper
½ cup small broccoli florets
½ cup small cauliflower florets
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
3 tablespoons pine nuts

Directions:

1. Cut each acorn squash in half through the stem. Trim the stem and remove and discard the seeds (keep the skin on).

2. Bring a large saucepan or pot of water to a boil. Add the squash halves and cook until the squash is slightly soft when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the water and drain well. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

3. Meanwhile, bring 1½ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the wild rice medley and cook, covered, over medium heat for 25 minutes. (Alternatively, follow the cooking instructions on the rice package, using a bit more water than called for so that the rice is moist after steaming.) Remove from the heat and set aside.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out the inner edges of each cooled squash half to create a wider and deeper hollow for the stuffing; leave about half of the squash flesh attached to the peel. Reserve the scooped-out squash flesh for the stuffing. Set the squash shells aside.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. In a skillet with a lid, combine the vegetable broth, onion, garlic powder, ginger, and rosemary. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add the carrot, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, black pepper, and salt to taste, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more.
8. Add the reserved squash flesh and wild rice. Use a wooden spoon to mix the stuffing together; it should be a bit creamy. If all the liquid has dried up, add about ¼ cup broth or as much as is needed to make it slightly creamy. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat.
9. Arrange the acorn squash shells on a baking sheet and divide the stuffing evenly among them. Sprinkle the pine nuts on top.
10. Bake until the pine nuts are browned and the stuffing is heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Serve hot.

 NBN

Congratulations to everyone involved with the creation of The Forks Over Knives Plan, which was recently chosen as an Apple Best of 2014 selection!

The best review I've read for this book appears on The Forks Over Knives Plan Amazon page. Reader Lani Muelrath writes: "The new Forks Over Knives book is like a visit with the kind plant-based doctor you wish you had. The doctor who is keenly interested in your health and well-being, assumes you actually ARE interested in taking practical steps – instead of pills – to be healthier. The doctor who believes you do have the drive to make better choices. The doctor who appeals to and honors your intelligence about it all." And in the words of T. Colin Campbell, PhD, author of The China Study, The Forks Over Knives Plan is "a smart, user-friendly 'how-to' book on using whole, plant-based foods." Enter now to win a copy for yourself or someone you love by leaving a comment below, and then follow the Rafflecopter prompt to complete your entry.* Earn additional entries by following any of the other prompts in the Rafflecopter box. Good luck! 

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*Sorry international friends, this giveaway is open only to U.S. residents.