Cookbook Review: The Batch Cook E-Book

I love to cook, and if I was retired and had all the time in the world, I'd cook fresh meals every day. But I have a day job, a lot of time-consuming hobbies (like running and yoga), and a very early bedtime (9 pm). So I prefer to only spend one or two nights a week cooking a big meal, and the rest are takeout nights, leftover nights, or — my favorite — quick batch-cooked meals. If I make a big pot of beans or chili or something on the weekend, I can use it in all kinds of ways throughout the week. 

For this reason, I've been loving the Plant-Based Juniors' Batch Cook E-Book. It provides eight recipes that you can make in bulk (like chili, eggplant meatballs, or green lentil falafels, to name a few), and then they include two to three additional recipes that you can use with those ingredients. So you make a batch of, say, their basic black beans, and you've got three ways to mix it up throughout the week (fajita bowls, black bean soup, and black bean sliders).

Last week, I made a big pot of the PBJ Chili (PBJ just stands for Plant-Based Juniors, not peanut butter and jelly!). On the first night, I enjoyed it by itself, topped with some Miyoko cheddar and served with homemade cornbread. The chili is bean-based with lots of diced sweet potatoes. 

The next night, I had Chili Cheese Sweet Potato Fries. For this, you also make their cashew-based Basic Cheese Sauce. This was a mega-sweet potato meal since the chili also has sweet potatoes, but you can't eat too many sweet taters if you ask me.

The following night, I made Chili Mac & Cheese with red lentil pasta, their basic cheese sauce, and the PBJ chili. All you had to do was stir everything together!

I love eating like this, and I can't wait to try more batch ideas from this book! If you're looking for ways to save time in the kitchen (and who isn't?), check it out!