„Deliciously Ella. Quick & Easy“

By:
Ella Mills

9.4 / 10

Who wrote it?

I could probably write a little novel about Ella Mills, née Woodward. She went from modeling to blogging to becoming an entrepreneur and author and today can not only boast 6 cookbooks as successes. Her journey wasn’t without its setbacks, however, as it was her own ailing health that led her to the plant-based diet, setting the ball rolling for her remarkable career. Since her career has been as long as it has been turbulent, I suggest you check out DeliciouslyElla.com if you want to learn more about her. There are also some delicious recipes there, by the way. ;-).

And what is it about?

In short, her health setbacks have inspired Ella to create recipes that are meant to benefit her (and our) health. As the title suggests, this, her 6th cookbook, contains quick and easy recipes.

What does it look like?

The format is somewhere between DIN A5 and A4 (ca. executive format) and is therefore comfortable to hold, but not really impressive. Even the graphic title with a small photo of the author in front of a plate of vegetables that cannot be defined in more detail doesn’t look like much at first sight. When you open it, the playful, painterly elements and the partly colored pages are a surprise. This creative touch never seems intended but blends harmoniously into the overall picture. The individual recipes usually take up one page and are clearly divided into introductory words, ingredients, and preparation steps. All recipes are also illustrated with photographs, whereby the illustrations are usually opposite the recipe. The food photos are all of good quality, never overloaded and really appetizing.

What can I expect?

If I counted correctly, there are 112 recipes in the book, divided into the following chapters: “For breakfast”; “For serving: dips & dressings”; “For lunch in 10-15 minutes”; “For lunch in 20-30 minutes”; “In Stock”; “For dessert”; “For the weekend”. Between the chapters, Ella gives personal insights and tips for a healthy lifestyle and, above all, how to establish this in everyday life in the long term.

Can I do that?

The preparation of the recipes has not presented me with any difficulties so far, and I have tested more than 15 recipes already.

What do I need?

For some recipes, a powerful blender is very beneficial. A food processor or a hand blender can sometimes replace this, but for homogeneous sauces, dressings, or even smoothies it should be the high-performance blender. A spiral cutter is used for some recipes, which can be replaced with a julienne cutter or even a simple vegetable peeler, with some compromises in terms of appearance.

Oh yes, and Ella loves to season with miso paste and hardly any recipe can do without lemon or lime juice and/or zest. So get yourself a supply of miso and organic citrus fruits.

Substitute products?

Plant-based yoghurt or milk alternatives and tofu are used in the recipes. Highly processed substitute products are not used.

Who needs it?

In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with this book, whether vegan or even remotely vegan-interested. Health-conscious people get their money’s worth here, as do gourmets, and it’s even the right choice for those who don’t have time to cook. As you can see, I’m excited. This brings us to the next and crucial point:

Oh yes, and does it taste good?

My in-house co-taster and I absolutely agree and love the book and the recipes. The first time I flipped through, I stuck countless Post-its in it, and later even the unmarked recipes blew my mind. So far I’ve mainly worked on the quick lunch recipes, and I’m glad that I still have almost 100 recipes ahead of me.

You can find all the recipes tested and my recipe reviews on Instagram under the hashtag #VCRdeliciouslyellaquickandeasy.

Recipe tips to get cooking:

Lemon courgetti with spinach pesto (find the recipe here)
Cauliflower bowl with bean purée
Garlic and chives spread

Conclusion

This book may be my favorite among my favorite books. Like a reliable tool, the recipes in the kitchen usually turn into true culinary delights without too much effort. AND without a guilty conscience.

The only criticism I can think of is that it comes across as so unimpressive. The designer in me would have incorporated the creative touch that you find inside the book into the cover design and chosen a slightly larger format so that the book would also look a little better as a gift. But as the saying goes: “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Buy. Now. Thank me later.