Back to the Cutting Board

Book excerpt: When did cooking become so exhausting? Thanks to information overload and the pressure to impress, we stress over every recipe and every meal. Back to the Cutting Board helps you set aside all that tension and pretense and rediscover a pure, joyful passion for the art of cooking. Professional chef and Emmy Award–winning host of PBS's Christina Cooks, Christina Pirello, takes you on a journey to re-engage with the soul of food preparation, from the slice of the knife to the aroma of steam rising from a perfectly roasted winter squash. With simple, delicious recipes and sage advice on streamlining your kitchen and your cooking, Christina empowers you to create personal wellness by nourishing your body, mind, and spirit. Through more than 100 enriching plant-based recipes that pair the freshest ingredients with cooking techniques meant to optimize their natural, native flavors, Christina reintroduces you to the creative potential of food and transforms the kitchen from into a nurturing sanctuary. Inside, discover wonderful and nourishing dishes, including: • Cranberry–Pecan Bread • Chickpea Farro Soup • Sweet Root Vegetable Stew • Pasta with Broccoli–Pine Nut Pesto • Stir-Fried Cauliflower & Mustard Greens in Lemon–Sesame Sauce • Black Bean Burgers • Cocoa Madeleines • Orange-Scented Steamed Pudding In this modern world, with far too much ego at play when it comes to something as simple and beneficial as cooking great food, Christina Pirello invites you to take a step back and truly enjoy every step of the process. Finding the joy in cooking has never been more simple!