Weekend Cooking: The Full Plate by Ayesha Curry

One of my new favorite cookbooks from this fall is The Full Plate by Ayesha Curry, which I received as part of the Voracious Ambassadors Program. The idea behind this cookbook is easy, flavorful recipes that have wide appeal, are easy to adapt, and can be made in under an hour. I work from home and love to cook, but that doesn't mean I want to slave in the kitchen on a regular basis.

Curry's new cookbook is perfect for busy weeks and for those evenings when the more-elaborate meal I had planned is just not gonna happen. In my dishwasher-less house, I also appreciate that most of the recipes in The Full Plate require minimal pots and thus end in speedy evening cleanup.

You'll find a variety of flavors in The Full Plate, including tropical, Italian, Mexican, and American Southern. The vast majority of the recipes use ordinary ingredients you'll be able to find no matter where you live, and many of the pantry items are probably already in your kitchen.

Here are some of the recipes I've already made: The sheet pan sausage dinner, a riff on the classic county fair sausage sandwich, was super quick and perfect after an active day outside (see my photo). The quinoa salad, with avocado, feta, and cilantro, made a satisfying couple of lunches. The spiced-rubbed chicken with chickpeas and tomatoes was super easy and really tasty. The lamb pasta bake, which could be made with any ground meat, is one of Mr. BFR's new favorite dinners (see scan from the cookbook). The flank steak sandwiches with blue cheese and quick pickled red onions was a great fall dinner on the deck (we grilled the steak instead of cooking it on the stove top).

Here are some recipes I have marked to try: chicken Parmesan burgers; citrus-glazed salmon; shrimp fajitas; paprika chicken; beet, walnut, and goat cheese salad; and roasted pears with a vanilla caramel sauce. For dessert, I'd like to give her version of rice pudding a try, and there are also a few cocktail recipes that caught my eye.

The recipes directions are clearly written and should be accessible to almost all levels of cooks. Every recipe I've tried has turned out perfectly and was indeed completed in under an hour. One thing I look for in a cookbook is well-seasoned dishes; The Full Plate doesn't disappoint. No bland dinners here.

The recipe introductions offer serving suggestions and variations and give you sense of Curry's personality. The full page photos of the finished dishes will make your mouth water, and the photos of Curry's family keep the book down to earth.

Recommendation: Put Ayesha Curry's The Full Plate on your buy list or gift list. I know I'll be turning to it often, whether to make a recipe exactly as written or for a good idea when I can't think of what to make. One caveat, the recipes are meat and fish heavy, so vegetarians should borrow before buying.

For what to expect in The Full Plate, visit Ayesha Curry's website and browse her recipes. It looks like the site hasn't been updated in a while, but you can still get an idea of Curry's style.

Shared with Weekend Cooking, hosted by Marg at The Intrepid Reader (and Baker)