This straight-talking and gorgeously photographed book by Amanda Haas is packed with advice, resources, and practices that promote wellness, beauty, and longevity, alongside more than 70 delicious recipes. From the authority behind The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook and a line of Vibrant Life–branded food products at Whole Foods, these recipes are bookended by lifestyle primers—including information on holistic practices, hormones, and how to eat, all contributed or vetted by experts.

Combining form and function, this book is both a resource and an inspiration. Fresh, approachable recipes for all occasions—including drinks, of course—deliver a number of benefits that boost immunity, strengthen memory, lift moods, support digestive health, and more!

Amanda Haas is a cookbook author and former culinary director of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

 

The Vibrant Life: Eat Well, Be Well, is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.ca.

 

 

 

 

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Late Summer Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Stone Fruit, Goat Cheese, and Pistachios

Serves 6-8

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Sharing your food with people for critique requires openness and a certain vulnerability. And after all these years of cooking for others, I still get insecure when I serve a new recipe for the first time. I shouldn’t have worried with this one because I basically took everything that’s wonderful about late summer and put it on a platter. My friend’s teenage daughter Ella said to me, “Mandy, this is the best thing I’ve ever had! I didn’t know I’d like peaches with goat cheese!” The secret to this recipe?  Layering the ingredients so you get a taste of everything together in every bite. And not to be forgotten: I sprinkle the tomatoes evenly with the best flaked sea salt before I add anything else to the plate, so each bite bursts with that amazing tomato flavour.

If you’re sensitive to nightshades like I am, you can certainly skip the tomatoes and focus on the other ingredients. Placing a sliced avocado over the top could be a nice alternative.

 

6 lb [2.7 kg] heirloom tomatoes of any variety, sliced 1⁄2 in [12 mm] thick

Flaked sea salt

1 small red onion, very thinly sliced

2 lb [910 g] ripe stone fruit, such as plums, apricots, peaches, or nectarines, cut into 1⁄4 in [6 mm] slices

1⁄2 cup [85 g] of cherry tomatoes (optional)

1⁄2 cup [60 g] lightly salted shelled pistachios

4 oz [115 g] goat cheese, crumbled

1⁄2 cup [10 g] loosely packed fresh mint leaves

2 to 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly ground pepper

 

Arrange the tomato slices in a single layer on a large platter. Sprinkle evenly with about 1 tsp flaked sea salt. Arrange the slices of red onion in an even layer over the tomatoes. Arrange the sliced stone fruit on top of the onions. Add the cherry tomatoes (if using). Sprinkle with the pistachios. Crumble the goat cheese evenly across the fruit, then tear the mint leaves and scatter over the top. Drizzle the oil over the entire salad, then season generously with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Recipe reprinted with permsion from Chronicle Books.