[This post is part of an ongoing series of interviews with cookbook authors, bloggers, women entrepreneurs and home chefs whose work I enjoy and admire. If you’ve got someone in mind you’d like me to approach for an interview, please shoot me an email at dietdessertdogsATgmailDOTcom, or leave a comment here and let me know! And now, enjoy today’s installment!]

What was the inspiration for Wild About Greens? How did the book come about?
For a long time I kept the two paths pretty separate, but I find that my skills as a food writer, designer, and visual artist are merging, and they intersect in a number of ways. I used my experience in writing recipes to create Secret Recipes for the Modern Wife , a faux-1950s cookbook in which the “recipes” and altered ads comment on contemporary relationships and issues still faced by women. I’ve also started a series of artworks under the umbrella title of “Meat Science,” all of which comment on the ethical dilemmas and environmental disasters caused by animal agriculture — which ties in neatly with my vegan ethics. In my artwork, I like to use humor and irony to explore difficult subject matter.

Harper One in San Francisco approached me with an idea for which they thought I’d be the right author: It’s titled Plant Power: How to Practically and Joyfully Transform Your Kitchen, Plate, and Life. It will be both a guidebook and a cookbook for people who want to adopt a plant-based lifestyle, starting with their own kitchen. The recipes will be vegan, of course, but we’re aiming for those who want to rethink their eating habits in a more plant-strong direction, even if they don’t go fully vegan. There will be a lot of tips and ideas for menu planning, shopping, kitchen organization, etc., in addition to the recipes. And it will be very visual and colorful, with photos by Hannah Kaminisky. This combination how-to guide and cookbook is due out mid-2014.
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Great interview, Ricki. It is nice to get a glimpse of the person behind writing the book. Looking forward to the recipe because you know I love my greens. 🙂
As do I! Always looking for new ways with greens. The HH and I both LOVED these rolls. 🙂
I too grow chard and kale, as well as broccoli, cabbages, Brussel sprouts, lettuces, rocket, coriander, green beans, broad beans … me, love my greens on my plate? whatever makes you think that????? 🙂 what a fab idea for a book!
Christine, that sounds like SUCH an amazing garden! 😀 And I couldn’t agree more. I loved the book and can’t wait to cook my way through it!
Nava is such a wonderful person – and wow Ricki, her new book looks right up your alley!! I probably need some new ways to enjoy greens, too 🙂
we seem to have a lot more kale available now so I must look out this book for more ideas – I only have one nava atlas book:-) but I do admire all her cooking and was not aware of her creative writing and art