Review: The Fiber Fueled Cookbook by Will Bulsiewicz/Recipes by Alexandra Caspero

In my latest cookbook collaboration with our friends Dawn and Dave we decided to go with our gut and review a cookbook with gut health in mind! We often share an evening of snacks, conversation and board games, but we put the board games aside for a wonderful summer evening dinner in their back garden, testing recipes from The Fiber Fueled Cookbook (Avery Books, 2022). The excellent plant-based recipes are by registered dietician Alexandra Caspero. 

My Quick Take: There’s lots to learn from Bulsiewicz’s book, which is part learning about gut health, and part cookbook. Though not every section was relevant to each of us, there’s something for everyone, and the recipes worked out fabulously.

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Trish: Opening the first pages of Dr. Bulsiewicz’s The Fiber Fueled Cookbook was fascinating and set the tone for a really interesting exploration of gut health and some specific issues with food intolerances. The tone was collaborative, with Bulsiewicz sharing his own story with dysfunctional eating and poor gut health. It takes “guts” to be so open, especially for a practicing gastroenterologist! He was an overeater of junk food, addicted to sugars and fats, and struggled with anxiety and depression. But his commitment to plant-based, high-fibre eating helped him heal, and he’s sharing that with us.

Dawn, you suggested this book for us to read and cook from. Great choice! How did you find it?

Dawn: I went to the Planted Expo in Vancouver this spring and Will Bulsiewicz was one of the speakers. As soon as he finished speaking I requested the book from the library. I had the opportunity to speak to him and even snap a selfie with him. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and informative. I was impressed. Later that week I searched his website and found that he was a guest speaker on many podcasts. My favourite is an early podcast, and I think the reason he wrote the Fiber Fueled Book and then the cookbook. If you are interested in listening to it, it is Rich Roll episode 538 (August 10, 2020).

Trish: The most interesting chapters for me were “The Fiber Paradox,” where he discusses the microbiome and the importance of feeding it well–with high fibre, plant-based options. “When you go heavy on the plants, you tip the scale of health in your favor by drowning out and replacing the unhealthy stuff with the best stuff–fiber rich plants.” I also liked his discussion of “the big three” of food sensitivity: constipation, celiac disease, and gallbladder dysfunction. Once you rule out those, he notes that we can focus on other causes of abdominal discomfort like Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Some of the sections were very specific and ended up not being relevant to me, but he makes the point that the book is about eliminating the big problem issues, and then going from there. The book can be for anyone, even if you just want to increase fibre rich, plant based meals to your daily life.

Were there any sections of the book that spoke to you?

Dawn: I have small gut issues and this book broke down the FODMAPs, Histamine intolerances, as well as a strategy Dr. B created called the GROWTH Strategy: Genesis, Restrict, Observe, Work it back in, Train your gut, Holistic Healing.

Trish: For sure, I also liked the common-sense of the GROWTH Strategy. I had such fun going through the recipes. There were so many good ones that I had trouble narrowing my choices to just three or four. But I wanted to make a hearty stew, and then I focused on add-ons! How did you choose your recipes?

Dawn: Gosh, I found it difficult to choose as well. Dave and I were away for a weekend retreat and we brought the cook book with us. On the ferry ride home we made a list (a long list actually), of all the recipes we want to make: Creamy Eggplant Sandwiches, Healing Miso Soup, Cheesy Broccoli and Potato Soup, Coconut Curry Bowl, "I Can’t Believe This is FODMAP Friendly" Pasta Sauce, Sweet Potato Hummus Wraps; and all the various Biome Broths. However, we chose three-way Avocado Toast on Homemade Sourdough Bread, pickled onions, and Carrot Lox. The hope was to make homemade sourdough but I just didn’t give myself enough time. Pickled anything is just plain delicious and Dr B has a whole chapter on fermenting and sprouting.

The Recipes

Trish:

Spicy Peanut Stew bubbling on the stove.

Spicy Peanut Stew (with Biome Broth Unleashed)

I know that peanut stews are a tasty meal, but I’d never made one before! Alan isn’t a fan of things like peanut sauce, so I’ve avoided it. This recipe was calling my name, so I decided it was time to try my hand. First, I had to make Biome Broth Unleashed, simmering vegetables and mushrooms for an hour to produce a flavourful, umami liquid that served as the base of the stew. Sweet potatoes and seasonings mixed with peanut butter, tomatoes and coconut milk…this stew bubbled invitingly on the stove and was thick and hearty. Served over rice, we all loved it. Amazingly, though it’s peanut-forward, even Alan loved it (and ate the leftovers happily all week!).

Leek & Cauliflower Torshi

Something you might not know about me: I love fermenting things. The sour-pickled taste of a good veggie ferment is like nothing else. I love that this cookbook includes several recipes for ferments, and I chose to try this one with leeks and cauliflower because I was intrigued by the mix of spices. It’s “...inspired by traditional torshi, a popular Persian, Middle Eastern, and Balkan ferment.” This could not have been easier to put together, and I was careful to follow the brining concentration to the letter. With mint, coriander, oregano and turmeric my Mason jar bubbled and hissed, and after 10 days I cracked the lid. The smell and taste were heavenly. This was enjoyed by all, crisp and tangy. I’ve been using it on my lunchtime salad every day.

The lemonade is indeed all gone. It was delicious. 

Ginger Lemonade

I am not one to make fancy drinks (though check out my previous cookbook collab making Zero Proof cocktails), but on this warm summer evening a cold cooler seemed just the thing. Bulsiewicz suggests three recipes, and I chose Ginger Lemonade. It was too simple: cut up a whole pineapple, and some freshly squeezed lemon juice and ginger root, top up with water, and blend in a high speed blender. That's it! It was delicious and refreshing, and we all liked the subtle hit of ginger.

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

This book is not big on sweets and desserts, but this was one recipe I was happy to try. It’s a brownie, but super healthy. It was easy to make in my food processor, and I didn’t tell anyone the un-brownie-like ingredients in the preparation. Here’s how it landed: two of us loved it, and two really didn’t. Alan and Dawn didn’t like the texture, and Alan also didn’t like the taste. I suppose it was the half-cup of peanut butter the recipe called for: there was a distinct peanut taste. And using almond flour likely yielded a slightly grainy texture. The other cool ingredient was black beans, which were undetectable. Dave and I loved these a lot: super healthy food that kind of tastes like it has a whole bunch of unusually healthy ingredients in it. And the kick from the cayenne pepper was perfect!

Dawn:

Sweet Potato Shawarma Bowl

Texture and of course flavour are a real appeal to me and can make or break a meal for me. So this recipe had a mix of our favourite vegetables: cauliflower and yams, including a fabulous mix of Turkish spices. Dr B calls it “an incredible multicultural spice bomb” and I couldn’t agree more. Yum! The dressing was a simple tahini and apple cider vinegar dressing. Textures were well balanced in this recipe with quinoa, crunchy onions and cucumbers, then a mix of toasted yams and cauliflower bringing it home.

Avocado ‘Shroom Toast

I find that mushrooms have a real meaty texture and these mushrooms did not disappoint. We cut them super thin and sautéed them with garlic. The flavours with the refreshing avocados was tremendous. A second option for the avocado toast was with halved, multicoloured fresh cherry tomatoes, fresh basil from my garden and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. The combination was deadly! Mwah! So simple but so delicious. I wish I had planned ahead and sprouted some seeds for the toast as that would have upped the flavours and texture. A lot of fun options.

Carrot Lox 

The colour and texture of the Carrot Lox was perfect and a great addition to both our toast and our Sharma Bowls. It felt like we were eating “real” salmon lox.

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Dawn:  My take on the book was that it was a great cookbook and I will definitely be making more of the recipes. I found the recipes interesting and a variety of skills were needed but none of the recipes scared me. I was disappointed that pickled onions were suggested in a side dish but no recipe was provided. I would say that if there is ever a revised copy of the cookbook the author would do well to update the Index as it was hard to find a favourite recipe again in the 368 pages of the book.

Trish: It’s a substantial book indeed, so a good Index is essential. Overall, I agree with you, Dawn. This book had interesting information that was clear and sensible, and the recipes were excellent. The ingredients were simple to find, and none was overly complicated. Even so, the flavours came together so well, and a great meal was enjoyed by all. I think you can’t go too wrong with simple, whole-food delicious ingredients. I’ve also earmarked a few recipes that I want to try, and I’ll be making the Spicy Peanut Stew again.

Thanks for cooking with me! I can’t wait until our next collab.