Kale & Caramel

February 20, 2017
Lifestyle and wellness blogger Lily Diamond (Kale & Caramel) collects 80 innovative plant-based dishes and beauty formulas that “transcend the boundary between food and body products.” Celebrating the healing power of herbs and flowers, Diamond advocates “wildness in the kitchen,” sharing recipes for vibrant vegetarian dishes and nourishing potions and lotions. Each chapter showcases an herb or flower. Cilantro lime crema tops black bean bisque; rosemary-laced goat cheese enhances a roasted fig pizza; a mix of minted tahini and cumin-fried chickpeas dresses Greek salad. Elixirs include a pomegranate spritzer with thyme, and lemonade with cucumber and basil. There’s an abundance of dessert options, such as mini no-bake goat cheesecakes with lavender blueberries, and fragrant wine-laced rhubarb fennel ice cream. Diamond provides instructions for storing herbs and flowers, as well as infusing aromatics into natural oils, honey, sugar, or salt. She includes a chart describing each herb’s floral profile and flavor pairings. In an enchanting narrative, Diamond describes her awakening to the power of plants, crediting her herbalist mother and childhood on Maui as inspiration for her guiding philosophy: “What beautifies within beautifies without.”

February 15, 2017

Writer and photographer Diamond has adapted her popular blog Kale & Caramel (kaleandcaramel.com) into an emotional first cookbook that touts the healing powers of herbs, flowers, and other aromatics. Ingredient-focused chapters (e.g., basil, fennel, jasmine, orange blossom) are filled with recipes for foods and body-care products (e.g., facial cleansers and masks, body scrubs). Featuring compelling flavors, dishes such as kabocha coconut fritters with pomegranate mint raita, sage-salted caramel ice cream, and jasmine cucumber water will appeal to cooks interested in holistic lifestyle advice. VERDICT Diamond's unusual debut offers a fresh perspective on eating and self-care. Her sensuous prose may strike some readers as oversentimental, so buy for demand.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2017
Is kale's season in the cooking sun almost over? The book's title is also the name of Diamond's blogbut believe it or not, few of the 80+ recipes feature this leafy ingredient. Instead, the focus is squarely on eight herbs and four flowers, incorporating each into not only recipes (usually vegan dishes) but also into facial masks, body oils, and scrubs, among other applications. Much of the book's genesis and inspiration come from the author's mother (who passed some time ago); friends also contributed ideas and motivation. What sets this apart is Diamond's insistence on educating readers about the benefits of herbs and flowers; featured are sections on basil, cilantro, fennel, mint, oregano, rosemary, sage, and thyme. Thyme, for instance, is touted as an antiseptic and respiratory strengthener. Dishes are usually long in ingredients (such as a zucchini-based soup with creamy hemp swirl and garlicky breads crumbs). A new profession is born: plant whisperer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)