The Wicked Healthy Cookbook
This new book, The Wicked Healthy Cookbook, Free. From. Animals, authored by my longtime friends the brothers Chad and Derek Sarno, with collaborator David Joachim (and you will meet another brother, the mixologist Darren), is everything. I know, I know, you’ve heard me gush over others of the crop of new, fabulous vegan books recently (hooray!), but this one is very special and unique. I’m not gushing and excited and shouting to you all, “pre-order this book a.s.a.p.!” just because I love and respect these men, or because the book is gorgeous (it is!), but because this is a book to learn from, to cook from, and to enjoy as a great read. And I have a copy for one winner, so make sure to read the post and enter the contest!
The photos by Eva Kosmas Flores are gorgeous. I find the dramatic black backgrounds used to showcase many of the recipe photos stunning and modern, and the photos of Chad and Derek making food and at the market and playing with food (see page 234), are just so much fun.
Chad and Derek know vegan food. Chad developed the Rouxbe Plant-Based Professional Course, and he and I worked together to get my Essential Vegan Desserts course at Rouxbe up and running. Derek is the Director of Plant-Based Innovation at U.K. retail giant Tesco where he has plant-based meals flying off the shelves. There’s more coming soon from this dynamic duo, but for today, back to Wicked Healthy, the cookbook!

Vegan Cuisine
I’ve known Chad and Derek since 2006. We met at the Vegetarian Awakening Conference at Grand Rapids Community College, Culinary School. During that conference, we sat around with other vegan chefs discussing emerging vegan cuisine and wondering aloud if “vegan” would ever be considered a cuisine. I knew as I tasted their dishes, watched, and listened to these guys, along with our colleague Tal Ronnen (who as many of you know went on to found Kite Hill vegan cheeses and yogurt, as well as Crossroads Kitchen in L.A.) that vegan as a fine cuisine could happen, but I did wonder if, when, and how broadly. We know now that vegan cuisine is the fastest growing cuisine. You will find Tal’s recipe for his exceptional, and do-able, vegan pasta dough in The Wicked Healthy Cookbook.
80% Healthy + 20% Wicked equals “Wicked Healthy,” which means good-for-you food that tastes so good you’ll think it’s bad for you! Ok, who wouldn’t be down for that!? If you are wondering how-to though, especially newbies or the just curious, you will find the first section of the book to be a series of detailed and thorough lessons that Chad and Derek have made accessible to all kinds of eaters. (It’s mostly wicked, as there are low or no-sugar, low- or no-oil, and no gluten-free recipes—all here).
Vegan Almond Meringue Cookies
Chad and I have discussed desserts aplenty over the years, and intensely during the development of my Essential Vegan Desserts with Rouxbe. While I have made vegan aquafaba meringue many times, I was drawn to these Almond Meringue Cookies and was given permission to offer the recipe here. Follow the tips and you cannot fail.
Now, excuse me, I have to get into the kitchen to make the Wicked Healthy Cheese Sauce for lunch, and later, the Barbecued Maitake Steaks. Here in Philadelphia, we have ‘shrooms, thanks to Kennett Square, and I am fascinated by the Sarno’s break-the-rules manner of cooking mushrooms.

Almond Meringue Cookies
Ingredients
- Plant-Based Meringue (see below)
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Seeds scraped from ½ vanilla bean
- ¼ cup finely ground unsalted roasted almonds, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Make the meringue until it is fully whipped. Whip the almond extract and vanilla seeds into the meringue.
- Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Or use a zipper-lock bag and cut off a corner. If your parchment is curling up from the baking sheets, dollop a little meringue under each corner to secure it. Pipe cookies into pointy mounds about 1½ inches in diameter. They should look like big Hershey’s kisses. You need only about ½ inch space between cookies because they won’t expand much during baking. Sprinkle the ground almonds, if using, evenly over the cookies.
- Bake until the cookies look dry and off-white in color, 2 hours. Rotate the pans halfway through the baking for even heating. Cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in well-sealed containers. Humidity and moisture will make the cookies sticky, so store them in a cool, dry cupboard.
Recipe Notes
Options
Raspberry Meringue Cookies: When making the meringue, add 1/3 cup powdered freeze-dried raspberries (buzzed in a clean spice grinder) along with the sugar. Omit the vanilla and almonds, and substitute raspberry extract for the almond extract.
Lemon Meringue Cookies: When making the meringue, add 2 tablespoons lemon peel powder (buzz the dried lemon peel in a clean spice grinder) along with the sugar. Omit the vanilla and almonds, and substitute lemon extract for the almond extract.
Candy Cane Meringue Cookies: When making the meringue, reduce the sugar by 2 tablespoons and add 3 to 4 tablespoons crushed candy canes along with the sugar while whipping. Omit the vanilla and almonds, and substitute 1 teaspoon peppermint extract or a few drops of food-grade peppermint essential oil for the almond extract.
Excerpted from the book THE WICKED HEALTHY COOKBOOK by Chad Sarno, Derek Sarno, and David Joachim. Copyright © 2018 by Chad Sarno and Derek Sarno. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved. Photos by Eva Kosmas Flores.

Plant-Based Meringue
Ingredients
- 1 can (14 ounces) no-salt-added chickpeas
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ cup semifine (see Pro Tip) organic cane sugar
Instructions
- Strain the chickpea liquid into the bowl of an electric mixer. You should have about ½ cup.
- Add the cream of tartar to the bowl and fit the mixer with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until the mixture increases in volume and stiffens a bit, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to medium high and gradually add the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time. Blend about 4 minutes more, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The meringue is done when it holds its shape as the whip attachment is lifted. You should also be able to hold the bowl upside down without the meringue falling out. Continue whipping until you can do that. Otherwise, the meringue will not hold its shape when cooked.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tip: To make semifine sugar, grind it in a food processor or Vitamix for 10 to 15 seconds.
Excerpted from the book THE WICKED HEALTHY COOKBOOK by Chad Sarno, Derek Sarno, and David Joachim. Copyright © 2018 by Chad Sarno and Derek Sarno. Reprinted with permission of Grand Central Life & Style. All rights reserved. Photos by Eva Kosmas Flores.
I have a copy of The Wicked Healthy Cookbook for one lucky winner. Follow the instructions below to enter. Contest ends at midnight EDT on May 1st. U.S. residents only, please. Good luck!
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The Wicked Healthy Cookbook photos by Eva Kosmas Flores.
My favorite plant-based meal would have to be tacos!
Tacos everday!!
My favorite plant-based meal is anything with potatoes!
Potatoes rule. Lately I am eating a lot of Stokes purple potatoes!
Power bowls are my favorite right now, I change them up with whatever I have on hand in the fridge. I love roasted veggies, quinoa, avocado, broccoli and tahini dressing. Yum
Always creative and delicious. Wait until you see the bowls in Wicked Healthy!
All of my favorite vegan chefs in one photo! Love the recipe – cant wait to try. At the moment I am making coconut panko crusted cauliflower tacos with mango lime cilantro salsa. An Almond Meringue Cookie would be the perfect ending to my taco meal.
Maddie, I’d love to come over for dinner!!! That photo, I feel so happy whenever I look at it!! Those talented sweet men.
My fav meal is a good Buddha bowl.
Always good- Buddha Bowl.
I love a mixture of spiralized vegies mixed with beans and fire-roasted tomatoes.
I gave my spiralizer to my kids, and the boys, my grandsons, love using it. Time for me to get one for myself!!The mix you like- me too!!
Lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, and roasted root vegetables
That’s real comfort food!
My favorite plant based meal is angel hair pasta with fresh tomato sauce. Looking forward to making this again with good summer tomatoes.
Good summer tomatoes make all the difference. I hope summer comes!
I’m going to have to go with a huge fresh garden salad! You just can’t beat the fresh out of the garden flavors.
I eat a huge! fresh garden salad every single day. Some seasons, not quite out of the garden, but choosing seasonal veggies works for me.
My favorite is everything! Tonight there will be some creamy mayocoba beans!
I have to look up that kind of bean!! New to me!
Cauliflower any form works for me please.
Cauliflower is so versatile!
Looks Yum! Can’t wait to get into my kitchen and made a few for us. Thanks for the post.
Hello and thank you for writing.
I hope you do make the cookies soon. Let us know how you like the Almond Meringue Cookies and show us some photos too!!
Tag #francostigan.
Have a lovely day,
Fran