Founder of KarmaChow.com, Melissa Costello, became a vegetarian at age 19, and has been experimenting with healthier versions of everyday recipes ever since. Now she shares more than 100 in the new book, “The Karma Chow Ultimate Cookbook: 125+ Plant-Based Vegan Recipes for a Fit, Happy, Healthy You.”

Costello includes recipes for breakfast, beverages, snacks, dips, soups, stews, salads, dressings, main dishes, side dishes and deserts. There is also a section on baking substitution for white flour, whole wheat flour, cornstarch and eggs, and the book opens with staples for the vegan pantry. Below is a recipe from the book for kale chips!

Sweet and Savory Kale “Chips”

INGREDIENTS
1 large head dino kale (looks like dinosaur skin)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp creamy almond butter
1 tbsp agave nectar or maple syrup
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Strip the stems from the dino kale and wash well. Place in a large bowl. Blend or whisk the remaining ingredients together until smooth, then pour over the kale. Toss with your hands to coat each leaf. Place the kale in a single layer onto nonstick cookie sheets (or line a regular cookie sheet with parchment paper).

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until edges are crispy. Be careful not to burn.
Eat within one day since edges won’t remain crispy if stored for longer.