AuthorLaura-Jane Koers was gaining weight and having trouble staying awake. And then,“I knew that I had to change my relationship with food—forever.” Her recipebook, Cook Lively!, results from herdecision that a plant-based diet might turn her life around—if only she couldmake her own vegan meals without too much fuss. Cook Lively! is based upon healthy ingredients that can be had yearround (go elsewhere for seasonal recipes). Her pantry is stocked with puremaple syrup for dessert, plenty of nuts and seeds, canned beans (but no cannedlentils!), bottled lemon juice (not as good as fresh, but in a pinch…) anddried herbs. The recipes include many substitutes for animal-derived foods,such as her delicious looking “Lox and Cream Cheese.”