SEED TO PLATE, SOIL TO SKY

A James Beard Award-winning author and chef's plant-based celebration of the eight plants Native Americans introduced to the rest of the world - corn, beans, squash, chile, tomato, potato, vanilla, and cacao - with more than 100 recipes.

Some food historians say that 1491 to 1493 are the years the world began--in terms of food, that is. Prior to 1492, eight plants - corn, beans, squash, chile, tomato, potato, vanilla, and cacao - existed only in the Americas. Italy didn't have the tomato; Ireland didn't have the potato, nor Russia the vodka distilled from it; and there were no chiles in South Asia. When these ingredients crossed the ocean, they drastically transformed the way the Old World would eat and cook forever. Yet the average person, even those who cook with these foods regularly, doesn't know this history.

Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky introduces the splendor and importance of Native culinary history and pairs it with delicious Native American-inspired dishes. Grounded in a primer on Native American cuisine and with a necessary discussion of food sovereignty and sustainability, Seed to Plate, Soil to Sky shares more than 100 nutritious, plant-based recipes organized by each of the foundational ingredients. Grounded in Southwestern flavors with recipes like Blue Corn Hotcakes with Prickly Pear Syrup, Three Sisters Stew, and Green Chile Enchilada Lasagna, along with essential basics like Corn Masa, Red and Green Chile Sauces, and Cacao Spice Rub for a thoughtful, delicious celebration of Native foods. These "Magic 8" ingredients share the page - and plate - to create meals and treats that will transform your world.

Chef Frank's first book, Foods of the Southwest Indian Nationswhich won the James Beard Award in the Americana category (the first cookbook of Native American cuisine to win the honor - is still in print and selling after twenty years. As interest in plant-based eating continues to grow, Chef Frank celebrates both the history and culture of indigenous tribes through delicious vegan recipes that reflect traditional flavors.

Lois Ellen Frank, PhD, is a Santa-Fe based, James Beard Award-winning author, chef, Native foods historian, educator, and photographer. Dr. Frank has spent over 30 years documenting foods and life ways of Native Americans from the Southwest. She received her PhD from the University of New Mexico in Cultural Anthropology focusing on the discourse and practice of Native American cuisine and was a Culinary Ambassador Diplomat with the U.S. State Department and Office of Cultural Affairs.