By the time Clarkston author Paula Coomer hit 50 her body was sounding the alarm bell. Type 2 diabetes was looming, she was more than 100 pounds overweight, had high cholesterol and a host of other complaints. Seeking a better life she and her then-fiance, Phil, embarked on a new year as vegetarians.
In “Blue Moon Vegetarian” Coomer recounts their first year, offering savory recipes, advice and personal reflections on how their plant-based diet changed their health and their relationships. Before she was a Washington State University English professor, Coomer worked as a public health nurse. That background bolsters her discoveries and research into alternative protein sources like hemp seed, and societal epidemics caused by food that has had the life processed out of it.
Fifty billion is spent each year on coronary bypasses in the U.S., part of a $2.2 trillion health care bill. Coomer, now vegan and gluten free, believes food will heal us. With recipes like Agave Caramel Corn, Oatmeal-Walnut Burger, and Phil’s Fabulous Three Bean Nachos, she offers a tasty journey toward health.
Coomer will be reading, signing and offering recipe samples from her book:
-- 5-8 Thursday, Dec. 5, BookPeople, 521 S. Main St., Moscow.
--7-9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at a book launch party with cover art artist Kelsey Grafton at The Blue Lantern Coffee House, 325 Main St., Lewiston.
--11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, with artist Kelsey Grafton at And Books Too, 918 Sixth St., Clarkston.
--3-5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 20 at Vig’s Health Food Store, 922 16th Ave., Lewiston.
“Blue Moon Vegetarian” by Paula Coomer Booktrope Editions 198 pages; $14.95 print/$4.99 e-book
