Food & Drink
Simple Goodness
Plum Bistro chef and owner Makini Howell’s new cookbook makes vegan recipes easy
By Seattle Mag March 22, 2025
This article originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.
Plum Bistro restaurant owner and chef Makini Howell recently created some tasty vegan recipes for Stevie Wonder. Now she wants to do the same for you — sort of.
Howell, who launched the popular vegan restaurant in Capitol Hill 20 years ago, just released a new plant-based cookbook, Simple Goodness: No-Fuss, Plant-Based Meals Straight From Your Pantry. The book features more than 140 recipes home chefs can easily create, and even includes a chapter on kid-friendly meals such as breakfast and packable school lunches.
Recipes include chipotle plant-beef and bean tostadas; barbecue tofu steaks with roasted yams; and sweet Georgia peach pie. You can also catch Howell on KING 5’s Evening every month on her show Makini’s Kitchen.
Wonder even wrote the foreword for the book.
“Makini’s cooking will excite and satisfy you,” Wonder wrote. “She can teach you how to become vegan for the rest of your life if you desire. Her ways should be passed on from generation to generation, for generations to come.”
The book was published by Hatchette last month and is available on Amazon and other sites.
Editor’s Note: Makini Howell sold the restaurant in January 2024.
Follow Us
How You Can Own a Piece of Olympia’s Rich History
Olympia Distilling launches equity crowdfunding campaign to expand distribution
If the term “It’s the water, and a lot more” means anything to you, here a chance to own part of local history. Olympia Distilling Co. has launched an equity crowdfunding campaign for the public to invest in what it calls “the next chapter of the Olympia story.” Funds raised through the campaign will help…
Model Restaurant Group’s Second Serving: Fremont
Robin’s Restaurant and Market follows last year’s opening of The Greenwood American Bistro
The team behind popular The Greenwood American Bistro has struck again. Edmonds-based Model Restaurant Group has opened its second restaurant — Robin’s Restaurant and Market — in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. Model describes the restaurant as a “casual dining experience.” Wines will be sourced from Bellevue’s Story in a Bottle. Model Restaurant Group was founded last…
Sabine Is Coming To The Eastside
Ballard favorite to open in Bellevue next year
One of Seattle’s best cocktail bars is opening another location on the Eastside. Ballard hotspot Sabine will open in Bellevue early next year. Seattle-based Yes Parade Restaurant Group — it operates seven restaurants throughout the Puget Sound region, including Sabine — says Sabine Café Bellevue will open in The Eight, a 25-story office tower. The…
Seattle Restaurant Week’s Feast Fest Kicks Off March 30
Diners can explore the city’s diverse food scene
Restaurant industry veteran Gene Dexter, wine specialist at Charlotte at the Lotte Hotel in downtown Seattle, has labored over his share of Restaurant Weeks since its inception in 2010. Dexter has also worked at places such as Monsoon, Ba Bar and the now defunct Union Square Grill. Participating restaurants, food trucks and pop-ups will offer menus at $20, $35, $50, and $65…