As far as great work days go, it doesn’t get much better than sitting down to a brunch hosted by Chrissy Teigen and Vita Coco Coconutmilk at Chateau Marmont to find out more details about Cravings 2, her second cookbook. We’ve learned a lot of great cooking tips from Teigen over the years, and our dog-eared pages of Cravings have left us a little desperate for more of the flavor-packed recipes the hilarious model, author, and #relatable media personality has become known for. We got to pick Teigen’s brain about the book, what she’s been eating, and how she’s doing with the whole motherhood-pregnancy-career thing.
During brunch, Teigen told us about what kind of recipes she included in her next book (hello, Thai food!) and totally left us drooling. She also shared some details about how much her tastes and eating habits have changed through her pregnancies and after becoming a parent. She may be a glamorous A-lister, but after meeting her in person, it really does seem like she’s just a regular (albeit unusually charming and funny) person doing her best to juggle whatever life throws her way — starting with the food she eats and feeds her family.
Vita Coco Coconutmilk and Chrissy Teigen host intimate brunch at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, CA
On her new cookbook
Teigen told us that she just finished Cravings 2, though there’s no word on when it will be officially released yet. When it drops you can be sure that it’ll be full of tasty recipes and the funny anecdotes she’s known for, but this go-round, she’s getting a little more adventurous. “It’s… more inspired by being able to travel in the last few years; it’s a lot brighter… I like light, bright foods, beautiful foods, as long as they’re nice and hearty still… I lean toward Indian food, Asian food, Moroccan food,” she shared.
She’ll also be exploring more of the foods she learned to make from her mom. “I have around 15 coconut-milk based recipes in the next cookbook… It’s very Thai-heavy this year because I was so proud of how well everybody was able to make Thai food [from the first book]. I was scared, I was like, ‘They’re gonna see fish sauce, and they’re going to be so grossed out by it.’ But no, everybody sent me so many amazing photos of these Thai recipes that they were really proud of to make.” Other dishes to look forward to in the book include French Toast With Whipped Honey Ricotta Topping, Everything Bagel and Cream Cheese Breakfast Bake, Blueberry Cream Cheese Pancakes, and savory entrées like Sweet Miso Butter Cod With Snap Peas.
On how pregnancy and parenting have changed her eating habits
Teigen had a few weird cravings during her first pregnancy that inspired a lot of what was in her first book. “My cravings were really intense for the first one,” she told us. “[With] everything I was like, ‘Well what if we add ham?’ Everything in that book has ham!” This time, though, being a parent is having more of an affect on what she eats. “Just having a kid already changed my palate. The first time around I had many more precise cravings, and now I like sour foods and I like certain foods more than others, but I’m not grossed out by anything,” she shared.
Knowing that her daughter Luna is watching her eating habits has helped her be more mindful too. “It’s funny; we just treat [kids] better than we treat ourselves, and she’s just like the healthiest thing on the planet,” Teigen said. “I think if anything, I make better decisions because I see her… I feel weird if I am giving her all this good food all day and then hiding later and having my own stuff.”
On her lifestyle
Though her first book was decadent, these days Teigen is falling in love with clean eating. That being said, she’s definitely not super strict about adhering to anything specific. “Everyone has all these types of diets these days… I don’t even like to use that word… People are gluten-free, and that’s not a fad. That’s not a diet; it’s… a way of life for them,” she said. Her motto is everything in moderation, something she’s taken to heart recently. “I try to incorporate really good things into my natural diet of being terrible,” she explained with a laugh.
She’s currently following the “vegan-ish” meal plan, yet that doesn’t stop her from making double-decker sausage McMuffins when the craving strikes. When she’s feeling like something a little more fresh, some of her favorite recipes from Cravings 2 are a coconut milk drizzle made with lime juice to pour over fresh pineapple, mango, and watermelon fruit kabobs, and a new take on her coconut rice from the first book that includes grilled bananas, inspired by grilled plantains she had at a Jamaican restaurant.
On her cravings
Being pregnant means there are some foods that are off-limits, a scary prospect for a foodie like Teigen. “It feels like every time I get pregnant there are more rules added [to what you can and can’t eat],” she said. The one thing she’s really craving that she’s not allowed to have? “I want a cold Subway deli sandwich at all times… and I would love a good margarita!” She’s not the only one in the family with cravings that can strike at inopportune moments. Apparently at a party one time, Teigen left the crowd to go to the kitchen. When she got there, she found her mom and Kris Jenner eating caviar together, hiding from the party. Another thing that made us fall in love with Teigen’s mom was her adorable request to bring home one of the young green coconuts decorating the tables at the brunch, so she could cook with it. After hearing all about Teigen’s cooking adventures and favorite foods, we’re left craving one thing — a copy of Cravings 2 to drool over. Luckily, we got our hands on a recipe that gives us a sneak peak at the deliciousness to come, so stay tuned…
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(Photos via Vita Coco Coconutmilk)
