Where to Start with Sara Ask & Lisa Bjärbo
Sara Ask is a Swedish pediatric dietitian, food writer, and public speaker who has spent her career making healthy eating practical for families. Lisa Bjärbo is a Swedish journalist, blogger, and author. Together they created the “Mera vego” series of vegetarian family cookbooks, which became a phenomenon in Sweden with over 80,000 copies sold and translations into multiple languages. Their approach is built on the reality of feeding a family: tight schedules, picky eaters, limited budgets, and the need for meals that actually taste good enough to make everyone come back for seconds. The series includes “Mera vego” (2014), “Ännu mera vego” (2015), and “Mega Vego” (2017), which collects the best recipes from both earlier books alongside new material.
Start here
Mega Vego
Sara Ask & Lisa Bjärbo · 333 pages · 2017 · Easy
Themes: vegetarian cuisine, family cooking, weeknight meals, Swedish cookbook
The definitive collection from Sweden’s most popular vegetarian family cookbook authors. Mega Vego brings together the best recipes from “Mera vego” and “Ännu mera vego” alongside about twenty new dishes, budget tips, time-saving cooking tricks, and weekly meal plans.
Why Start Here
Mega Vego is the complete package. Rather than buying the two earlier books separately, this compilation gives you everything in one place plus new material that reflects what Ask and Bjärbo have learned from years of reader feedback. The recipes are organized by cooking time, from 20-minute meals to weekend projects, making it easy to find something that fits your evening.
The book is written by a pediatric dietitian and a journalist who are both parents themselves. That combination of nutritional expertise and practical journalism means the recipes are both healthy and realistic. These are dishes that children actually eat, made from ingredients you can find in any grocery store, and written with instructions clear enough to follow after a long day at work.
What to Expect
A substantial 333-page cookbook written in Swedish. The difficulty level is low to moderate, and the ingredients are everyday staples. Expect dishes like pasta gialla, okonomiyaki, coconut rice with chili-fried vegetables, and pulled portobello. If you are looking for family-friendly vegetarian cooking that prioritizes practicality over culinary ambition, this is the book.