Cookbook author and artist Erin Gleeson of The Forest Feast has long inspired her fans and followers with her rustic, colorful recipes, not to mention the epic entertaining spreads she executes from her dreamy cabin in the woods. So when she and her family had the opportunity to live abroad for a few months, the first thing she thought about was the food. She decided to write a travel cookbook inspired by all the delicious Mediterranean vegetarian food she was bound to encounter. The result? The Forest Feast Mediterranean, which comes out next week and features both recipes and countless stories from the family’s adventures.

“I think some of our friends thought we were crazy considering we had a 9-month old and a 3-year old, but we were determined!” says Erin. “So we packed up that double stroller and off we went. First stop: Spain! Since moving from Brooklyn to a cabin in the woods several years earlier, we were craving some city time, and Barcelona seemed like a great place to spend the month of October. Restaurants served dinner too late for us, but tapas bars were open earlier and often had a playground right out front, so we spent may warm evenings outdoors with Patatas Bravas and a glass of cava. I got so many recipe ideas and took notes as our travels continued along the coast of France and Italy, down to Sicily, and throughout Portugal.”

Once back home, she recreated vegetarian versions of her favorite dishes (like the super simple, colorful crudités plate above) from the trip for the book. As in her other books, she designed visual recipe diagrams that are easy to cook from by layering her travel photos, watercolor illustrations, and hand lettering on each page. As for traveling the world with kids, Erin says that while there were some expected meltdowns, it was mostly a magical experience.

“In hindsight I actually think the kids were good ages for travel. Having little kids changes how you travel but we liked making lunches our special meals out and working a midday siesta into our daily routine. We had tantrums over gelato, but we have those at home too, and I much prefer dealing with one on an idyllic cobblestone street in Italy! The kids were so small that they might not remember the trip but I like to think that I can keep some of the memories alive by making some of our favorite foods from our travels at home for weeknight dinner, the Tortilla Espanola (recipe below). We already liked to sit down together for meals but this trip really enforced that. In all of the countries we visited, the culture insists upon coming together, sitting down, and appreciating the food and conversation. By creating this book, my hope is to bring home a little bit of that magic, encouraging us all to embrace this kind of pause and gratitude for gathering together with good, simple food, wherever in the world we might be.”

Erin shares six of her favorite recipes from the book with us below. Click through them all then give one a try tonight!