Favorite Things to Read – The Cookbook Edition

Today, as I was ordering cinnamon from Amazon, I saw the 2 days left to order until Christmas sign, and decided it was high time to finish my Favorite Things series, especially since the first installment was a week ago.

So cookbooks. 2010 was very much the year of the cookbook for me.  I read and cooked from many many cookboks – some I already owned, some I did not. My focus the last couple of years has been to add many more vegetables than my usual 5-ish a day, so my cookbook favorites reflect that.  Without further ado, here they are:   

 

The Meat Lover’s Meatless Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes Carnivores Will Devour was my favorite non-dessert cookbook this year because, on a personal level, I really feel like I learned to cook from three people – myself and my trials and errors, my mom (remotely via phone) and Kim (via her now defunct Washington Post chat, and her various blogs and articles over the years).  I have been so lucky to actually meet Kim in person (when she used to live in DC and we went to the same yoga studio) and was thrilled when her book was published. It is wonderful – lots of easy, seasonal and delicious dishes. Many are naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, while many others can be adapted to be both gluten-free, dairy-free and often vegan.  This is a gem of a cookbook.

My favorite dessert cookbook was Ricki Heller’s Sweet Freedom, which I raved about here. Sweet Freedom can be purchased as either a hard copy or e-book.  See here for information. Many of the recipes are gluten-free, while others can be adapted.  I also really like Ricki’s e-cookbooks, all of which are gluten-free. 

 

Curries hold a special place in my heart, and I have loved 660 Curries, as you might remember from this review.  Two of my favorites are the coconut coriander sauce for fish, and salmon with turmeric and garlic, but there are also many vegan and vegetarian dishes.  Many Indian dishes are naturally gluten-free, including certain breads made with lentil and/or chickpea flour.

I raved about it just recently, but  Gluten-Free Recipes for the Conscious Cook: A Seasonal, Vegetarian Cookbook is seasonal and scrummy. There is no need to require a gluten-free diet to truly enjoy this book.

 

Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference is the perfect reference book for vegetables.  It inspires you to learn more about them and eat more of them. 

 The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook is a recent acquisition, but one I am loving. Like other gluten-free cookbooks I love, I do not think you There is no need to require a gluten-free diet to enjoy the delicious flavors of this book.

I have been cooking from Veganomicon all year, and have been really happy with the recipes.  It really is the ultimate vegan cookbook. Many of the recipes are easy to adapt to gluten-free, including these two quinoa recipes.

 

I love Vegan Yum Yum: Decadent (But Doable) Animal-Free Recipes for Entertaining and Everyday for the photography alone.  It is truly a beautiful book.  To adapt the recipes to gluten-free takes a bit more creativity but is doable. Obviously, I skip right over the seitan recipes.

 

Another book that I find beautiful is Super Natural Cooking: Five Delicious Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Foods into Your Cooking.  Heidi Swanson uses dairy and gluten but I have found the recipes easily adaptable as well.  

I could go on and on.  Earlier this year, I had wanted to do a cookbook review series, and will likely tackle the idea again.  I am also considering picking a cookbook to focus on in one week (or maybe over 2 weeks) and then moving on from it – part of the reason the cookbook review series idea did not happen is that I get so distracted by a variety of cookbooks.