Cookbooks
What to cook when you don't feel like cooking
Caroline Chambers
641.5 /Chambers
Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Health
"With three little boys less than two years apart and a packed schedule as an online creator, Caroline Chambers often doesn't feel like cooking. Inspired by her wildly popular Substack newsletter of the same name, this book is brimming with efficient recipes that take the guesswork out of dinner--in fact, each one is a complete meal: protein, veg, starch, done! The recipes are organized by the amount of time they take to cook, so whether you have 15 minutes to throw together something or a little bit more time on your hands, dinnertime is totally doable. On top of that, Caro gives you more ways to choose, so you can search by protein (chicken thighs waiting in the fridge? Make White Chicken Chili. Nothing but beans in the pantry? Cannellini Caprese with Burrata is it!) or mood (Tomato Farrotto is perfect for a cozy craving, and Crunchy Honey Harissa Fish Tacos are an excellent way to show off). Most importantly, these recipes include Caro's famously extensive swaps, riffs, tips, shortcuts, and more to be sure they work best for you, helping you save money, improvise, and even learn a thing or two"--
The apple lover's cookbook
Amy Traverso
641.6411 /Traverso
Cookbooks
"The Apple Lover's Cookbook is more than a recipe book. It's a celebration of apples in all their incredible diversity, as well as an illustrated guide to 70 popular (and rare-but-worth-the-search) apple varieties. Each has its own complete biography with entries for best use, origin, availability, season, appearance, taste, and texture. Amy Traverso organizes these 70 varieties into four categories--firm-tart, tender-tart, firm-sweet, and tender-sweet--and includes a one-page cheat sheet that you can refer to when making any of her recipes. More than 100 scrumptious, easy-to-make recipes follow, offering the full range from breakfast dishes, appetizers, salads, soups, and entrees all the way to desserts. On the savory side, there's a cider-braised brisket and a recipe for Sweet Potato-Apple Latkes. On the sweet side, Amy serves up crisps, cobblers, pies, and cakes, including Apple-Pear Cobbler, Cider Donut Muffins, and an Apple-Cranberry Slab Pie cut into squares to eat by hand. As bonuses, The Apple Lover's Cookbook contains detailed notes on how to tell if an apple is fresh and guides to apple festivals, ciders, and products, as well as updated information about the best times and places to buy apples across the United States, making it easy to seek out and visit local orchards, whether you live in Vermont or California. First published a decade ago, now newly revised and updated, The Apple Lover's Cookbook is your lifetime go-to book for apples"--
My mouth waters at simply reading the names of some of these recipes: cider-glazed root vegetables, sausage with braised cabbage and apples, squash and apple gratin---mmm mmm. You'd suspect a book about cooking apples would be all pies and cobblers, but nope! This book covers apples in all ways. It's perfect for this apple season we're currently in. And it's so pretty; the cover's color palette pops. Local produce lovers, check this one out. -Melody
Oodles and oodles of vegan noodles : soba, ramen, udon & more
Cheynese Khachame
641.56362 /Khachame
Cookbooks
"The first plant-based, pan-Asian noodle cookbook, featuring classics made vegan and exciting innovations"--
This book features a splendid array of some of my favorite Asian dishes made vegan. Soba, creamy coconut ramen and pho stand front and center, not to mention cold noodle salads (perfect for these hot summer days,) make for a comprehensive and practical cookbook which call for many of the same ingredients in multiple recipes, thus stretching your dollar a little further! -Victoria
Tenderheart : a cookbook about vegetables and unbreakable family bonds
Hetty McKinnon
641.5636 /McKinnon
Cookbooks, Nonfiction
"From the acclaimed author of To Asia, With Love, a loving homage to her father, a Chinese immigrant in Australia, told in 150 flavorful, vegetarian recipes. Heritage and food have always been linked for Hetty McKinnon. Growing up as part of a Chinese family in Australia, McKinnon formed a deep appreciation for her bi-cultural identity, and for her father, who moved to Sydney as a teenager and learned English by selling bananas at a local market. As he brought home crates full of produce after work, McKinnon learned about the beauty and versatility of fruits and vegetables. Tenderheart is the happy outcome of McKinnon's love of vegetables. From Miso Mushroom Ragu with Oven-Baked Polenta to Celery and Vermicelli Spring Rolls and Sweet Potato and Black Sesame Marble Cake, Tenderheart features 21 essential fruits and vegetables that become the basis for 150 recipes. A tender tribute to her father and his experience as an immigrant, McKinnon explores how food connects us to our loved ones, even when they are no longer with us - and gives us the tools to make recipes that are healthful, economical, and bursting with flavor"--
I picked up this gorgeous cookbook on the Bookmobile and couldn't stop staring at the front cover, so knew I'd be taking it after my shift. This is a book about love; love of family and love of cooking. The two interweave beautifully in the recipe illustrations and the photo album snap shots. The author's love and respect for her father and mother and the sacrifices they made are evident in every recipe. I loved how each chapter was a shout out to a new vegetable or root. Many of the recipes had similar experiences so the book is practical, too. I have tried several recipes already and can't wait to serve up more! -Victoria
Mayumu : Filipino American desserts remixed
Balingit, Abi, author.
641.86 /Balingit
Cookbooks
"A sweet baking book of fantastically imaginative remixed Filipinx American dessert recipes, plus stories of the Filipinx American experience by baker-activist, Abi Balingit When the pandemic started her lonely work-from-home life in 2020, Abi channeled all her energy into the one thing that brought her joy: baking. She started to produce Pasalubong boxes filled with novel treats that blended the Filipino and Asian flavors Abi grew up with and her favorite Western style baked goods, each time selling out within hours and donating the proceeds to support her community in need. Now, Abi shares these cult-favorite desserts with Mayumu (which means "sweet" in one of the 8 major languages in Philippines), an incredibly fresh baking book of 75 recipes for sweet treats, organized in chapters tied to where she discovered these flavors growing up as child of immigrants in a cultural melting pot, from the Philippines, to all around California, to her now home Brooklyn, NY. And she bakes all of these in her tiny, dimly lit, urban kitchen, meaning anyone can do it, too"--
I've been following The Dusky Kitchen on Instagram for a while now, and I love her Filipino-American takes on classic Filipino dishes! Living away from my family in an area with limited Filipino cuisine has been hard, but this cookbook has helped bring a little more of home back into my kitchen as I now make a weekly batch of pandesal to have for breakfast everyday. I appreciate her recommendations for specific ingredient brands as well as different methods to make harder-to-find ingredients like ube halaya from scratch. I have yet to try the more interesting recipes like Kare Kare Cookies or Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies! -Annie
Bowls & broths : build a bowl of flavour from scratch, with dumplings, noodles and more
Pippa Middlehurst
641.595 /Middlehurst
Cookbooks
"Bowls & Broths is a super-fresh collection of broth-based recipes that will teach you how to season, layer and create versatile and exciting dishes from scratch"--Publisher's description.
You know when it's bad but broth often underappreciated in a good meal. Pretty much everything in here: noodles, dumplings, ramen, etc. -Mykle
Fake meat : real food for vegan appetites
Isa Chandra Moskowitz
641.56362 /Moskowitz
Nonfiction, Cookbooks
Demonstrates how to make vegan meats at home in a collection of 125 recipes sure to satisfy every kind of meat craving, from fried chicken to pepperjack cheese steaks.
DIY Fake Meat? Yes, please! I'm a big fan of Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Her vegan restaurant, Modern Love Omaha, is on my list of must-visits each time I'm in the city. I even like to stay at the hotel within walking distance to the place, and have been known to get takeout from there two nights in a row. (Her chickpea chick'n cutlet is my husband's favorite.) This book holds the secret to some of those delicious dishes. I can't wait to make my own seitan again! -Melody
More Mediterranean : 225+ new plant-forward recipes endless inspiration for eating well
America's Test Kitchen
641.59 /America's
Cookbooks
In this follow-up to the bestselling The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, America's Test Kitchen opens the Mediterranean pantry wide open. ... The book is organized to emphasize the joy of the Mediterranean diet as a nourishing, sustainable lifestyle. Build your plate around both small- and entrée-size recipes in chapters covering Mostly Plants; Mainly Grains and Beans; and Meat, Fish, Eggs, and More. An impressive Whole Romanesco with Berbere and Tahini Sauce is a brilliant vegetable dinner. A Spiced Chickpea Gyro (with heat from Asian chili-garlic sauce and pepperoncini) wows fans of the Greek meat-filled sandwich. Carrot Salad with Rose Harissa is a beautiful accompaniment to a number of meals, from Lentils with Roasted Broccoli and Lemony Bread Crumbs to Tofu Kebabs. Fish and meat mingle with lively accompaniments in restaurant-quality dishes like Pan Seared Swordfish with Persimmon-Ginger Chutney and Grilled Short Ribs with Preserved Lemon-Almond Sauce.
America's Test Kitchen publishes some of the best cookbooks, in my humble opinion. The recipes are literally tested by chefs before earning a space on these pages. This is a great cookbook for those who want plant-heavy meals with meat on the side. -Melody
My Pokémon cookbook : delicious recipes inspired by Pikachu and friends
Victoria Rosenthal
Explore culinary delights from across the Pokémon universe in this official cookbook. Featuring favorite flavors from every region, dive into dishes that celebrate the world of Pokémon and fuel up for your next battle! Perfect for fans of all ages, My Pokémon Cookbook is the perfect addition to any Pokémon Trainer's kitchen. --
Do I play the Pokémon trading card game? Nope! Have I played the videogames? Nope! Do I watch the show? Not in 25 years or so! Do I love this cookbook? YUP! The first recipe is a Pokémon Poke Bowl, which is both clever and delicious. I found the recipes in this book both irresistibly adorable and delicious, and I think some of the Pokémon are so cute! Look out for an entire week of Pokémon programming the first week of 2023!! -Mari
Vegan Africa : plant-based recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal
Marie Kacouchia
641.56362 /Kacouchia
Cookbooks
Drawing from the cultures and traditions of more than 15 countries, years of cooking expertise, and cherished memories from her own childhood on the Ivory Coast, Marie Kacouchia takes us on a tour of flavorful, healthy, naturally plant-based African dishes. Explore over 70 irresistible recipes for main courses, rice dishes, sauces, snacks, desserts, and drinks. Vegan Africa guides you through diverse vegan cuisine from Ghana to Ethiopia, from Nigeria to South Africa. Kacouchia also shines a spotlight on the superfoods—like cacao, garlic, ginger, and sweet potato—that make these recipes both mouthwatering and packed with vital nutrients. Whether you’re a newcomer to African cuisine or looking to make familiar favorites, Vegan Africa will help you bring healthful, delicious dishes to your kitchen.
Desperately seeking Ethiopian food! Iowa City is an Ethiopian restaurant desert, and I've been craving Kik Alicha Wot (stewed split peas), Gomen (tangy collards), and Tikil Gomen (carrots and cabbage) something fierce now for months. I haven't been cooking a lot due to time constraints and a cluttered kitchen and have been daydreaming about going to an Ethiopian restaurant. When googling it, the closest place I can find is in Davenport. Guess I have to make time to cook it myself! This is the cookbook I'll be starting with. -Melody
This book is great! I like making bulk meals on Sundays so that I can have lunch for the week. I'm not so much a sandwich gal; I like my soups and grains and baked veggies. The first thing I made was a Tater Tot Egg Bake, which was so easy that I had time to clean the kitchen while it was baking. Usually, my Sunday batch cooking means Monday kitchen cleanup. But not with the tot bake! I'm also keen on trying their garlicky grains, featuring greens, farro, and sausage, and their one pot "squash-ta." They have a nice section on ingredients to keep on hand, as well. This book is perfect for working people who don't want to spend their leisure time toiling over the stove. -Melody