Cookbooks on my bookshelf (part 3)

Wspis w wersji polskiej: tutaj

Today I'd like to recommend you cookbooks by Heidi Swanson, the author of a lovely 101 Cookbooks food blog. First of her books, Super Natural Cooking was published a few years ago, second one Super Natural Every Day has been out since April 2011.

Those of you who follow 101 Cookbooks blog, know probably that Heidi is a vegetarian. Her cooking is not only super natural and super healthy, but also super tasty. Also, her recipes are very creative, made with plenty of interesting ingredients. 

First of Heidi's cookbooks Super Natural Cooking starts with a description of various products which the author uses in her kitchen (the first chapter is actually entirely devoted to that). Heidi introduces different kinds of flours, fats, and natural sweeteners.

The second chapter, titled Explore a Wilde Range of Grains, is a collection of recipes using various kinds of grains, including those less known as quinoa, teff, or amaranth. My absolutely favorite recipe from this part of the book is the one for Espresso Banana Muffins which I urge you to try!!!

One of the most interesting chapters is chapter 3 in which the author describes the properties of fruit and vegetables depending on their color. You can find out what lycopene is and why it's worth to eat calendula flowers.

The following chapter is entirely devoted to Super Foods, which are basically all types of food super rich in vitamins and minerals, such as legumes, nuts and grains, sprouts, tea, or yogurt.

In Chapter 5 Heidi focuses on all kinds of sugars and sweeteners such as cane sugar, honey, or agave nectar. The books finishes with a small collection of basic recipes such as vegetable stock and tomato sauce, but you will find here also some more sophisticated recipes e.g. cashew cream.

Super Natural Food Every Day also begins with a description of ingredients. The introduction is followed by seven chapters: Breakfast, Lunch, Snacks, Dinner, Drinks, Treats, and Accompaniments. The recipes are easy and quick to prepare. There are plenty of ideas for snacks and drinks here. Also, the ingredients seem a little bit simpler than in Super Natural Cooking. Although, let's be honest here, for some of the ingredients you will have to visit a few more places than your regular grocery store.

Both of the books have beautiful graphics; most of the recipes are illustrated with beautiful photographs taken by the author. These are not books for everyone though, as I already mentioned, ingredients used by Heidi are expensive and hard to obtain. Not everything can be simply found in a regular grocery store. But cooking with Heidi's recipes is a warranty of a tasty and healthy meal rich in nutrients.

If you like Heidi's recipes, visit my blog tomorrow. I've made delicious Weeknight Curry to share with you.

Have a nice evening everyone,

Karo

Cookbooks on my bookshelf (part 2)

Wpis w wersji polskiej

I'm sure that most of you are familiar with La Tartine Gourmande, a food blog of Béatrice Peltre, an incredibly talented French woman living in US. The book which I would like to recommend you is a collection of recipes written, styled and photographed by her. I've been looking forward to that publication since the day Béa announced on her blog that she had been working on it. The official release date of the book is February 2012, but limited number of copies are available on a presale here. I got my copy just a few days ago, so I didn't really have the chance to try many recipes, but I'm absolutely sure they are all going to turn out great. I have already tried a bunch of recipes from Béa’s food blog and they always came out fantastic!!!

The book is divided into two parts. In the first one titled My kitchen, Béa gives us some guidelines, introduces the ingredients and equipment she's been using, as well as gives us some basic recipes and methods. Second part is filled with actual recipes divided into four chapters: Breakfast and Brunch to Inspire, Lunches to Inspire (further divided into: A Tartine and a Bowl of Soup, Le pique-nique, and Casual Lunches with Friends), Dinners to Inspire (The Party with Small Bites, Dinners for Getaway Weekends, Casual Dinners with Friends, Sophisticated and Elegant Dinners), and Desserts to Inspire (French Childhood Memories, A Love For Fruit, Everyday Baking, Beautiful and Irresistible Dessert).

The recipes have been inspired by French cuisine as well as some other countries the author had visited. They're undoubtedly very healthy – rich in fruit and vegetables!!! Also, they are all gluten-free, which means that Béa uses a whole range of different flours in place of regular flour. Some of them are quinoa flours, different kinds of rice flours (white, brown, sweet), amaranth flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour, almond meal and hazelnut meal. 

The book is worth having not only for the great recipes, but also for its gorgeous pictures, styling and  interesting anecdotes. Looking at the pictures, it was hard to resist eating the pages ;-)

Here's a sneak peak of the dessert I've made following a recipe from the book. More about the dessert in my next post. Have a great week everyone!!!

Apple and Pear Verrines with Millet Crumble and Vanilla Custard

See also :

Cookbooks on my bookshelf (part 1)

Cookbooks on my bookshelf (part 1)

Wpis w wersji polskiej

Hello everyone!!! There's no recipe today, instead I'd like to tell you about the cookbooks I've purchased lately. I rarely buy books in a bookstore, unless they're on sale. Usually after flipping through a few interesting books in a bookstore, I order the ones that I find the most interesting on Amazon. Sometimes they're even half cheaper! The last two books I bought are: For the Love of Food by Denis Cotter and Vegetables from an Italian Garden. While I love both of them, let me focus mainly on the first one.

For the Love Of Food

Even though I don't eat meat, I don't often buy cookbooks which are strictly vegetarian. Reason? Most of them offer staples instead of introducing anything new. This book is different. The author, who is a chef in one of the best British vegetarian restaurants, has an innovative approach to vegetarianism. In this book, you certainly won't find recipes for any dish that you had already eaten before. The combinations of flavors are very unique and original, e.g. Asparagus & raspberry tartlets with strawberry champagne salsa. And since I've mention salsa, this is actually another great thing about the book. Almost all the presented dishes come with accompaniments (salsas, sauces, salads etc.) which complement the main dishes perfectly.

This is a book for those who love cooking and don't mind spending lots of time in the kitchen. Preparing most of the dishes requires effort and majority of recipes asks for lots of ingredients, but, believe me it's worth it. Most of dishes would be excellent to serve your guest- both the veggie ones and the ones who are skeptical about vegetarianism. The dishes are so flavorful that I'm pretty sure that the last ones won't even notice they're having a meatless meal.

The book is divided into nine chapters: Breakfast, Salad, Risotto, Soup, Mash, All Wrapped up, Bowls, Oven, and Sweetness. Each recipe is preceded by a short introduction written with lively language and a pinch of humor. Also the photos are really lovely. Sadly, not every recipe comes with a picture.

Vegetables from an Italian Garden

Unlike the first book, the recipes in Vegetables from an Italian Garden are quite straightforward. The book is divided into season and then by vegetables within season. The majority of recipes are vegetarian, however there are also recipes featuring meat and fish. The book is full of information about vegetables i.e. varieties, storage, preparation and growing. Great for both beginners and a little more advanced cooks.

I have already tried some recipes from the first of the books and they turned out delicious. You can expect to see the results on my blog anytime soon. Have a nice weekend everyone!!!

Karo