Favorite Cookbooks



MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT DAILY SPECIAL
This is probably my number-one most-used cookbook! The premise is simple: these are the soups and salads that have been a hit at the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca. And I *love* these soup recipes! The ones I repeatedly return to are the Spicy Carrot Peanut Soup and the Egyptian Red Lentil. I like to add greens to the lentil soup - kale, spinach, whatever is available, fresh or frozen! My newest fave is the Curried Cauliflower, check it out!


VEGETARIAN PLANET by Didi Emmons
This cookbook is the perfect one to utilize on your meat-eating friends: the dishes are so flavorful and well-seasoned that they'll love them without realizing there's anything "missing." It's one of the most entertaining cookbooks to peruse because the author shares great stories about the recipes and her life as a chef. It's also good as a reference - it includes lists of foods (such as different grains) and how to prepare them. My famous 'award-winning' Chile Verde recipe started its life as the Chile Verde recipe in this cookbook. The "Smoky Black Beans" recipe is one of my staples and a crock-pot favorite.


THE ACCIDENTAL VEGAN by Devra Gartenstein
I have to admit, I initially judged this cookbook by its cover. Or rather, its (lack of) heft and (lack of) pictures/illustrations inside. I really like cookbooks to be aesthetically pleasing, and stories and pictures are a big bonus in my book. But this cookbook was a gift...and since the gift-giver is also the main eater of the food I cook, I had to give it a try. The tamale recipes (and the "Real Tamale Pie" recipe) were the first to impress me, and everything else I've made has been a flavorful hit as well. Fancy recipes they are not. They are pretty basic actually - basically just tasty!