Diversity on our plates keeps our guts and our taste buds happy.
I like to encourage my clients to expand their culinary horizons because diversity on our plates makes our guts happier - a diverse diet is important for our gut microbiome. Eating is one of life’s pleasures - ring the changes! If that only means adding a new breakfast, or a couple of new meals to our weekly routine, this is a great step towards more diversity in your diet.
Over the years, cookbooks have broaden my own culinary repertoire. They made me discover flavours I didn't even know existed, ingredient combinations I wouldn't have dared trying, and opened my mind to foods I had never put in my shopping basket before. What's more, preparing a meal is now as satisfying an experience as eating it. I do love being cooked for and eating out, but I find it particularly rewarding to be able to prepare a nutritious and tasty meal from scratch. Cooking for friends is always a very exciting prospect, and I enjoy every step of the feast, small or big, from researching recipes in my cookbooks, all the way to bringing plates to the table.
I hope the recommendations below inspire you to explore new ways of preparing your favourite ingredients, as well as adding new foods to your diet. Hover over the bottom part of the covers for a short description of what to expect.
This book is a must if you want to know more about how to nourish your body, and feel empowered to make informed food choices. It explains in a very accessible language what foods are helpful, or not so helpful for (most of) us. You’ll also learn how to set up your kitchen so you can easily support those food choices. The book includes over 30 delicious and easy recipes, but if you want more, I'd recommend getting one of her other cookbooks (or both!).
This is the book that Amelia Freer wrote after the success she met with “Eat. Nourish. Glow." Recipes are uncomplicated and focus on delivering nutritious, delicious meals. They are organised by health benefit ("Happy Tummy"), or occasion (e.g. "On the Go"). Interestingly, they avoid gluten, grains and dairy for health reasons which, in my experience, are very valid. Simple sauces, salsas and herb mixes beautifully complement and enhance most dishes. The “naughty” recipe section is short, but delightful.
The title perfectly suits all recipes from Amelia Freer, not only from this cookbook: simple, and throughout good for you, indeed. And I’d add: delicious. Recipes are classically organised by meal type, which I find practical. Lunch recipes tend to be cold dishes, quicker to prepare, and include almost only vegetarian and pescatarian-friendly dishes, as opposed to the dinner section which has a lot of meat-based dishes. The "hero toppings" recipes are brilliant if you'd like to explore some new flavours to complement your toasts, baked potatoes and pasta dishes.
This book is the result of a collaboration between Michelin-star chef Massimo Batturo and over 50 international chefs. These affordable recipes were created from the need to cook with salvaged food, as part of a project at the Expo 2015 in Milan. Most include bread, as a cheap ingredient, hence the title of the book. Despite being written by famous chefs, recipes are perfectly accessible to anyone with basic cooking skills. They don't require fancy ingredients or equipment. This said, some may require more time. Preparation time aren't indicated but it should be easy to get a feel for it based on the number of ingredients and the length of the recipe. A list of recipes isn't included but you can look for recipes based on ingredients. Or like me, browse through the book to learn about the chefs, and discover their recipes.
Read more about M. Bottura and his wonderful Felix project here.
Simple is Ottolenghi's cookbook with recipes that are, as you'd have guessed, simpler than his previous cookbooks, making it accessible to pretty much anyone. Recipes are organised in different categories, such as "Short on Time", "Make Ahead", or "Lazy". Unsurprisingly, vegetables aren't only for sides here, they are at the heart of most recipes. If you're looking for inspiration to increase your daily portion of veggies, this book is a joy. Despite containing generally speaking less ingredients than Ottolenghi's recipes are usually known for, the dishes in "Simple" are nonetheless as accomplished as in previous cookbooks. You'll find that Ottolenghi has a list of favourite ingredients, or flavour bombs as he calls them. These are recurring across his cookbooks; stocking them will ensure you keep coming back to this cookbook over and over. It would be a shame not to.
The first half of this book is about the healing properties of foods, including spices and medicinal herbs. The information is short and to the point, and includes guidance on the best time to get the ingredients, and how to use them, e.g. as tea, for pesto or a juice. The other has loads of lovely recipes, all linked to specific health benefits.
A great resource for anyone interested in the natural healing properties of foods, totally accessible and well presented.
Soups are so easy to prepare, and can serve as meals on their own. This cookbook has recipes for all four seasons, making the best of what nature has to offer throughout the year. You may be surprised to see how refreshing spring and summer soups can be, even the ones served warm. About half the recipes are vegetarian. Some recipes can be prepared using alternative ingredients, which may come handy if your local supermarket doesn't have those less commonly used herbs. You'll also find a section about stocks, as well as garnishes and accompaniments, such as chips, crackers and pestos. Bread wonderfully complements most soups, and so the author dedicated an entire section to breads in all variations, including scones.
More on Rachel Allen here.
This book by the School of Life is not about how to navigate a big change in your life, or find a new career path, it’s indeed a cookbook with a delightful content marrying philosophy and food. I’ll let you discover why Nietzsche wrote that he wanted his personality and writing to be like risotto.
This solid, well written cookbook includes dozens of uncomplicated yet very pleasing recipes that range from classics to more adventurous dishes, with simple, sometimes even luxurious ingredients, and anything in between. Recipes are extremely diverse and take their influence from Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand... Section one includes recipes based on 16 different key ingredients which SoL believes evoke the 16 virtues that would characterise a "good person" in our modern world, such as aubergine, chocolate, eggs, or lime. You'll find three to five recipes per ingredient. Following sections include recipes for self-nurture, food to share with friends, meals for relationships, food for thinking, meals that are "good enough", etc. It doesn’t have that many pictures but I like its compact format.
This cookbook offers a nice diversity of (mostly) vegetarian dishes for those happy owners of a spiraliser. Some recipes actually don't require one, a mandolin can also serve the purpose. One could say choice is limited with 20 recipes, but when you only have a few minutes to choose a recipe, a short list may come in handy. More importantly, recipes are easy to follow - as you'd expect from this publisher, and nothing short of taste.
Nearly 150 wholesome, creative and vibrant recipes that will bring joy to your kitchen and table, around the clock, and for any occasion. Expect dishes that hit the perfect combination of taste and texture. Some recipes are on the elaborate side with a longer list of ingredients, and require longer, but they're all easy to realise. The section on small plates is mouth watering and will delight your party guests. With the vast number of recipes, this book caters for most dietary preferences, included vegan - if you're versed enough to know how to substitute dairy ingredients. The authors and I seem to share a love of tarragon, and other aromatic herbs. If you don't use them much in your cooking at the moment, my guess is you will soon get addicted. Desert and "sweet things" are both decadent and delicate, a combination I find very hard to resist.
More from Wild by Tart here.