January 2017 – Cookbook Roundup

Each month I happily wade through hundreds of cookbooks, selecting and reviewing all the best new releases from U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand and this month one from Belgium! The only thing left for you to do is to add them to your Bookshelf. 

Time to put health first this month as many of January’s titles reflect more nutritionally focused choices for our menu planning. We have a few titles that are not health-related and might foil our resolutions – if they haven’t been foiled already. It is the end of January after all – the gyms should be cleared out and the fryer released from being exiled to the garage. One such title is all about dumplings (one of my favorite things – there is something about those delicious packed goodies all in a tiny bundle) and another devoted to the trendy hygge way of life which is hot right now. Mary Berry has a new UK release this month and Phaidon’s Quick & Easy Thai looks great. Grab your green smoothie or potato chips and enjoy this list! 

If you are planning to purchase any of these books for yourself or as gifts, please use the Buy Book link as we will receive a small affiliate fee that will allow us to index more books. You don’t even need to buy the book you clicked from, we get affiliate revenue for anything you buy from Amazon over the next 24 hours after clicking the link. You will find the Buy book link (pale blue box to the right of Bookshelf) when you click on the book titles highlighted in this post (or any post) – your support is very much appreciated.

And just a reminder – we have many great giveaways open here at Eat Your Books. Be sure to enter and check your email folders for notifications! 

U.S.

The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for Your Instant Pot: 80 Easy and Delicious Plant-Based Recipes That You Can Make in Half the Time by Kathy Hester contains recipes such as Herbed French Lentils with Beets and Pink Rice, Creamy Mushroom Curry with Brown Basmati Rice Pilaf, Southern-Style Pinto Beans, Whole-Grain Cornbread, Smoky Pecan Brussels Sprouts and Tres Leches-Inspired Dessert Tamales. Kathy also shares how to cook an entire meal at the same time with layered entrees and sides as well as how to save time and money by making your own homemade condiments like No-Effort Soy Yogurt, Fresh Tomato Marinara Sauce and Not-Raw Almond Milk. Kathy is the vegan queen – her recipes work.

The Virtuous Tart: Sinful but Saintly Recipes for Sweets, Treats, and Snacks by Susan Jane White is being released in the U.S. this month. Previously released in Ireland in 2015, this title contains over 60 recipes with healthy benefits. Recipes include: Piña Kale-ada, full of fortifying folate, Lemon Shizzle Cake, bursting with vitamin C and an anti-inflammatory dose of turmeric, Honuts, the healthy donut, and Macaccino Torte with Toasted Pecan and Chocolate Crumble, beaming with stamina-building maca and antioxidant-rich cacao. The photographs are beautiful and if these cakes and treats taste as good as they look – sign me up! Susan will be in New York City for an event in February be sure to check it out. We will be sharing a promotion on this cookbook soon. 

Cooking that Counts: 1,200 to 1,500-Calorie Meal Plans to Lose Weight Deliciously by Editors of Cooking Light delivers sustainable 1,200-1,500 calorie-controlled meal plans packed with tasty food in an easy-to-use format. Unlike other weight-loss plans that rely on processed meals and pre-portioned snacks, the Cooking Light solution emphasizes delicious meals prepared with whole, natural foods and teaches proper portion sizes. With more than 150 recipes, readers will enjoy menu variety (hopefully picking up some new favorite recipes along the way!) as well as some flexibility to enjoy desserts and alcohol.

How to Hygge: The Nordic Secrets to a Happy Life by Signe Johansen is a fresh, informative, fully illustrated guide to hygge. Hygge (pronounced “hoo-ga”) values a celebration of experiences over possessions (I’m only anti-hygge when it comes to cookbooks and French cookware), a feeling of coziness, hospitality, being kind to yourself and treasuring a sense of community. This book delivers a combination of recipes, helpful tips for cozy living at home, essential elements of living the Danish way – which, incidentally, encourages a daily dose of “healthy hedonism.” Lately, I’ve been loving books from this region of the world and look forward to sharing a promotion on this title as well!
  

The Yoga Kitchen: Over 100 Vegetarian Recipes to Energize the Body, Balance the Mind & Make for a Happier You by Kimberly Parsons brings healthful recipes and yogic principles straight into your kitchen. The vegetarian and gluten-free recipes in this release are divided into chakra-based chapters: Ground, Flow, Vitalize, Nurture, Strengthen, Calm and Pure. Parsons is the owner and founder of Retreat Cafés, which are an integral part of London’s yoga health, and wellness revolution. She also caters for detox programs and is a trained naturopath and chef. The book is packed with beautiful photographs and crave-worthy recipes such as Velvet White Bean Risotto and Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Walnut Pesto & Sage. Parsons even delivers tempting desserts such as Chewy Tahini & Almond Cookies and Goji Tart with Passion Fruit Curd. This book was published in the UK last year.
 

Live to Eat: Cooking the Mediterranean Way by Michael Psilakis, the acclaimed chef and author of How to Roast a Lamb, offers a simple strategy for healthy cooking, highlighting the ease, deliciousness, and proven benefits of the Mediterranean diet. In this new title, Psilakis modernizes the food of his heritage to prove that clean, healthy meals can also be comforting and easy to prepare. Cooking the Mediterranean way means deliciousness, not deprivation: a nearly endless array of satisfying weeknight meals for your family starts with just seven easy-to-find staples, from Greek yogurt to simple tomato sauce. I’m a fan of Psilakis and this book is just as lovely as his first. We will be sharing a promotion in the next few weeks.
 

The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook by Helen You and Max Falkowitz celebrates the restaurant where adventurous foodies get the freshest dumplings in New York City. To think I lived so close to dumpling heaven when I first moved to Flushing. Sixty recipes for classic and unexpected dumplings and dim sum-like side dishes await us in this title. New York Times critic Pete Wells calls Helen You “a kind of genius for creating miniature worlds of flavor”. Lamb and Green Squash with Sichuan pepper; Spicy Shrimp and Celery; Wood Ear Mushroom and Cabbage; and desserts such as Sweet Pumpkin and Black Sesame Tang Yuan are examples of the dishes you will find. With information on the elements of a great dumpling, stunning photography, and detailed instructions for folding and cooking dumplings (my weakness), this cookbook is going to be well-used in my kitchen.
 

Food, Health, and Happiness: 115 On-Point Recipes for Great Meals and a Better Life from Oprah Winfrey debuted the beginning of the month in the #1 spot on Amazon’s “U.S. Regional Cooking, Food & Wine” category. More information on this title can be found on Darcie’s article. I’ve heard great things about the quality of the recipes in this title and am anxious to get my hands on a copy.
 

Bowls of Plenty: Recipes for Healthy and Delicious Whole-Grain Meals by Carolynn Carreño brings grain bowls to the home cook, offering more than 75 recipes for hearty, grain-centric, one-dish meals that layer flavorful veggies and delicious sauces and vinaigrettes, with optional meats and dairy on a foundation of whole-grain staples. When we hear grain bowls we may tend to shy away but this book is packed with delicious recipes such as Five-Spice Riblets with Sticky Rice and Apple Slaw, Chinese Chicken Salad with Toasted Almonds and Crispy Rice and Mezze Bowl with Pomegranate-Glazed Lamb Meatballs, Hummus, and Tzatziki. I was hesitant about Bowls of Plenty until I saw it – but it is gorgeous and full of deliciousness. Carolynn has an event scheduled to promote her book and be sure to enter our giveaway and check out the review and recipe post which shares a recipe for Five-Spice Riblets with Sticky Rice and Apple Slaw. 
 

Real Food, Real Simple: 80 Delicious Paleo-Friendly, Gluten-Free Recipes in 5 Steps or Less by Taylor Riggs makes preparing whole, nutrient-dense foods as easy as one, two, three, four, five with delicious recipes that are gluten-free, Paleo-friendly and exceptionally healthy. The author, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and founder of Simply Taylor, shares 80 incredible recipes that encompass her healthy lifestyle manifesto in five steps or less. Her recipes showcase complex and intriguing flavors but are surprisingly easy to make and include Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Hawaiian Beef Burgers with Pineapple and Avocado and Balsamic Date and Prosciutto Pizza with Goat Cheese and Arugula.  

Paleo Cooking With Your Instant Pot: 80 Incredible Gluten- and Grain-Free Recipes Made Twice as Delicious in Half the Time by Jennifer Robins, creator of Predominantly Paleo and bestselling author, will show you how to drastically cut cooking time for your Paleo dishes in your Instant Pot®. Recipes include Decked-Out Omelet, Legit Bread Under Pressure, Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings, Pressure-Cooked Sirloin Steak and Hidden Spinach Bundt Cakes.
 

Good Housekeeping Easy Paleo: 70 Delicious Recipes delivers Good Housekeeping’s take on the popular new diet that is surprisingly simple and flexible. With more than 60 recipes to show you a deliciously different path to wellness and featuring dishes such as Savory Pumpkin and Sage Soup, Lemon-Oregano Chicken with Mint Zucchini, Skewered Shrimp, Kale Chips, Cauliflower Tapenade, and Grilled Sweet Potatoes – you can’t go wrong.

Salad in a Jar: 68 Recipes for Salads and Dressings by Anna Helm Baxter provides healthy, easy alternatives to dissatisfying or overpriced grab-and-go meals. These nutritionally balanced recipes are perfect for making ahead. Anna Helm Baxter reveals the keys to layering ingredients to maximize freshness and texture for a hearty and satisfying dish or snack. Tips and tricks include instructions on designing salads in a jar with recipes for raw salads, side salads, meal salads, snacks, and desserts.
 

Super Smoothies: 61 Recipes and 12 Detox Plans by Fern Green is an easy-to-follow and informative guide that pares smoothie-making back to its essence. The recipes are presented in highly visual spreads, with each ingredient photographed for at-a-glance instruction. Suggested 3- and 5-day detox plans target specific concerns, such as weight loss, metabolism, digestion, and clear skin, and the smoothies are optimized to enhance and rejuvenate well-being, with health benefits noted for each recipe. Using fresh fruits and vegetables, Super Smoothies provides the perfect introduction for novice smoothie makers, as well as new inspiration for experienced blenders.

Romancing the Chicks: Stories, Recipes and Thoughts by Mandaar Sukhtankar was released in India and the U.S. this month. It is a collection of Mandaar Sukhtankar’s writings from various publications. A career spanning two decades in five-star hotel kitchens brings us this delightful book of recipes, as well as his memories and a fresh perspective on cuisine using his tremendous experience and experiments in the kitchen. Romancing the Chicks is not just a cookbook, it is a book that celebrates food.
 

The Bar Cart Bible: Everything You Need to Stock Your Home Bar and Make Delicious Classic Cocktails from Adams Media breaks down the secrets to creating a winning bar cart and provides over 300 cocktail recipes, liquor to keep on hand, glassware guide, equipment and more. 
 

Southern Food and Civil Rights: Feeding the Revolution (American Palate) by Frederick Douglass Opie details the ways southern food nourished the fight for freedom, along with cherished recipes associated with the era.
 

The Underground Culinary Tour: How the New Metrics of Today’s Top Restaurants Are Transforming How America Eats by Damian Mogavero and Joseph D’Agnese is a high-octane, behind-the-scenes narrative about how the restaurant industry, historically run by gut and intuition, is being transformed by the use of data.
 

All in the Food: 75 Years of Cathal Brugha Street by Frank Cullen was previously released in Ireland last October and is headed to the U.S. this month. Cathal Brugha Street in Ireland is one of the world’s most famous culinary schools. This celebration of its amazing 75 years includes recipes from top chefs who trained or taught there. From starters, mains, and desserts to a great cocktail selection, there’s something for home cooks and experts alike.

Sheet Pan Cookbook: Delicious Recipes for Hands-Off Meals by Kate McMillan features healthy, flavorful, and complete meals assembled and cooked on a simple sheet pan – a hot trend right now that busy cooks are excited about. This title delivers 50 recipes, each a complete meal, with a diverse range of ingredients and flavor combinations. This straightforward approach to cooking maximizes ease and flavor. McMillan is the author behind many of the Williams Sonoma cookbooks.
 

La Dolce Vita: Over 80 Nutritious Italian Recipes to Share With Family & Friends by Silvia Colloca was released in Australia last October and was released here in the States on January 1st. This is the blogger’s third cookbook and here she embraces the Mediterranean food she grew up with, taking us far beyond the heavy pasta dishes and rich cakes that Italian cuisine is often (mistakenly) associated with. Italian home cooks are more likely to cook simply, allowing fresh fruit and vegetables, legumes and fish to shine, with sparing use of dairy, meat, animal fats and sugars.

Dining at the Safavid Court: 16th Century Royal Persian Recipes by M. R. Ghanoonparvar is comprised of the translation of Madatolhayat (Substance of Life) and also recipes based on this 17th century Persian cookbook. The author of the Substance of Life, Nurollah, was the chef to the most renowned king of the Safavid Dynasty, Shah Abbas I (1588-1629). In this title, Ghanoonparvar provides us with a translation of Nurollah’s culinary treatise as well as modernized versions of the recipes given in The Substance of Life.
 

High-Protein Pancakes: Strength-Building Recipes for Everyday Health and High-Protein Shakes: Strength-Building Recipes for Everyday Health by Pamela Braun are two more healthy titles out this month. The first title includes easy to make protein pancakes that have the same all-American taste and deliciousness of typical pancakes. With high-protein ingredients like quinoa, oatmeal, eggs, nuts, and various flours, the 50 recipes include Honey Banana Pancakes, Dark Chocolate Pancakes, Apple Cinnamon Pancakes and Chai Pancakes. The second title focuses on protein shakes which are a classic way to consume this important nutrient, but they often get a bad rap for being chalky and hard to swallow. With high-protein ingredients like almond butter, coconut milk, hemp hearts, and yogurt, these shakes will please every taste and budget. More than 50 recipes include Orange Cream Shake, Mocha Shake, Mexican Chocolate Shake and Pumpkin Spice Shake.
 

Quick & Easy Thai Recipes by Jean-Pierre Gabriel shares 100 recipes, all of which have been selected and adapted from Phaidon’s national cuisine cookbook, Thailand: The Cookbook, form the ultimate collection of authentic and approachable recipes for home cooks of all levels. Please remember Eat Your Book members receive 30% off Phaidon titles when using the link provided.





 

U.K. 

Deliciously Ella With Friends: Healthy recipes to love, share and enjoy together by Ella Woodward is the much-anticipated follow-up from blogger Deliciously Ella, the inspirational bestselling food writer who has taken the cookery world by storm since her bestseller Deliciously Ella Every Day. In this title, Ella makes it easy to prepare delicious food for you, your friends and family, whatever the occasion. No more wondering whether certain dishes go together, Ella makes life simple with her menus – whether you are planning a laid-back brunch, a last-minute lunch or a fancy supper, Ella has it covered with wonderful hearty and filling recipes that celebrate her natural eating philosophy.
 

Gatherings by Flora Sheddon is being released in the U.K. this month and coming to the U.S. in April.  This book is a mixture of modern dishes, staple snacks, salads and sides, interesting bakes, and puddings perfect to end a feast with. Nothing overly fussy or complicated, just tasty, pretty plates of food. Choose from the chapters led by occasion or pick and choose from dishes such as Sloe Gin Braised Venison, Cocoa Nib Brownies and Redcurrant Pavlovas to put on a spread. There are menu ideas to show you how to pull it all together from the young Great British Bake Off contestant. The book is gorgeous!  

Neil Perry’s Good Cooking by Neil Perry is being released this month in the UK and previously released in Australia in November. This book has over 110 simple yet sophisticated recipes that will show you just how easy it is to create amazing flavours at home with seasonal produce. Drawing on culinary influences both global and local, this collection features recipes suitable for any occasion, and is full of food that will entice you into the kitchen and inspire you to cook. Some of the examples of recipes are: Pork and kimchi fritters with spring onion dipping sauce, Thai basil and vermicelli, and Cinnamon and chilli braised beef; and devour desserts like Raspberry and yoghurt mousse cake and Spiced date cake with creme anglaise. One of my favorite titles from this author is  Spice Temple and I’m working on collecting the rest. I just ordered this title and Simply Asian! I’m going to need a bigger house.

 

Roots: The Complete Guide to the Underground Superfood (Superfoods for Life) by Stephanie Pedersen shares 75 delicious and nutritious recipes for root vegetables. From the humble potato to beets, carrots, and yucca, root vegetables are packed with nutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants. Plus, they’re easy to prepare, readily available, inexpensive, and a treat to eat. Pedersen’s latest book in Sterling’s Superfood for Life series shows how to transform these nutritional powerhouses into tasty snacks, treats, smoothies, juices, meals, and desserts, as well as beauty products. It provides the latest research on these vegetables’ health benefits, along with helpful sidebars, interesting trivia, FAQs, and eight pages of beautiful color food photography. Featured roots include: beets, burdock, carrots, yucca, celeriac, jicama, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, rutabagas, salsify, sweet potatoes, sunchokes, turnips and more.
 

Bowls of Goodness: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes Full of Nourishment by Nina Olsson shares the author’s eclectic mix of recipes – which are all vegetarian, and often vegan and gluten-free too. Most dishes are based on her popular blog and showcase plant based bowl food at its best. They include such dishes as Cosmic Green Smoothie, Loyal Lentil Chilli, Laksa Lux Bowl, Water melon Poke Bowl and Almond filled Dumplings in Blackberry Sauce. This title will be released in the U.S. in August.

Porridge: Oats + Grains + Seeds + Rice by Anni Kravi shares over 50 recipes which take inspiration from around the world, using oats, quinoa, amaranth, raw buckwheat, bulgur wheat, rice and spelt. The chapters are broken down into mylk (almond milk and coconut milk) bases, sweet, savoury, raw and cooked recipes and over 20 inventive toppings. All the recipes are sugar-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan.

Savour: Sensational Soups to Fulfil & Fortify by Amber Locke celebrates the glory of vegetables all year round with these spectacularly tasty soups. From a refreshing Watermelon Gazpacho, perfect for a summer’s afternoon, to a chunky, wholesome Black-Eyed Bean Chilli stew to warm you up on a cold winter’s night, soup is not just incredibly versatile but is also an easy way to make the most of fresh, seasonal ingredients. Try Curried Greens and Coconut, Butternut Noodle, Sparkling Pineapple soup, and many more. Featuring more than 100 recipes, including extra toppings and twists to transform your bowl, Savour has something for everyone.

 

The Medicinal Chef: How to Cook Healthily: Simple Techniques and Everyday Recipes for a Healthy, Happy Life by Dale Pinnock will teach us the basics of healthy cooking so that we can take control of our long-term health – starting in our own kitchens. The author starts by explaining the benefits of various ingredients like wholegrains, oils and meat and poultry, as well as cooking methods like stir-frying. The second part of the book is packed with 80 easy, everyday recipes that anyone can make and adapt in order to take a healthier path, now and forever.
 

Mary Berry Everyday by Mary Berry is being released this month in the UK and comes to the US in June. Mary says, ‘Everyday cooking is about sharing your love of food with family and friends. With this book I hope that you will feel encouraged to create new favourites, making everyday meals into something extra-special.’ Add a little Mary magic to your cooking with 120 brand-new recipes from the inspiring new BBC series. It includes delicious family suppers, tempting food for sharing and plenty of sweet treats, all made with everyday ingredients and a clever twist.
 

Australia

 

The Nut Butter Cookbook: Over 70 Recipes that Put the ‘Nut’ in Nutrition by Pip Murray will show you not only how to make your own nut butters, but how to use them in breakfasts, snacks, savoury dishes, dessert and bakes, and smoothies. The book is being released in Australia this month and previously was released in the U.K. in December. With recipes including Bakewell Tart Waffles, Nut Butter Slaw, Peanut Butter and Cacao Protein Balls, Almond Butter Matcha Smoothie, and Baked Peanut Butter and Raspberry Cheesecake, this is the ultimate cookbook for people looking to give a healthy, protein-fueled boost to their diet. I’m a huge fan of nut butters and look forward to cooking up some of these dishes.

 

Kenko Kitchen by Kate Bradley shares the blogger’s passion for simple, tasty and healthy whole foods with the rest of the world and to inspire other young people to cook healthily by delivering over 100 vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar and diary free recipes. This title is the paperback release of Kate’s 2015 cookbook. Kate is dedicated to making plant-based eating easy, delicious and achievable in people’s every day, busy lives by holding cooking classes in Melbourne. 

Belgium 

Fine Chocolates: Gold by Jean-Pierre Wybauw expresses in clear, concise language how to create and shape your own chocolates. How do you make ganache? How can you extend the shelf life of fine chocolates? He also takes a closer look at the different flavourings you can use and combine. Various mouth-watering and original praline recipes are described in detail. The interesting background information and superb photographs will invite anyone to indulge in this sweetness. This book is another must for the kitchens of professional chocolatiers, experienced amateur cooks and chocolate lovers.