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Friday, August 9, 2013

Cookbooks That I Spend Too Much Time Reading

I never thought I'd be one to develop a collection of cookbooks - isn't that just something your grandmother does? But since moving out of home, it seems just that has happened.


Yes, we have a bookshelf dedicated entirely to cookbooks.
And yes, it is made out of milk crates we found on the side of the road.

Today, I thought I'd share some of my favourite cookbooks, that I use time and time again in our meal plans.

Chris discovered Janella through the tv show Good Chef Bad Chef. While she can be a bit irritating at times, I love her undying passion for eating quality, healthy food. Most of her recipes are vegetarian, though there are a few recipes containing fish. Some of my favourite recipes from here include her purple cabbage salad, tempeh burgers and the most amaaaazing vegan chocolate cheesecake (this was my first experience of cooking with silken tofu!)

My biggest issue with Donna Hay is that all her food looks so god damn beautiful, and every time I replicate a recipe, it looks like a pile of mush (though usually a delicious pile of mush). Quinoa seems to be all the rage in this book - there is even a recipe for quinoa sushi I keep meaning to try! Some favourites from this book are the quinoa and chickpea burgers, the grilled lamb and eggplant with feta and mint, and kale chips. Kale chips literally being the best thing ever.

Yes, we are a bit in love with Janella over here. Good Chef Bad Chef is just not the same without her! This book is just as fantastic as her previous one - we pull both of them out every week when we sit down to meal plan! Again, her recipes are often vegetarian/vegan, and she occassionally tends to use ingredients you've never heard of (agar agar, galangal, etc). But that's half the fun! We have tried so many new ingredients since getting these books. Some of the highlights from this book have been the chocolate and orange mousse (made from avocados!), miso soup, and guilt-free crumbed fish and chips.

I inherited this book from my mum when she upgraded to the all-powerful, all-cooking thermomix (it seriously does everything). This little book has helped me get over my fear of using the slow cooker. Now I love using it! It's great for when Chris and I both have work, or a late day at uni. There is also a fantastic section on jams, chutneys, and drinks (the mulled wine looks awesome), but I have yet to try any out. A couple of good ones from here have been the caribbean peanut chicken, and beef in rich peanut sauce (this book has a bit of a thing for peanuts).

I have a feeling our cookbook collection is sure to grow in the future - whenever we wander into a bookshop, Chris makes a beeline for the cooking section! 
Do you have any cookbooks you use time and time again? You know they are well used when the pages are stuck together with food!

Reanna. 

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