I have a bit of a love affair with cookbooks. I love reading them like actual books - reading all of the forwards, intros, pantry suggestions, equipment ideas, and reading through each section like a textbook, methodically looking at each recipe and how it fits into and with the other recipes and ideas included in the book’s pages. I find it to be a really fun way to see food from a new perspective, and see how each author approaches cooking, and sharing, food. It’s a really fun way to get me out of my cooking comfort zone and try something new by stepping into someone else’s kitchen.
I checked out Amy Chaplin’s Whole Food Cooking Every Day at the end of February, and because of the pandemic, have not had to return it to the library yet (a very small silver lining). At first, it seemed really intimidating, but the more that I got into it the more I understood the philosophy behind each recipe and Amy’s method of cooking and now I LOVE it. Each section has a base recipe, whether that’s breakfast grain bowls, dressings, nut milks, breads, veggies, etc., and then many different variations on that central recipe. Some of it is certainly a bit aspirational (I can’t imagine not putting sugar or even honey in a hot chocolate mix, even if it is adaptogenic), but it’s also really gorgeous and has inspired me to try some new things in the kitchen. As it states on the cover, all of the recipes included in the book are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian. We are none of those things in our household, but I really love focusing my meals on plant-based and whole foods as a former vegetarian.
The first big hit was her simple coconut butter, which was unbelievably easy and so so delicious. From there I was inspired to try making my own peanut butter, and we have literally been eating it by the spoonful this week. I’ve also made her Berry Chia Pudding which uses orange juice to lightly sweeten it and is unbelievably good, as well as her grain bowl for breakfast and a zucchini dressing. Everything I’ve tried has been great, and I think it is pretty easy to identify recipes in there that work with your current diet, and then work up to some more complicated recipes. I am excited to get into her veggies chapter, and experiment more with making my own flavored nut milks as well. I have made my own cashew milk in the past (I prefer it over almond milk) and some of the flavor combinations she suggests adding to them look so good. I also really appreciate that this cookbook does not focus on the health/nutrition aspects of its recipes, not listing the calories, fat, etc. I think this is fine some of the time, but I think it can be a dangerous and potentially obsessive path to go down in the pursuit of “healthy” (which I find often just means “skinny”).
Anyways, I love this cookbook and highly recommend it! When the pandemic is over and I have to return it to the library, I’ll definitely be purchasing my own copy.