I love to cook.  I mean, it’s almost pathological.  I even cook for my three dogs every day.  Give me a stack of vegetables and my santoku knife, and something clicks in my brain.  Aaaahhh… peace.  If you have a garden, shop the local Farmer’s Market, or are part of a CSA, you might find yourself seeking out new recipes for some of the interesting vegetables available now–or at least trying to figure out how to prepare them.  Generally I try to keep the preparation simple.  I mean, how much “help” does a fresh vegetable really need?  But sometimes the cook needs help, so I’d like to share a list of my go-to favorites.

My number one qualification for a good cookbook is simplicity.  I prefer the prep instructions to be shorter than the list of ingredients.  I can chop forever, but I hate using every pan in the house and/or endless fussy small steps. Also, the recipes have to call for real, healthy, whole food ingredients–no weird canned goods, no processed foods.  I don’t buy them, I don’t cook with them, I don’t eat them.  In an ideal world, there would also be photos of every recipe.  (Strangely, none of my favorite books actually have photos, but I must not miss them because I never realized that until right now.)  Also, I am not a vegetarian, but vegetarian cookbooks really seem to have the best vegetable recipes (duh).  And away we go…

Vegetables on the Side by Sally Williams is arranged alphabetically according to vegetable.  Wondering what to do with the kohlrabi from your CSA?  Flip to the “K” section: voila.  She tells you how to select, store and the simplest prep for each vegetable on its own (using the microwave, stovetop, and/or oven), followed by recipes.  Favorite recipe: Kale and Potato bake p. 187.  I top it with goat-gouda and it is unbelievable.  I picked up this gem at Half Price Books years ago, and I’m telling you–just buy this book.  Everything in it is delicious, I have yet to encounter one mediocre recipe.

I bought 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles back in 1996 when I first moved out of my parents’ house and joined one of those mail-order book clubs.  My copy is well-worn, and I chucked the dust jacket long ago.  I don’t remember anything else I bought, but this made it worth every penny.  This is the book I pick up every time I don’t know how to cook a new grain (teff? quinoa?) or can’t remember how long to cook any variety of dry beans.  It has my favorite (semolina) pizza dough recipe, my favorite cornbread, and the sour cream pancakes my husband makes us every Friday morning.  Very versatile, you’ll forget it’s vegetarian.

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon sums up my personal philosophy about food and health.  My husband is a brilliant chiropractor, and health is our life.  He found and ordered this book full of fantastic information and really healthy recipes. Hippocrates himself said, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.”

Clean Food by Terry Walters actually got a mention in Grit magazine yesterday, which was very cool.  I picked up this cookbook earlier this year and fell in love with the simplicity, arrangement of food by available seasons (very easy to cook Farmer’s Market items, just turn to Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter), and the eating philosophy that meshed with mine.  It fully lives up to my preference of the ingredients list being longer than the recipe instructions.

The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol Constenbader is pretty self-explanatory.  If you grew it and you want to save it, this book will tell you how. Also, if you like canning, check out this really cool website: Food In Jars.  They have a facebook page too.

Ok, last but not least–it’s not technically a recipe book, though it has recipes and menus arranged by season with a sample week of suggested ways to use seasonally available produce.  If you like food, if you have ever thought of growing everything yourself, if you liked The Omnivore’s Dilemma…  You just have to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.

And if anyone reading this would be kind enough to share a cookbook recommendation with me, I’d greatly appreciate it!  I’m always in the market–please tell me what you love!