Good Reads & Views

Crip Up the Kitchen by Jules Sherred
Nonfiction

What it is: Food photographer and journalist Sherred’s first book will bring the joy back into cooking for folks whose disabilities make getting great meals on the table a challenge. More than a cookbook, this volume is filled with tips and tricks to make preparing delicious meals easier, safer, and more accessible. Recipes are organized by the amount of energy they take to prepare and represent varied cuisines from around the world with a focus on taste, nutrition, and efficiency. Sherred includes lists of must-have and optional items to “crip up” your kitchen; suggestions for organizing the kitchen, pantry, and grocery lists; and solid advice for meal planning, for meal prep (preparing ingredients and meals in advance), and for cooking safely when disabled.

Why you should check it out: As disability advocate Maria Town reminds us, "Everyone will become disabled if they're lucky enough.” Even if you don’t have a disability, the time and energy saving strategies Sherred discloses are welcome. A guide to planning/meal prepping for surgery recovery would be useful to anyone, whether recovering from knee surgery or welcoming a new baby. The tips for using using three key tools—the multicooker, the air fryer, and the bread machine—will aid anybody who wants to learn more convenient ways to prepare meals.

Recipes featured: Butter chicken, Thai winter squash soup, roast chicken, several different curries, hamburger stew, sweet potato and butternut squash hash, paczki, cornbread, lemon pound cake, and more.

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The Everyday Gourmet: The Joy of Mediterranean Cooking by Bill Briwa
Nonfiction

Who it’s for: People who like to cook and people who like to watch other people cook. And people who like to eat, of course.

What it is: A combo of one book and 3 DVDs. The DVDs show all the food being made, and the book covers what was shown on the DVDs and includes all the wonderful recipes, with pictures. You'll want to try these recipes. Lessons include food from Northern, Central, and Southern Italy, Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Greece, Istanbul, and the South of France.

Good to know: This is part of the Great Courses Everyday Gourmet series which is available for viewing on kanopy, with your Batavia Public Library card.

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The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100 by Dan Buettner
Nonfiction

What is it? A cookbook that features culinary traditions of people who live in the Blue Zone regions of Sardinia, Okinawa, Nicoya, Ikaria, and Loma Linda; life expectancies are much higher there than anywhere else in the world. Each chapter features a specific region, the story of that region, the ingredients that may account for its unusual longevity, and simple recipes made with those same ingredients.

About the author: Buettner is the founder of Blue Zones, an organization that helps Americans live longer, healthier lives. His groundbreaking work on longevity led to his 2005 National Geographic cover story "Secrets of Living Longer" and a second, "The Search for Happiness," in 2017. He has authored several national bestsellers and is a National Geographic Explorer.

You might also like: The author’s Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way and his newest, The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life.

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The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach

Nonfiction

Who it’s for: Whether you are a committed vegetarian, or an omnivore considering adding some meat-free meals to your dinner plans, you’ll find something in this cookbook full of delicious easy to cook meals. Aimed at simplifying meal preparation, these recipes will help make weeknight dinner planning and cooking easier. Many recipes are vegan or have suggestions for veganizing; others have suggestions for adding meat for those holdouts in the family.

What sets it apart: Each recipe has a hook, an element or component like a flavor or texture that makes a meal more exciting, that will tempt you and add enjoyment to the dish. A mix and match meal chart covering favorite ingredients like beans, tofu, squash, or tomatoes points to specific recipes, or to suggestions for improvised meals featuring that ingredient.

Recipes include: Sections on “new regulars” include bowls and salads (Glazed Shitake Mushrooms with Sweet Corn Polenta); tacos, tortillas, and enchiladas (Migas Tacos); and skillet mains (Cauliflower Cutlets with Romesco Sauce). A small plates section covers beans, breads, and “vegetable-is-the-star” salads like Slivered Minty Sugar Snap Peas on a Bed of Ricotta. Cooks can add variety to a simple vegetarian meal by utilizing the “bag of tricks” section featuring protein hits (Crispy Chickpeas), sauces and dressings, and breads.

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Bittman Bread: No-Knead Whole Grain Baking for Every Day by Mark Bittman and Kerri Conan
Nonfiction

What it’s about:  This simple approach to baking bread uses whole-grain flour in place of white, and a starter instead of commercial yeast. The “beginner loaf” came out so well we ate it all in one sitting. It was delicious!

Authors’ quote: “As it turns out, making the best bread mostly means two things: mastering natural starter—usually called ‘sourdough,’ though it’s not necessarily sour—and using real whole grains.”

Reviewers say: “After reading through the straightforward instructions and salivating at the recipes for crusty breads, pizzas, desserts, and more, readers will be excited to get started” (Booklist Review); “This hits the spot” (Publishers Weekly Review); “Another cookbook in which Bittman thoroughly learns a kitchen task, then deftly explains it to readers. Recommended for anyone interested in whole grains or easy, no-knead, naturally fermented bread” (Library Journal Review).

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Sheet Pan Suppers Meatless by Raquel Pelzel
Nonfiction

Why you should check it out: Those large, rimmed baking sheets can do more than bake a tasty batch of cookies—tossing the right ingredients together on a sheet pan and popping it in a hot oven can result in tasty and healthy meatless meals with the help of this cookbook. Three-time James Beard Award nominee Raquel Pelzel has written recipes for vegetarian and vegan meals, snacks, soups, salads, and more for those short on time and patience. Many recipes suggest variations, and there are tips on techniques, ingredients, and cooking with fewer dirty dishes.

Who’s it for: Busy cooks, anyone looking to spend less time in the kitchen, vegetarians, or anyone trying to ease into cooking with less meat.

Recipes included: Charred Tomatillo Salsa, Roasted Plum Salad with Fresh Grapefruit and Cardamom Syrup, Summer Tomato Slab Pie with Flaky Sage Crust, White Bean Ratatouille Over Roasted Eggplant, and Shaved Zucchini and Minty Pesto Pizza.

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Superiority Burger Cookbook: The Vegetarian Hamburger Is Now Delicious by Brooks Headley
Nonfiction

What sets it apart: Inventive and interesting take on vegetarian and vegan food. Brooks calls his restaurant "an Italian restaurant disguised as a tiny veggie burger joint," but it goes way beyond the veggie burger it is named after. The namesake burger is a veggie and grain croquette that makes no attempt to be meat—enjoy it for what it is.

Recipes included: Appealing salads are somewhat complicated but if your meal stars Tahini Ranch Romaine Salad with Bread and Butter Pickled Cauliflower, or Corn and Tomatoes with Bruised Basil and Olive Oil Croutons, you might not mind the extra effort. Other temptations include White Sweet Potato and Leek Soup with Italian Green Onion Pancakes, Carrot Soup with Mint and Peanuts, and Crunchy Potatoes with Green Cream and Griddled Onions. Even simple dishes like Bean Toast or Braised Collard Greens are livened by careful cooking and thoughtful seasoning. Desserts include banana bread and a selection of sorbets.

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