Nigella Lawson has 4,000 cookbooks.
What have I been doing with my time (and money)? I knew I should have skipped that 2009 trip Buenos Aires…and grad school, for that matter.
I kid. I don’t need 4,000 cookbooks (although the idea of it makes me a bit giddy). And I understand what Nigella means when she says “A new title is always a fresh excitement.” Indeed.
But now to the whole point of this post: The Piglet Tournament of Cookbooks has begun! The round one contenders are Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day (aka my favorite cookbook) and Andrea Reusing’s Cooking in the Moment. Nigella was the judge for this round, and I won’t say who won (you can get the details of the judging here and the full bracket here), but I will say that I put my full support behind Super Natural. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…I love, love, LOVE this cookbook.
I made two favorite recipes from Super Natural already this week: Black Pepper Tempeh and Cabbage with White Beans (the cover recipe). I don’t have a lot of time to cook, but I’m keeping the book within reach, because I plan on trying some new recipes from it as the week continues. I love this book for so many reasons, here’s a few:
  • The flavors are great, but not too “out there”
  • The ingredient lists are reasonable (especially if you keep a decently stocked pantry)
  • The photos and general design are gorgeous
  • This is a vegetarian cookbook, but the recipes please carnivores, too
  • The recipes are healthy but not at the expense of flavor
When I made Black Pepper Tempeh the other night, Jeff said “I could eat this every day.” Of course, he says that about a lot of things (fish tacos, pho, kale salad, salmon burgers), and if he ate ALL of those things every day, he would need to buy bigger pants. But I digress.
I think Heidi’s book would be a great addition to any cookbook library, but especially for the libraries of anyone who wants to make healthy, tasty food without complicated cooking techniques AND for any vegetarians who need to cook for a carnivore in their life (or vice versa) and want recipes that will please everyone involved. Now, excuse me while I put the other Piglet contenders on my Amazon wish list…