The Pittsburgh Writer Throughout my reading “career,” I have always personally preferred reading books that have been out for a good long time. But every once in a while something brand new will catch my eye. Most of what I read are second hand purchases or borrows from the library/Kindle Unlimited.
While the above is certainly true for fiction, the same cannot be said for cookbooks.
I have had a love for cookbooks ever since my twenties. I may not make half the things in each one I buy or borrow, but my home library is growing in that department by leaps and bounds. I may get easily overwhelmed by new fiction releases; the same cannot be said for cookbooks and other forms of nonfiction.
At the start of every year, and even at the end of the prior year, loads of new release information goes out for the reading public to see. And plan for. I think you can agree, however, that not many book purchases ARE planned (if my non-existent budget has anything to say on the matter). A habit I’ve had for years is to save a list of books wanted either in a notebook or in an Amazon shopping list. The following seven titles are new cookbooks I want to try out this year!
Note: While I am not a vegan, nor following any one diet, I am trying to adjust my eating habits due to my recent endometriosis diagnosis. Many of these cookbooks may help encourage me to do just that!
Healthy Girl Kitchen
Author: Danielle Brown
Release Date: 16 May 2023
Cuisine: Natural Food Cooking
Description: Whether you’re a practicing vegan or just interested in trying out more plant-based meals, HealthyGirl Kitchen is the go-to cookbook for insanely easy, out-of-this-world delicious recipes that will help you become the best version of yourself.
Danielle Brown is the wildly popular vegan influencer behind HealthyGirl Kitchen, having created hundreds of recipes that are simple and approachable. These recipes will show you how to make nourishing meals that are free of animal products without making you feel like you’re restricting yourself or missing out.
Plant-Based on a Budget: Quick & Easy
Author: Toni Okamoto
Release Date: 7 March 2023
Cuisine: Budget Cooking
Description: When we’re crunched for time, cooking something healthy and tasty often falls off our to-do lists. But with a little planning (and some smart recipes), eating well can fit into even the busiest lifestyle. In this follow-up to her popular first book, Plant-Based on a Budget, Toni Okamoto turns her attention to recipes that save you time and energy in the kitchen—and, of course, save you money, too! In Plant-Based on a Budget Quick & Easy, Toni shares creative ways to cut down on active kitchen time without having to invest in a ton of expensive equipment or resort to pricey premade foods. If meal prep isn’t your jam, never fear; Toni offers so much more. Chapters focus on time-saving strategies like make-ahead meals, one-pot or one-pan dishes, sheet pan dishes and casseroles, 30-minute mains, and even simple desserts. Many recipes can be made oil-free, and Toni offers plenty of adaptations for your Instant Pot and air fryer.
What’s For Dinner?
Author: Sarah Rossi
Release Date: 2 May 2023
Cuisine: Comfort Food
Description: Juggling daily life and eating well can feel impossible, especially after a busy day – finding time to think about mealtimes can feel like just another chore. But this book will do the hard work for you – and restore peaceful dinner times amid the chaos of family life!
With 100 recipes and ten weekly meal plans plus shopping lists for absolutely everything you need, this book will take the pain out of planning and be your solution to those daily dinner dilemmas.
So, dig in for delicious dishes such as Halloumi Bean Bake, BLT Pasta, Peanut Pork Noodles, Tortilla Pizzas, Chorizo Risotto, Crispy Pesto Cod, Steak Fajitas, Lentil Linguine, Tikka Naan Burgers, plus weekend breakfasts and sweet treats – all ready in 30 minutes or less!
Taste of Home All-American Cooking
Author: Taste of Home
Release Date: unknown
Cuisine: All American
Description: The United States is famous for being a melting pot of flavors, but there are distinct dishes and culinary traditions that have influenced the American table. Indulge in hot and hearty dinnertime faves such meatloaf and pot roast, complete with a scoop of mashed potatoes swimming in gravy. Savor Mom’s chocolate cake, lattice-crowned pies and other sweet indulgences that made you look forward to dessert. You’ll also find steaming soups, hearty sandwiches, grilled greats, a fresh array of veggies and sides, heartwarming breads, and other time-tested dishes. This must-have book is packed with hundreds of gorgeous full-color photos, pro cooking tips and regional featurettes celebrating unique twists and fun facts on America’s favorite foods. Taste of Home’s All-American Cooking takes the guesswork out of preparing traditional down-home meals with sure-bet classics and ingenious tips and tricks to help you—whether you’re a beginner or an experienced cook—prepare the meals of families from coast to coast.
Truly Simple: 140 Healthy Recipes for Weekday Cooking
Author: Kristin Cavallari
Release Date: 11 April, 2023
Cuisine: Gluten-Free Diets
Description: In her bestselling cookbooks, True Comfort and True Roots, Kristin Cavallari shared nourishing and comforting recipes that encouraged fans to cook healthy meals at home. Over the years she has changed her thinking on what healthy truly means, and has embraced intuitive eating with less restrictions. In Truly Simple, she focuses on the weekday meal, with more than 140 quick and easy recipes that will lift you out of that cooking rut (126 of the recipes are gluten-free). In her most personal book yet, Cavallari shares her hard-won philosophy on cooking for kids and spending more time out of the kitchen and around the table.
Air Fryer Recipes for Beginners
Author: Publications International Ltd.
Release Date: 1 April 2023
Cuisine: unknown
Description: Learn the basics of air frying with super simple recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner and snacks to desserts.
- More than 100 quick and easy recipes.
- Includes a brief beginner’s guide, which contains helpful cooking time charts and plenty of practical tips to make the most of this amazing appliance.
- Chapters include Breakfast & Brunch, Appetizers & Snacks, Poultry, Meat, Seafood, Meatless Meals, Vegetables, and Desserts.
- Cook up family favorites such as French Toast Sticks, Buffalo Wings, Loaded Tater Tots, Toasted Tortellini, Bang Bang Chicken and Coconut Shrimp.
- More than 90 beautiful full-page photos.
Make delicious, crispy, crunchy—and possibly healthier—food, with these quick and easy recipes and your air fryer!
Comfort Food the Cowboy Way
Author: Kent & Shannon Rollins
Release Date: 28 March 2023
Cuisine: Cast Iron Recipes
Description: While real-life cowboy Kent Rollins and his wife Shannon sure have a busy life on the range, slinging hash, beating Bobby Flay on Food Network, and running their YouTube channel, Cowboy Kent Rollins, they never forget to take a moment to break bread and share around the dinner table. Kent and Shannon’s wisdom, warm generosity, and life-brightening humor are interwoven throughout Comfort Food the Cowboy Way, with stories and cowboy history, including tales from life on the range, growing up in a rural family, and the interesting characters they’ve met on the trail.
The recipes included are equal parts hearty and scrumptious, from their classic Southern and Western favorites to the more spice-forward Mexican-style dishes. There’s also backyard grilling and smoking, one-pot meals, and tips to add cowboy twists and authentic punched-up seasoning to all your cooking—and of course, all the recipes qualify as true comfort food the cowboy way, are easy-to-follow, and meant to be served up family style. With chapters spanning breakfast to dinner, plus grilling, desserts, and cowboy classics, this complete course of cowboy cooking is a must have for anyone wanting to slow down and enjoy a great meal, with even better company.
Did any of the above cookbooks tickle your fancy? As much as I love baking, it just isn’t the best thing for my health. So I had to stay as far away from that category as possible. I really have my eyes on Truly Simple and Taste of Home. So who knows? Maybe I will just buy all seven! Okay okay…so maybe the last cookbook is a splurge. I mean, have you ever seen his YouTube channel? Nothing about his recipes is healthy! But who knows? I might need just a few indulgences this summer.
