My Go-to Cookbooks
I have been asked lately by clients and over social media what my preferred/go-to cooking resources and books are; to be honest, it isn't something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen playing around with recipes, trying to "healthy" things up for clients/myself/my family, but it has been some time that I have relied on a set of cooking resources. That said, 100% go through waves of seriously not wanting to be responsible for figuring out how to make a meal, or I am in a rut in serious need of inspiration, and when that happens, I have some go-to's
I must point out that I am not affiliated with any of these books and don't get any kickback (although I am not opposed if they want to send me to thank you cards, LOL). These books have all been introduced to me by family and friends and other healthcare practitioners or have just been items I have stumbled into them. They each have their strengths and weaknesses, and I will walk you through all of them.
Here are some of my most used cookbooks in no particular order:
Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook by Mickey Trescott NTP
I LOVE this book because I can make every one of the recipes inside of it. I am allergic to nuts and always roll my eyes when I get a book that is 80% nut-based; it bums me out and means I have to figure out how to sub things out so I can eat it, which means I am less likely to rely on the book.
It's All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow
Yes, I know insert eye roll Gwyneth Paltrow isn't everyone's favourite, but my sister introduced me to this book 5+ years ago, and I am not looking back! One year a girlfriend and myself cooked our way through this book, Julie and Julia style and at no point were we disappointed, except for maybe the vegan shepherd's pie; it was so sweet and not in an appealing way.
Thug Kitchen, Eat Like you Give a F**K by Thug Kitchen
I had been following these creators online for some time. Not only are their recipes delicious, but they are HILARIOUS! If you are not one for swearing and vulgarity, this isn't your cookbook. If you are new to cooking and hoping to eat more plant-based meals and get a kick out of people using the F-word in a recipe, this book is right up your alley! Also, they have a website if you want to test the waters out first.
*Update: they have since changed their name to Bad Manner’s, recipes are just as delicious, sassy and fun.
It's All Easy by Gwyneth Paltrow
Don't shoot me, yes it's Gwynnie (as I like to call her) again! I'm sorry, but she works with incredible chefs, recipe developers, and her books haven't disappointed me. These recipes are less ridiculous when sourcing out your groceries, less likely to take you a whole afternoon to make, and are still super tasty.
Full disclosure: "It's all Good" is still probably where I would drop my money if I had to buy only one of these books.
Oh, She Glows by Angela Liddon
Heck, any of Angela Liddon's books would be awesome. My issue with these books and any vegan cookbook for that matter is the number of nuts used in them. Like I said earlier, I am severely allergic to nuts, so it means a lot of subbing out and crossing my fingers that my super expensive nut-free pumpkin seeds will do the trick, but not everyone is allergic to nuts, and everyone should eat more plants. This book is an excellent resource for anyone without nut allergies or for those who are just trying to eat more plants.
These are probably the books that I refer to the most. I also use other resources like runner's world, paleo magazine, clean eating magazine and a whole slue more. Most of the time, I am eating partially failed experiments as meals and snacks as I try to create meal plans and recipes for clients. But when I feel fancy or like I just can't eat another "almost okay" meal, these are my fallbacks.
If you end up trying some of these out or have already, let me know what you think. I would love to hear about some of your favourite cookbooks. I am always looking for new inspiration.
