Being a vegetarian for over two decades means I have amassed a fantastic vegetarian cookbook collection:
The downside to this is that we own very few cookbooks that actually contain meat recipes.
That’s been okay until now though because I have a confession to make: I may have been eating meat over the past two months, but I haven’t actually cooked any meat yet. Two close friends have made me bone broth that I’ve incorporated into recipes, but other than that I’ve been eating out every other day or so to get my meat ration.
So I figure it’s high time to get my elbows dirty and cook meat. To do that, I feel the need to invest in some scrumptious meat-heavy cookbooks for inspiration in the kitchen. I’ve checked some great ones out of the library and plan to slowly buy some for us to own from our local used bookstore.
I need your help. What are your favorite cookbooks that I need to check out?
In the meantime, here are some recipes I want to try:
Pasta and Easy Italian Meat Sauce from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
Venetian Lasagne from Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home
Now the question remains, will I have the guts to cook meat or will I cry all over the dish?! We shall see.
In my humble opinion, a must have cook book is Alice Waters “The Art of Simple Food”. Another favorite for slow cooker recipes “Slow and Easy” by Natalie Haughton – I like this one because not only has every recipe been wonderfully delicious, but the ingredients are whole foods rather than packaged, processed foods like many slow cooker cook books. Having a good grill (Weber Q) is pretty essential to our meat cooking as well. Have fun!!!!
Start with Simply in Season, More with Less, and Extending the Table. All put out by the Mennonite Central Committee (Think 10,000 Villages). They have meat recipes that I think would be kid friendly–though my own doesn’t eat food yet!–but it is about using meat sparingly and consciously. There are great vegetarian recipes in there too. Some are dated and overly frugal, ugh powdered milk–but I like the global approach and the message behind it. Simply in Season is sectioned off by foods that are available in each season. My favorite!!
I also love my Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Cooking. Another go to.
And of course, if you haven’t dabbled into Weston A Price, and Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions, it is worth checking out. It is definitely radical, but she has a lot of good information about traditional (read primitive) diets, and even fertility diets. This is all about the bone broth. Start with something meat like that doesn’t look meaty. Ground beef is easier, I think.
i have many lovely cookbooks… and yet i use pinterest exclusively for my recipes these days :)