Some books you want to read; others you want to gift.
With books about food you get both options -- often gorgeous drool-worthy images, recipes you can't wait to eat, and a really kick ass hostess gift. For the thinky set, there are a food tomes about nutrition, microbiomes, and future food. Here were are fave food related books (and no, most aren't specifically LGBT, but they're either yummy or fascinating).
Tokyo New Wave: 31 Chefs Defining Japan’s Next Generation
Tokyo New Wave: 31 Chefs Defining Japan's Next Generation, With Recipes by Andrea Fazzari showcases the talents and recipes of the new talent of Tokyo's vibrant food scene. A young and charismatic generation is redefining the culinary landscape in Japan's largest city, including some out chefs. Open to the world and outside influences, these young chefs still are mindful of their past, and it shows in their varied approach to food preparation. This combination of the new and old is captured in Tokyo New Wave. More traditional fare like Salted Tuna with Beets and Olives is combined with new recipes like Pumpkin Lasagna. Fazzari has penned a book that will help bring the new cutting-edge Japanese cuisine into your home. (Ten Speed Press)
Provisions: The Roots Of Caribbean Cooking
Provisions: The Roots Of Caribbean Cooking - 150 Vegetarian Recipesby Michelle Rousseau and Suzanne Rosseau explores the diverse history, ingredients, and artisanal nature of Caribbean cuisine. The Rousseau sisters have deep roots to the region. Their great-grandmother, Martha Briggs started her career as a domestic worker who went on to open her own restaurant. Unlike perhaps no other region, the Caribbean cuisine is as complex as the region's history with the influences of colonialism, slavery, and the plantation system. The recipes in Provisions are as diverse as the region, with mouthwatering creations like Coconut Corn Fritters, Avocado Spring Rolls, and Chickpeas with Cilantro and Coconut. Provisions is a celebration of Caribbean women and their cooking, culture, and history. (Da Capo Press)
Unicorn Food
Unicorn Food by Kat Odell is the author's recreation of the sun-drenched, health-focused LA lifestyle with just a dash of glitter and rainbows. These are not sugar-filled and butter-heavy creations that we often associate with the unicorn food trend, but rather ones featuring healthy all-natural ingredients like goji berries and hibiscus. These light, clean, yet powerful dishes are dining at its most beautiful and healthy. Kiwi-Passion Fruit Vegan Cheesecake Bars and Drunken Chickpea Spaghetti are just a few of the many delicious recipes in Unicorn Food. (Workman Publishing)
Clean Soups
Clean Soups: The Modern Technique for Perfectly Cooked Meals by Rebecca Katz teaches readers how to incorporate wholesome stocks and soups into everyday eating, which you'll want to do after the holiday glut gives way to new year's resolutions. From Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup to Summer Zucchini Soup with Basil, healthy eating is easy. Katz includes four foundational broths, a variety of blended soups, and healing soups, as well as a two-day cleanse. She provides a wealth of nutritional information to show the why behind the great taste. Katz encourages the home chef to go beyond merely reproducing her own recipes by providing them with the building blocks to create their own personalized concoctions. (Ten Speed Press)
Vegetarian Vietnam
Vegetarian Vietnam by Cameron Stauch is meatless cooking delicious enough to satisfy both the vegetarian and omnivore in your house. Stauch spent years living and cooking in Vietnam, and has used that experience to create dishes inspired by centuries of recipes from Mahayana Buddhist monks. These dishes make use of the full arsenal of Vietnamese herbs and sauces to make simple vegetable and tofu burst with flavor. This beautifully illustrated book covers everything from the basics to the complex, from simple stocks and soups to noodles and wraps. With recipes like Tofu with Fresh Tomato Sauce to Sauteed Squash with Basil and Peanuts, you'll be inspired to eat healthy and meat-free the Vietnamese way. (W.W. Norton and Company)
My Lisbon
My Lisbon: A Cookbook From Portugal's City Of Light by Nuno Mendes is the famed native son chef's celebration of city's rich food history. Inspired by the dishes he grew up eating, Mendes reveals the secrets to creating Lisbon's most vibrant dishes. Whether it's Spiced Crab Samosas or Clams with Chourico, Garlic, and Cilantro, each recipe will elevate your international cooking prowess. My Lisbon is more than a simple cookbook, though, featuring evocative essays and brilliant photography that help capture the aura that surrounds the bustling food scene of Portugal. (Ten Speed Press)
The Anti-Anxiety Diet
The Anti-Anxiety Diet: A Whole Body Programme to Stop Racing Thoughts, Banish Worry and Live Panic-Free by Ali Miller is a comprehensive guide to managing anxiety disorders with real food and focused nutrition. Anxiety disorders impact approximately 40 million Americans or 20 percent of the adult population with rates rising for children and teens as well. Miller provides the science behind supporting cognitive and adrenal health, how to reduce inflammation, and more along with delicious and simple recipes. Almond Flour Chicken Piccata and Mango Zen Fuego Nutballs are just two of the recipes provided. Miller shows that readers can care for their mental health through a simple, vibrant, and delicious diet and a focus on vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. (Self published)
Bangkok
Bangkok: Recipes And Stories From The Heart Of Thailand by Leela Punyaratabandhu offers an eclectic yet thoughtfully curated array of recipes representative of authentic Thai cuisine. Punyanratabandhu's goal is to help the home chef recreate the best of Bangkok and Thai cooking in his or her own kitchen with delicious recipes like Sweet and Sour Crispy Angel Hair Rice Noodles or Stir-Fried Lump Crabmeat with Long Beans and Yellow Chiles. Thai cuisine is more popular than ever and Bangkok is a must-have keepsake for anyone who wants to not just cook great meals but understand the process behind their creations. (Ten Speed Press)
Pretty Simple Cooking
Pretty Simple Cookingby Sonja and Alex Overhiser takes the intimidation factor out of vegetarian cooking. Known for their A Couple Cooks blog, the Overhisers have responded to followers asking for simple but delicious meat-free meal ideas with over 100 vegetarian recipes sure to please. From spinach artichoke frittata to layered Mediterranean hummus platter, Pretty Simple Cooking provides a collection of recipes designed for healthy and sustainable eating. The husband-wife team emphasize nourishing meals using whole foods over quicker processed options. (De Capo Press)
The Microbiome Breakthrough
The Microbiome Breakthrough: Harness The Power Of Your Gut Bacteria To Boost Your Mood and Heal Your Body by Raphael Kellman, M.D., shows how to use diet to improve your state of mind and body. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 6.8 million adults suffer from depression. Kellman posits that good diet can help alleviate the problems via use of the microbiome, the community of bacteria that lives in the digestive system. He provides realistic meal plans that are both healthy and delicious. Seared Scallops with Orange Ginger Butter and Mexican Fish Salad with Jicama, Black Beans, Avocado, and Lime are just two of the recipes you will want to try. (Da Capo Press)
Fair Foods
Fair Foods: The Most Popular And Offbeat Recipes From America's State And County Fairs by George Geary is filled with all those decadent and delicious recipes we secretly love. This new cookbook celebrates American state and county fairs and the sometimes outlandish culinary creations they feature. Want to try your hand at home preparing Deep Fried Twinkies or Deep Fried Butter? Fair Foods has you covered. There are also non-fried foods such as Coconut Macadamia-Crusted Shrimp with Honey Pepper Sauce as well as Cheesecake On A Stick. Each page is illustrated with photographs of fairs foods from across the country, as well as vintage and contemporary images of the rides, attractions, and nostalgia. (Santa Monica Press)
How to Instant Pot
How to Instant Pot: Mastering All The Functions Of The One Pot That Will Change The Way You Cook by Daniel Shumski is the one-stop primer for the latest cooking innovation. The Instant Pot is part pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker, yogurt maker, steamer, saute pan, and warmer all in one. You can cook dinners while at work, maker yogurt while you sleep, and simple risotto in twenty minutes. From French Onion Soup to Tender Pressure Cooker Pork Shoulder or Ziti With Italian Sausage, Shumski shows the reader how to simply and quickly create mouthwatering dishes. Each recipe walks you step by step through the entire prep and cooking process, showing you which buttons to press and why. With How To Instant Pot, you can master this latest culinary creation and make your life simpler and more delicious. (Workman Publishing)
Flat Belly 365
Flat Belly 365: The Gut-Friendly Superfood Plan To Shed Pounds, Fight Inflammation And Feel Great All Year Long by Manuel Villacorta, M.S. RD, is the ultimate book to lose that gut by eating well. The book is built around multiple 7-day plans depending upon whether your goal is to start flattening your belly or preparing for those summer weekends by the pool or at the beach. These are extremely simple recipes that taste great and a just as great for your health. Enjoy Grilled Lemon Salmon or a Pumpkin Spice Smoothie using the bare minimum of ingredients and effort. Villacorta provides seasonal shopping lists and breaks down each plan for men and women. With all the information and mouth-watering recipes, Flat Belly 365 is the delicious way to lose weight and feel better. (Health Communications, Inc.)-DP
Fruit
Fruitby Nancie McDermott uses a dozen of the South's locally sourced fruit to create fifty-four luscious recipes. From classics like Grape Hull Pie to the more daring Mayhaw Jelly-Glazed Shrimp, McDermott has gathered together a diverse selection of recipes sure to please nearly every taste. Each chapter focuses on a specific fruit such as peaches or strawberries, with a brief yet informative introduction on the fruit and its place in local tradition. Fruit is not limited in the course covered, with equal time given to soups, salads, entrees, and deserts. (UNC Press)
Gastrophysics
Gastrophysics: The New Science Of Eatingby Charles Spence reveals the secrets behind why and how we experience food. Surprisingly enough, it's a lot less about our tongues and more about our brains. This is not a cookbook but an examination of how our brains process the eating experience, and how we can subtly alter our perceptions with just a few simple tricks. Want to make your desserts taste better without adding sugar and calories? Serve it on a round plate, as the shape makes food taste sweeter. Looking to lose weight and control portion sizes? Start using red plates. Gastrophysics is accessible science at its best that will change the way you approach every meal. (Penguin)
Kitchen Matters
Kitchen Matters: More Than 100 Recipes And Tips To Transform The Way You Cook And Eat - Wholesome, Nourishing, Unforgettable by Pamela Salzman is more than just a compilation of the chef's most popular recipes. It's also a go-to source for the question she hears over and over again in her cooking classes and elsewhere on how to plan meals for a week, how to use intimidating health foods, and upgrading the nutritional content of each meal. Each recipe is delicious ranging from simple classics like Broiled Fillet of Sole with Lemon and White Whine to the more daring like Lickety-Split Chicken with 4 Seasonings. Salzman's step-by-step guide makes healthy cooking accessible to everyone. (Da Capo)
Cook Lively!
Cook Lively! by Laura-Jane Koers is proof that eating healthy can be simple and stress-free. Koers is best known as a food writer, stylist, photographer, and the blogger of The Rawtarian fame. She has sought to create high-maintenance recipes that don't require trips to multiple specialty stores. Instead, she has collected 100 quick and easy plant-based recipes that will help deliver high energy, glowing skin, and vibrant living. From Asian Grain Salad to Spaghetti Alfredo with Zucchini Noodles, Koers shows how easy it is to please the fussiest of raw and vegan aficionados without having to purchase expensive, esoteric ingredients. Just flip open the book and start cooking healthy! (Da Capo Press)
