Lucky Peach Presents Power Vegetables by Peter Meehan and the Editors of Lucky Peach
R.I.P. Lucky Peach, and thank you so much for leaving us with this wacky, weird, and wonderful cookbook proving that, yes, vegetarian food can be fun, too. The LP team set some smart constraints—like pastas and egg-on-it grain bowls are not permissible (I can figure those out myself), but fish (in the form of anchovies and fish sauce) and dairy are fair game—that pushed them (and, me) to be more creative. Now, I keep a bottle of pomegranate molasses in the pantry so I can make the muhamma whenever I want it, and the pappa al pomodoro (made with dried-out English muffins!!!!!!!), spanakorizo, and zucchini mujadara are in my regular rotation.
Buy it: Lucky Peach Presents Power Vegetables, $20
Moosewood Cookbook: 40th Anniversary Edition by Mollie Katzen
“Of a time” is how my parents always describe this book, which is a classic representation of a certain era of hippie-style, cottage cheese-heavy vegetarianism in the U.S. First published in 1977 as a collection of recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, it’s handwritten and illustrated, with recipes like mushroom moussaka, broccoli strudel, and gado gado that draw from many parts of the world. So what if it’s not the most hyped-up, 2020-feeling cookbook—that’s what I like about it: It feels like I’m cooking from a zine. The food is neither too sexy, serious, nor sophisticated—it’s open to my tweaks and whimsies and perfect for cooking in sweatpants for my closest friends.
Buy it: Moosewood Cookbook: 40th Anniversary Edition, $15
The Modern Cook's Year by Anna Jones
When I’m in a rut, this is first the book I flip through, knowing I’m guaranteed to land on something delicious-sounding. It’s organized by season, with 250 recipes for snacks, breakfasts, desserts, and, of course, dinners that run the gamut from aspirational (a “wedding-worthy” tomato tarte tatin) to more realistic (chard pasta with ricotta). There isn’t a recipe I haven’t bookmarked (which, yes, sorta defeats the purpose): pistachio and ricotta dumplings with peas and herbs, black sesame noodle bowl, miso-roasted squash and potatoes with kale, yellow split pea soup with green olives, chard lentil and bay leaf gratin, velvety squash broth with miso and soba. The recipes often rely a little on instinct—but with ideas and flavor combos this good, I’m happy to forgive a couple overlooked details. Just as valuable as the recipes are the supplementary informational spreads, like a guide to brewing herbal infusions, using the freezer to its full potential, making curry paste, assembling sheet-pan dinners, and composing hearty salads.
Buy it: The Modern Cook's Year, $26
Power Plates by Gena Hamshaw
I’ll argue with anyone who insists that a vegetarian diet can’t be a nutritionally-balanced one (I get enough protein, okay?). But I will concede that it does take a bit of mindfulness to make sure that a meat-free meal is satisfying: Without that, I’ll eat a bowl of creamy pasta for dinner, then wonder why I’m hungry an hour later. Which is where Gena Hamshaw comes in. A registered dietician, Hamshaw offers 100 recipes that contain the right mix of macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fat) to feel nourishing. That means that when I make her smoky red lentil stew with chard or pudla with spicy sautéed spinach or charred broccoli salad with freekeh and spring herbs, I don’t have to make any additional elements—it’s all there. Even when I’m not cooking from Gena’s book, this overarching question (“does my meal include a fat, protein, and carbohydrate?”) gives me the direction I need to put together something smart.
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Roasted Fall Vegetables with Herb Salad
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