Cookbooks Of Note

I was recently provided with copies of two cookbooks. The first, The Daily Feast, is by Esther Rose Graber along with her five daughters and one daughter-in-law who each provide their favorite recipes as part of meal ideas. I like that this book brings in quite a few ethnic dishes such as Khmer Chicken Curry (Ann's menu) and Spinach and Paneer (Celebrations menu) but makes them much more approachable for the North American home cook. There is something for everyone in this attractive book, which features photographs of almost every dish along with background information for many of the recipes.

The second book is Fix-It and Forget-It Vegetarian Cookbook which includes hundreds of recipes plus suggested menus, many of which come from home-cook contributors. This book runs the gamut in vegetarian cooking including appetizers, soups, salads, breads, main/egg dishes, legumes, vegetables and desserts. I like the variety here and that you can probably find a recipe with just about every imaginable vegetable. Several of the soups like the sweet potato and corn chowder and the Jamaican red bean stew look especially enticing as does the lemon cheesecake and the tres leches cake with chile-cocoa whipped cream from the dessert section! This would make a great gift for a vegetarian who loves to cook - or needs to learn!