Posts tagged ‘cooking’
Vegetarian Soul Food Cookbook, Now 70% Off
Weekly Book Special: October 5th-October 11th
In recognition of World Vegetarian Day, we’ve been poring over our collection of cookbooks looking for the best in animal-friendly, heart healthy recipes. Our undisputed favorite was this collection of 150 sumptuous vegan meals from acclaimed food justice activist and “eco-chef” Bryant Terry.
Vegan Soul Kitchen:
Fresh, Healthy and Creative African-American Cuisine
by Bryant Terry, Paperback, 165 pages
List Price: $18.95, Lowest Amazon.com Price: $7.32, OUR PRICE: $5.95
Bryant Terry takes local, organic, vegan cuisine, gives it a Southern twist and a much needed dollop of soul. It wasn’t enough to provide us with soon-to-be-family-favorites like upper Caribbean creamy grits with roasted plantain pieces, Terry gives us a soundtrack as well. Each of these mouthwatering recipes comes with a recommendation for musical inspiration ranging from old-school soul to gospel to hip-hop.
Terry’s background in food justice activism leads him to eschew elitism; his recipes depend on commonly available ingredients without sacrificing quality. Don’t let the “vegan” label scare you; this is a book for all of us who know that “healthy” and “hearty” are not mutually exclusive.
The two vegans in our office humbly defy you to resist Terry’s open-faced BBQ tempeh sandwich with carrot-cayenne coleslaw (click to enlarge):
Diet for a New America author John Robbins extols the virtues of Terry’s kitchen-craft, asking us: “do you think a commitment to healthy eating means enduring bland and boring food? Vegan Soul Kitchen will not only show you otherwise, but will make it easy for you to create fabulously delicious and exotic dishes. Here’s proof that natural foods can be fascinating and sensuous.”
This book is discounted only through October 11th. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $18.95):
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Weekly Book Special: Goat Cheese: Delectable Recipes for All Occasions by Georgeanne Brennan
Weekly Book Special: August 31st-September 6th
August marks National Goat Cheese Month, a celebration of the versatile ingredient that’s made its onto menus and dinner tables around the world. To commemorate, this week’s book special is:
Goat Cheese:
Delectable Recipes for All Occasions
Written by Georgeanne Brennan and Ethel Brennan
Illustrated by Philippe Weisbecker
Hardcover, 1987, 72 pages, ISBN: 0811812391
List Price: $10.00, OUR PRICE: $1.95
Goat cheese is an amazingly versatile ingredient that enhances any course of a meal. Known to the French as “fromage de chevre,” goat cheese has slowly but surely made its way onto American menus and dinner tables.
This is a charming introduction to using goat cheese in your everyday cooking. With a short history of this versatile ingredient and a description of how it’s made, this book features profiles of all the varieties and tips for storing, serving and cooking.
From tempting appetizers such as Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Rolls to satisfying entrees like Gnocchi with Spinach and Goat Cheese to luscious desserts, including Poached Winter Pears with Sweet Goat Cheese. Charmingly illustrated and complete with a guide to the many varieties of goat cheese.
Our favorite recipe is for Chile and Feta Popovers (click to enlarge):
Georgeanne Brennan is the author of numerous cooking and gardening books, and the recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award and the IACP/Julie Child Cookbook Award for her writing. She lives in northern California and Provence, where she has a seasonal cooking school.
This book is discounted only through September 6th. Purchase it for $1.95 (list price $10.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Weekly Book Special: Ultimate Coffee Guide, Now 30 Percent Off
Weekly Book Special: August 24th-August 30th
This is the last week for our hardworking research intern Laura, who, as a globetrotting coffee connoisseur, chose this week’s book special:
Coffee:
Follow a Bean from Tree to Cup
and Learn the Art of Preparing Good Coffee
by Philippe Boe, Paperback, 125 pages
List Price: $14.00, OUR PRICE: $9.95
This concise book tells you everything about coffee: its journey from its native Ethiopia to the 17th-century coffee houses of Europe; facts, figures and quotes to whet your appetite; how coffee is manufactured, the perfect cup, storage and utensils; coffee’s effects on the body; and recipes for coffee and for dishes using coffee.
You will also learn about the 73 species of coffee tree, only two of which are cultivated — arabica and canephora; coffee and the economies of the developing world; how to appreciate coffee like wine; and useful web sites addresses.
Beautiful color images show coffee drinkers around the world, from Italy to Vienna and Colombia to Colorado. Translated from the French edition.
Laura’s favorite section is “Coffee Around the World” (click to enlarge):
“I like this book because it has a wide range of recipes, photos and fun facts — it’s more than just a cookbook,” Laura says. “I just spent the semester in Florence, and you have to know the proper coffee to drink during the day. This book has those kinds of details, and more.”
This book is discounted only through August 30th. Purchase it for $9.95 (list price $14.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Story of Thanksgiving, by Robert Bartlett and Sally Comport
Story of Thanksgiving
by Robert Merrill Bartlett and Sally Wern Comport
(Hardcover, 51 pages, 2001, ISBN: 0060287780, $15.00)
Turkey and cranberry sauce. Pumpkin pie. Family and friends around the table. That’s what Thanksgiving means to us today. But has it always been this way?
In 1621 the English Pilgrims and the Native American Wampanoags gathered together for a feast. But do you know what they ate and what games they played? And do you know how George Washington and Abraham Lincoln helped make Thanksgiving into the holiday that we know today?
Read the 
of this book before you purchase it.
From ancient Greece to medieval England to colonial America, people all over the world have celebrated their good fortune at harvest time. Find out how their traditions have contributed to our modern Thanksgiving. And try your hand at making some delicious pumpkin muffins for your Thanksgiving table! Color illustrations.
Late author Robert Merrill Bartlett lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a house built in 1660 by his ancestor Pilgrim Robert Bartlett. Ten generations of Barletts have lived in this historic house by the sea.
Dr. Bartlett was a Congregational minister, a teacher, and an author of over 25 books in the field of biography, religion, and history, including “The Pilgrim Way” and “The Faith of the Pilgrims.” He enjoyed sharing the story in this book with his children and grandchildren at Thanksgiving dinners in his Pilgrim house.
“First published in 1965, and reissued now with new illustrations, this is very much the traditional settlers’ view of the Thanksgiving holiday,” writes Booklist in a review. “The late author was a descendant of the original pilgrims and lived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in a house built in 1660 by his ancestors. “No one was living in Plymouth, then,” he says.
“[Bartlett] connects the holiday with harvest festivals in Europe, tells of the Puritans who fled religious persecution, and describes the party, which started with the pilgrims and their Wampanoag friends coming together. Comport’s pictures in warm fall colors are energetic and festive, and the book ends with a recipe for pumpkin muffins and the music for ‘Over the River and Through the Woods.'”
Weekly Book Special: Terry Foster’s Pale Ale, No. 1 in Classic Beer Style Series (ISBN: 0937381187)
Weekly Book Special: August 3rd-August 9th
August 5th is International Beer Day, a celebration of beers, breweries and bars. Learn about the history of pale ale in this week’s book special:
Pale Ale: No. 1 in Classic Beer Style Series
by Terry Foster (Hardcover, 134 pages)
List Price: $15.00, OUR PRICE: $5.95
This concise guide traces the convoluted history of pale ale, the giant of beer styles.
Terry Foster, the author and longtime master brewer who holds a Ph.D. in chemistry, dissects the flavor profile, lays out an in-depth examination of brewing techniques, tosses in a handful of recipes and wraps up with a look at several leading commercial examples of pale ales.
Chapters: History: The First India Pale Ale, Competition, Bitter and Modern Times, Adjuncts — Use or Abuse; Character Profile of Pale Ale; How Pale Ale is Brewed: Ingredients, Equipment and Procedures; Pale Ale Recipes; and Glossary.
More than a dozen Illustrations and recipes highlight this highly-prized handbook, which combines the British tradition with intense American ideas.
Read how to brew the perfect wheat malt (click to enlarge):
“Foster is perhaps the last of this tradition of British home brewing writers […] a bit folksy while also well researched,” writes Alan McLeod on A Good Beer Blog. “Foster provides context and technique, showing how historical styles can be recreated with confidence.”
This book is discounted only through August 9th. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $15.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Weekly Book Special: True Blueberry: Recipes for Soups, Salads, Desserts, and More (ISBN: 9781584794172)
Weekly Book Special: July 20th-July 26th
July is National Blueberry Month, a celebration of blueberries — the delicious native American fruit that’s low in calories and sodium, but rich in fiber. This week’s book special is a blueberry cookbook:
True Blueberry:
Recipes for Soups, Salads, Desserts and More
Written by Linda Dannenberg, Photography by Zeva Oelbaum
Hardcover, 128 pages, List Price: $22.00, OUR PRICE: $5.95
Blueberries have become a favorite ingredient not just for breakfast and dessert but for dishes at every meal. Blueberries are known to help fight cancer and diabetes, aid in lowering cholesterol, and combat aging.
This book is a celebration of the fruit prized for its distinctive color and delicate, sweet flavor. It highlights the health benefits of blueberries, and presents 80 fresh, innovative and appealing recipes, illustrated with more than a dozen beautiful full-color photographs.
Featured are creations such as Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry-Peach Compote; Fennel, Arugula, Orange, and Blueberry Salad; and Blueberry Martinis.
The recipes are gathered from home cooks and renowned chefs, including Debra Ponzek and Alain Ducasse, as well as restaurants such as Moody’s Diner in Maine.
Our favorite recipe is for the delicious summer treat of blueberry ice cream (click to enlarge):
“Dannenberg provides plenty of variety in her cookbook,” writes Publisher’s Weekly in a review. “Offerings in the soup and salad section include Lobster Salad with Blueberry-Beet Sauce and Blueberry–Sour Cream Dressing with Trio of Bitter Greens Salad. Appetizers and main courses include unexpected fare such as King Salmon Tartare with Blueberries and Roast Stuffed Turkey Breast with Red Wine–Blueberry Sauce. Desserts range from traditional pies to Blueberry Potato Cake with Glazed Blueberry Sauce.”
Victoria Wesseler, a food writer and master gardener, writes on the Going Local blog about local food: “In a handy place on my kitchen counter is [this] wonderful cookbook. Recipes include blueberry-beet borscht, blueberry steak sauce, and, my favorite of the moment, blueberry vodka.”
This book is discounted only through August 2nd. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $22.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Weekly Book Special: Food for the Vegetarian: Traditional Lebanese Recipes (ISBN: 1566561051)
Weekly Book Special: July 20th-July 26th
This is the last day for Jonathan Fritz, our outstanding marketing associate. For this week’s book special, he chose a wholesome vegetarian cookbook. He says: “As a vegetarian who loves to cook, I can tell you these recipes are easy-to-make and delicious.”
Food for the Vegetarian:
Traditional Lebanese Recipes
By Aida Karaoglan (Paperback, 167 pages, ISBN: 1566561051)
List Price: $16.00, Lowest Amazon.com Price: $11.00, OUR PRICE: $5.95
Lebanon’s cuisine draws from a culinary history truly unlike any other in the world. This healthy and wholesome diet is a reflection of Lebanon’s unique interaction with Babylonians, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Turks, and more recently, Europeans.
This tantalizing collection of more than 200 vegetarian recipes — passed down from mother to daughter, generation after generation — has been carefully collected from the rural villages of Lebanon, patiently tested and adapted to Western kitchens.
Accompanied by more than 30 full-color photographs, these tempting and delicious dishes are straightforward and easy to prepare. Also includes detailed descriptions of Lebanese cooking’s food groups and ingredients.
Jonathan’s favorite recipe is for burghul, a wholesome and delicious wheat base (click to enlarge):
“Aida Karaoglan has put together a fabulous collection of delectable vegetarian dishes,” writes noted cookbook author Paula Wolfert. “You can almost smell the fragrant spices while leafing through the pages. I will cherish this book.”
Sam and Sam Clark, owners of the award-winning Moorish restaurant “Moro” in London, have ranked this book among their Top 10 Cookbooks. “Vegetable cooking of the Islamic regions of Mediterranean is some of the most enlightened in the world – and this book helped open our eyes.”
This book is discounted only through July 26th. Purchase it for $5.95 (list price $16.00):
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Caribbean-American Heritage Month Book Special: Vertamae Cooks in The Americas’ Family Kitchen by Vertamae Grosvenor (ISBN: 091233388X)
Weekly Book Special: June 14th-June 21st
June is Caribbean-American Heritage Month. In commemoration, this week’s special is:
Vertamae Cooks in “The Americas’ Family Kitchen”
Written by Vertamae Grosvenor, Foreword by Ed Bradley
(Paperback, 192 pages, 1996, $19.00)
Storyteller, poet and culinary anthropologist Vertamae Grosvenor displays the pleasures of Caribbean-American cooking in this companion to the PBS series “The Americas’ Family Kitchen.” Learn how African tastes and traditions have influenced the various cuisines of America, acquiring new flavors and ingredients along the way in Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
You’ll find more than 100 full-color down-home recipes, spiced with Vertamae’s anecdotes, humor and historical insights. Every recipe, ranging from Hoppin’ John to Sunshine Soup to Low Country Red Rice, has a story. Also includes an introduction to the history of Afro-Caribbean cooking and culture.
Our favorite recipe is for Auntie Kali’s Puerto Rican-Style Pork Roast (click to enlarge):
“These recipes are a sweet mix of history, anthropology, and storytelling that come together to create a tasty treat for the most modest of cooks,” writes Book News. “Every recipe is thoughtfully written, and many are annotated with Vertamae’s own historical or anecdotal take on the origin of the recipe. A beautiful and moving portrait of Caribbean culture — and delicious recipes to boot.”
Purchase this book for $19.00:
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In addition, let your loved one, relative or friend choose a unique gift from our extensive selection of nearly 40,000 hard-to-find books and prints. Give a gift certificate in any amount. | |
Book Special for National Fresh Food and Vegetable Month and Great Outdoors Month: Wild Food Gourmet: Fresh and Savory Food From Nature (ISBN: 1552092429)
Weekly Book Special: June 1st-June 7th
June is National Fresh Food and Vegetables Month and Great Outdoors Month. In commemoration, this week’s special is:
The Wild Food Gourmet:
Fresh and Savory Food From Nature
by Anne Gardon (Paperback, 174 pages, 1998, $25.00)
Cooking with wild food is a gratifying experience from start to finish. Discover a bounty of tender leaves, delicious berries and nutritious roots that grow wild all around us. Illustrated with over 75 color photos, this delightful cookbook features 100 delicious recipes using fresh-picked greens, berries and mushrooms and brings a new twist to home cooking and camping trips.
Author Anne Gardon grew up in Provence, France, where she followed her parents on their quest for wild edibles. When she came to North America she discovered a totally different and fascinating vegetation and started harvesting and eating wild edibles, which turned out to be delicious.
Our favorite recipe is for Tortellini with Artichoke Hearts and Shaggy Manes (click to enlarge):
“Containing exceptional photos, this book will appeal to gardeners, amateur botanists, restaurateurs and creative cooks,” writes Explore Magazine. Adds the Kansas City Star: “Learn tips on foraging, preserving, drying and freezing, along with recipes that are quite simple but elegant.”
A/P/A Month Special: Acclaimed Japanese Cookbook “At the Japanese Table” by Lesley Downer (ISBN:0811832805)
Weekly Book Special: May 24th-May 31st
May is Asian-Pacific-American (A/P/A) Heritage Month, a celebration of Asian and Pacific Islanders in the United States. In commemoration, this week’s special is:
At the Japanese Table:
New and Traditional Recipes
By Lesley Downer (Paperback, 223 pages, 2001, $17.00, ISBN:0811832805)
This cookbook, updated from the original 1993 version, demystifies the visual artistry, simplicity of preparation and healthfulness of Japanese cuisine for the home cook. There are nearly 100 easy-to-follow recipes, 16 pages of stunning full-color photos, and more than 30 illustrations of techniques ranging from carving carrot “flowers” to slicing sashimi.
More than just a cookbook, author Lesley Downer, who based this book on a six-part BBC2 series she presented, takes you on a culinary tour of Japan — to the feasts and festivals, into the homes, restaurants, sushi bars, street stalls and even the temples for a taste of this popular cuisine. Explains the history, legend and lore of the foods.
Our favorite spread is of the complete Japanese meal (click to enlarge):
“This is an inviting and easy-to-use introduction to Japanese cooking,” writes the Vancouver Sun. Adds Eating Well: “Illustrations of traditional techniques combine with stunning photos of exquisite food in a cool little beauty of a book.”
Purchase this book for $17.00:
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