10.29.14 Kindred Kitchens & a Cookbook Giveaway

Cover 790 xxx
photos by gluttonforlife

I cook a lot and I own a vast number of cookbooks but, paradoxically, I don't cook from them very often. Mostly, they serve as inspiration for new ingredients, new techniques, new flavor combinations. There are exceptions, of course. Anything to do with baking and I need a recipe. Everything I know about Southeast Asian cuisine, I learned from Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet, and I have cooked my way through Suzanne Goin's entirely wonderful Sunday Suppers at Lucques. Come fall, Braise by Daniel Boulud is always at hand, as is Tadashi Ono's invaluable Japanese Hot Pots. Nourishing Traditions is a touchstone. These favorites are now dog-eared and annotated, their pages stained with drips and spatters. But it's not so often that a new cookbook becomes part of my weekly repertoire, much less captures my heart. And yet, less than a month after it arrived in the mail, Amy Chaplin's At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well has managed to do both. Read on for the juicy details and a chance to win your very own copy.

Amy 790 xxx
health advocate
This is Amy's first cookbook. For more than 20 years, she has worked as a vegetarian and vegan chef, most notably at Angelica Kitchen, an acclaimed vegan restaurant in New York City. Now she teaches, develops recipes and cooks for private clients, including such radiant beauties as Natalie Portman and Liv Tyler. But she's definitely not about celebrity glitz. Amy was raised in a remote rural area of Australia, in a family that grew its own food, made its own tofu, brewed its own ginger beer and even formed the mud bricks from which the house was built.

"This cycle of growing, harvesting, cooking, eating, composting, and fertilizing was deeply rooted in us," she writes in the engaging introduction to this thoughtful book. The most inspiring part? She continues to live a version of this lifestyle in New York City. Amy shops at the farmers market, of course, but she also brings all her food scraps there to be composted by the Lower East Side Ecology Center.
Fall winter spread 790 xxx
truly shameless indulgence
Despite her commitment to healthy living and eating (or because of it?), Amy is not pious or preachy about her views. Her food is lush, full of flavor, color and creativity. She makes fantastic suggestions for ways to think about cooking and eating that are potentially life-changing. The book opens with thorough directions for stocking your pantry so that this cuisine becomes accessible, convenient and very doable. Microwave simple? No way. You still need to think about soaking nuts, beans and grains ahead of time. But with just a modicum of planning, you can have a healthy, delicious dinner on the table in under an hour. If you've been wanting to give your kitchen—and the time you spend in it—a revamp, this book will be transformative.
Stew 790 xxx
the inspiration
Amy cooks with loads of fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits, whole grains and nuts, rice and legumes, superfoods and spices. She uses only natural sweeteners (no refined sugar) and loves to sip herbal teas. Among the things I can't wait to make: Herbed Black Quinoa Muffins with Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onions; Soft Polenta with Nettles, Peas and Goat Cheese; Kabocha Chestnut Soup with Nori Leaves; Turmeric Lemonade; and Date Pistachio Praline Tart. What I made for dinner last night? Her Spicy Chickpea Stew, along with Quinoa Pilaf with Raisins and Almonds and Quick-Pickled Red Cabbage.
Kombu 790 xxx
basic training
In her treatise on the best way to cook beans (I may be about to tip and buy a pressure cooker) there is a reminder to soak them in order to remove the phytic acid and increase the availability of minerals, and to always include a piece of kombu, the giant kelp that adds more minerals plus glutamic acid for rich umami flavor. Amy also tells you what to do if your plans change and you decide not to cook your soaked beans right away; and advises you not to discard the cooking liquid after your beans are done—"With a couple of drops of tamari, the liquid makes a nice amuse-bouche for yourself or anyone else in the kitchen." Talk about waste not, want not!
Squash 790 xxx
game of squash
Counter to what the word "stew" might imply, the Spicy Chickpea Stew comes together rather quickly. While prepping the ingredients, you roast little chunks of butternut squash in a hot oven. (I used delicata, since that's what I had on hand.)
Bowl 790 xxx
fall medley
The squash gets stirred into a pot of cooked chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley stems. (Love this! You'll be using the leaves to finish the recipe.) The dish is spiced with cumin, black pepper and paprika, and gets an extra kick from a few teaspoons of harissa, a hot chile paste. I had a jar of my own homemade stuff in the fridge, but you can buy a tube at the market, or follow Amy's recipe to make your own. Or, sub in a little cayenne for heat. Always punt rather than panic!
Bowls 790 xxx
dinner is served
The pilaf (not pictured) was as simple as stirring in some dried fruit and nuts into cooked quinoa—I substituted apricots and pistachios for the raisins and almonds. Amy has a recipe for Labneh (strained yogurt) but I used the extra-thick sea salt yogurt from Sohha, with which I am currently obsessed. Her Quick-Pickled Red Cabbage involves a little salt, a little apple cider vinegar and a massage technique that renders it supple and ready for the table in a matter of minutes. Eaten together, these dishes are a gorgeous riot of colors, flavors and textures, nutritious and satisfying in equal measure. They are emblematic of the beauty and abundance in everything that Amy Chaplin offers us. I recognize in her a true glutton for life!

For a chance to win a copy of this hefty hardcover book, with more than 150 recipes and beautiful photographs by Johnny Miller, please leave a comment below BY MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD. I'll announce the randomly chosen winner early next week.


The recipes, below, are from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen Amy Chaplin, © 2014 by Amy Chaplin, and are reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boston, MA, whom I also thank for the review and giveaway copies.
 

Spicy Chickpea Stew

from Amy Chaplin’s At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
serves 6
  • — 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut in 3/4-inch triangular pieces (about 6 cups)
  • — 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • — 2 medium onions, diced
  • — 8 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • — 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley stems
  • — 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted ground cumin
  • — 1 teaspoon paprika
  • — 3 medium carrots, roll cut in 1/2-inch pieces
  • — 1 cup chickpea cooking liquid, or filtered water
  • — 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • — 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
  • — 3 to 4 teaspoons Harissa
  • — 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves, plus more to garnish

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and add butternut squash. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper, and toss well. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 30 minutes. Stir, and continue roasting for another 10 to 15 minutes or until browning and cooked through. Remove from oven and set aside.

Warm remaining 11/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add

onions, and sauté for 5 minutes or until golden. Stir in garlic and cook 3 minutes more. Add parsley stems, cumin, paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and 1 cup chickpea cooking liquid (or water), and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes or until carrots are cooked. Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Raise heat and bring up to a simmer; re-cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 more minutes. Stir in Harissa paste, chopped parsley leaves, and roasted squash; simmer uncovered for another few minutes to allow flavors to meld. Season to taste and serve warm.

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Quinoa Pilaf with Golden Raisins and Almonds

from Amy Chaplin’s At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen
serves 6
  • — 1 1/2 cups quinoa, washed and soaked 12 to 24 hours in 4 cups filtered water
  • — 1 3/4 cups filtered water
  • — 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • — 1/3 cup unsulfered golden raisins
  • — 1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped

Rinse and drain quinoa. Place in a2-quart pot and add filtered water, salt, and raisins. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat, and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork. Add almonds and mix gently to combine. Serve warm.

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54 Comments

i love amy's recipes! thanks as always for a great post. i am going to make the spicy chickpea stew this weekend! have a great halloween! xt
trixx on October 29, 2014 at 12:43 pm —
Yum!
Diane on October 29, 2014 at 2:41 pm —
Thanks for sharing and getting me inspired!
Jack on October 29, 2014 at 2:48 pm —
Inspiring. Thanks!
Laurie Connor on October 29, 2014 at 5:15 pm —
I've been looking for my next cookbook and this is fits the bill completely!!
amy on October 29, 2014 at 5:16 pm —
After becoming a little jaded of late I felt I needed inspiration. Your emails always inspire and as I was reading the above could feel your excitement. Amy's book would tick all the boxes into pushing me into the whole food living experience again.
Janet on October 29, 2014 at 6:11 pm —
I would love to win this, but if I don't I am buying it for sure! Whole foods, cafe experience, food as medicine, can't wait to read it. Thanks for sharing this!
Antoinette on October 29, 2014 at 6:45 pm —
As if there could be another Glutton! Accept no substitutes, I say. But happy to know there are kindred spirits in the wild...
Janet on October 29, 2014 at 7:00 pm —
I need this book. Just signed up for Amy's blog.
Heidi Hess on October 29, 2014 at 7:35 pm —
sounds delicious Laura, thanks for sharing it....
Karen O on October 29, 2014 at 8:03 pm —
This looks like a good book that touches on how to live very well very frugally.
Ivy on October 29, 2014 at 8:34 pm —
The recipe sounds delicious as well as the cookbook. Thanks
cheri on October 29, 2014 at 8:40 pm —
Always love getting a cookbook recommendation like this., thank you Laura. I like Julia Child's "The Way to Cook", where I get plenty of ideas. I also enjoyed James Peterson's "Sauces", which is a very-readable textbook of fundamentals that improved everything I do in my kitchen.
Tom on October 29, 2014 at 9:22 pm —
She seems to have a macrobiotic bent, which to me is the healthiest way to eat. Love these recipes, thanks!
Hollis Blackwood on October 29, 2014 at 9:37 pm —
That dessert spread is just amazing. And I don't even like dessert in general, but these I would eat!
anie on October 29, 2014 at 10:09 pm —
Yum and thanks!
Sy Pie on October 29, 2014 at 10:47 pm —
I find perusing cookbooks inspiring too, even vintage ones. These 2 recipes look delicious, thank you for sharing (very much enjoy your blog!).
Nan on October 29, 2014 at 11:45 pm —
Would love to improve my baking without any refined sugars! Wow, another trick to soaking and cooking beans...can't wait to try. Cheers to eating wholesome foods. Happy Nesting.
thefolia on October 30, 2014 at 12:06 am —
Delicious !So easy to prepare and love the photos, wonderful website. . Makes me want to cook all day !!! thanks for sharing. Regards from Brittany France.
Canevet Simone on October 30, 2014 at 4:15 am —
This book looks amazing! The more I delve into Japanese cooking, the more I realize the beauty, simplicity, and refinement of healthful eating. Looks like this book is another prime example of such. Thank you for the introduction~
Prairie on October 30, 2014 at 9:36 am —
Oh my! I guess I'm really going to have to get my hands on this book! I've just read in less then 2 hours tow beautiful odes to it!!! (http://www.thefirstmess.com/) Aren't we all in search of kindred spirits? I certainly am. May your day be full.
alwayshungry on October 30, 2014 at 11:19 am —
There's nothing like a gorgeous cookbook to inspire you....my fingers are crossed!
Erica on October 30, 2014 at 1:22 pm —
Inspirational, delicious and healthy!
Josephine on October 31, 2014 at 10:08 am —
Gorgeous. Thanks for solving dinner tonight!
Paige on October 31, 2014 at 11:22 am —
it seems no matter how many times i found myself at angelica's kitchen...usually on a cold,wet night...i always found myself feeling better emotionally & physically after my meal was consumed in that sweet space--i look forward to seeing what ms.chaplin has been up to in the kitchen--
denise on October 31, 2014 at 4:17 pm —
I'm in such a food rut and on the lookout for inspiring cookbooks. This one looks wonderful!
eb on October 31, 2014 at 7:33 pm —
Lovely! I am inspired by many of the same books so I'm so excited to take a peek at this one. Thank you for including a few of Amy's unique techniques in this post.
Jen on November 1, 2014 at 10:05 am —
The weather has finally dipped in Los Angeles. It rained all night, and the sun is bursting through morning clouds. You've inspired me to go to the farmers market and get the ingredients for Amy's stew. Her cookbook sounds amazing, especially since I'm vegan. Thanks Laura!
Maria on November 1, 2014 at 11:33 am —
YES!! We actually had weather, a stunningly blue sky (rare) with pillowy white clouds. Garbanzo stew is a really earthy dish, certain to "ground" you in the best way!
Susan on November 3, 2014 at 11:56 am —
Yes..you always inspire and this book sounds amazing. Best of luck to all!
Belle on November 1, 2014 at 6:37 pm —
Yum !!
bonnie on November 2, 2014 at 4:10 am —
Thank you! Our family would love a little kitchen inspiration!
Liza on November 2, 2014 at 5:06 am —
What a lovely and inspiring post - thankyou - and to find a kindred spirit in these days of everything happening in fast motion ... it's lovely to see people loving the food that sustains them and treating that food with love ... thank you Laura and Amy xxx Simona
Simone Mcpherson on November 2, 2014 at 3:57 pm —
Stumbled onto your blog by way of the Rhubarb ice-cream from a while ago and became a fan :)
Kerri on November 2, 2014 at 9:07 pm —
This cookbook looks so gorgeous! I would love to receive a copy and start whipping up some delicious meals.
Valerie on November 3, 2014 at 10:48 am —
I have recently added this lovely cookbook to my wish list as well. I admire how Amy combines her love of nourishing foods with a gourmande sensibility. That kind of attitude make plant-based living so appealing!
Bethany on November 3, 2014 at 11:03 am —
This looks like just the book I've been looking for to cook delicious meals through the winter ahead!
Martin on November 3, 2014 at 11:06 am —
The dessert photo looks good enough to eat. I'm especially eyeing up the Date Pistachio Praline Tart.
Anna on November 3, 2014 at 11:13 am —
These recipes sound very interesting....thanks for sharing. I love to try new recipes. Good Luck with this one.
Vickie Hendrix on November 3, 2014 at 11:13 am —
Lovely healthy recipes. Just what I need to take me through fall and winter in good health.
Tamiko on November 3, 2014 at 11:31 am —
There's nothing I love more than a beautiful veggie book with amazing photos and recipes like this one!!
Simona on November 3, 2014 at 11:52 am —
I'd love to win a copy. These recipes look so good.
Mary on November 3, 2014 at 12:03 pm —
Love your healthy, tasty & colorful mosaic dishes XOXOX We are inspired by creative artists & chefs like yourself. Our trade is Tile & Stone designing during our working hours & inspired at home with more colorful designs with a rainbow of Veggies, fruits, spices & herbs. Living organic & botanical in real colors.
Nan on November 3, 2014 at 12:03 pm —
i'm so curious about that book!
jana on November 3, 2014 at 5:02 pm —
Unsure what time It is over there but thought id comment anyway as this is too good an opportunity to miss out! Found your site through Amy's Instagram - love the idea and holistic living behind it - keep on going!
Ro on November 3, 2014 at 6:40 pm —
Whole foods heal the world :0)
Natalie Kyle on November 3, 2014 at 9:18 pm —
it could be a lunch book date!
Robert on November 3, 2014 at 10:45 pm —
It would make a great Christmas gift!
Kate Blackwood on November 3, 2014 at 11:36 pm —
This cookbook look like it's going to be divine! Just started reading the blog and I'm loving what I see!
angie on November 3, 2014 at 11:48 pm —
I've been cooking like a maniac lately, too. Love your enthusiasm for new ways to cook. The book I've been using is terrific, almost a whole course on cooking vegetables, Vegetable Literacy, by Deborah Madison. Have you seen it? This one sounds good, too. Am going to try the chickpea recipe soon, bought chickpeas today..I love chickpeas!
Chris Maciel on November 4, 2014 at 12:02 am —
Thank you, this book is right up my alley! Angelica's Kitchen was one of my favorite places to eat when I lived in the city.
Suzinn on November 4, 2014 at 3:23 am —
Such inspired recipes. Cant wait to get cooking, even though the weather is warmer than usual for November this time of year makes me want to quiet my spirit and nestle in for the winter months to come. Thanks Laura.
pamela mayer on November 4, 2014 at 10:00 pm —
The cider syrup was/is amazing, esp with soda for this ole teetotaller. But the previous blog about the corn ? made my stomach quiver. And I grew up surrounded by fields of it but would need some serious therapy to find that stuff edible. But bravo to you Laura. Have you ever tried puffball?
charlotte on November 5, 2014 at 6:15 pm —
Yum yum yum. I want to be salivating over this book NEXT Halloween!
maara Serwylo on November 5, 2014 at 6:59 pm —