I need some cookbook recommendations for healthy omnivores!

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#Food#books#cooking
ref=dp_image_0Hey Homies! After 10 years of being a vegetarian, I have a good collection of veggie cookbooks. Three years after moving in with my very-soon-to-be-husband, I have also added “I Know How to Cook” to my library.

While it is totally awesome, and the dude loves how a lot of the recipes call for bacon and/or butter, I would like to get a couple more meat-containing cookbooks that are full of tasty recipes, with a bit more emphasis on healthy.

Thanks for your recommendations in advance! -Sarah

We’ve talked about offbeat cookbooks, but about healthy meat cookbooks? Anyone have favorite cook books for omnivorous recipes?

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Comments on I need some cookbook recommendations for healthy omnivores!

  2. I can’t offer any good cookbooks and apparently need to look into Bittman since my husband hates eating the same thing twice in a row for dinner.

    I just had to make the following comment:
    Anyone else seem to forever have the pit of snakes comment stuck in their heads whenever anyone mentions some version of eating whether it says omnivores or vegan or a gluten free paleo pescetarian but only on high holy days or any other diet lifestyle?

      • Every time I see the pit of snakes get referenced, my mind associates it with the “Get your Freaky Kale on!” title. Clearly, the only way to make an anti-vegan pit of snakes better is to throw freaky kale into it.

  3. Ever seen Cook Yourself Thin? Lots of great ideas for how to keep recipes yummy while cutting down on their no-so-nutritious tendencies…There’s also at least one cookbook out there by them–I have it and can attest to the yumminess of the recipes I’ve tried!

  5. Honestly, I just use Pinterest. It’s easier for me than cookbooks now. I have a healthy collection of cookbooks from my childhood 365 days of cookies, and my grandmom’s collection of recipes). I have scrapbook cookbooks that I made with interesting recipes, but it’s too much to invest in a cookbook nowadays. If I did buy one, I’d look into the Eating Well line. Their website is: http://www.eating well.com

  6. The hands-down best cookbook I own is “The New Best Recipe” It isn’t specifically health-food, but it’s all whole foods from scratch without being overly complicated. Nothing exotic, pretty typical recipes except they are AWESOME. The absolute best chicken stir fry I have ever had, and I have tried about 30 different highly-rated recipes online that were nothing more than mediocre. I find most recipe books and collections of recipes online to be really hit-or-miss, but I haven’t tried a single thing out of this book that is less than amazing.

  7. The internet is my best cookbook for healthy stuff. I have a recipe binder I use for stuff from my mom but otherwise Pinterest and various other internet searches are awesome since it’s free, you can see comments from people who’ve tried it, and you can get variety. Also, you can find references for healthy substitutions on the internet so wherever you find a recipe, you can probably add or switch something to make it a bit healthier. I’d find out what types of food you’re looking for aside from “healthy” since it’s hard to buy a cookbook unless you have a rough idea of if you want it to be fancier, ethnic, regional, fast, etc. I have a Canadian Living cookbook of meals that are fast to make which is good but a bunch of it is stuff I don’t eat.

  8. I would recommend you start with a cook book that explains the many ways to cook different meats first, healthy is a matter of choice and sense but if you havent cooked much meat before then cooking it right is the first step (noone wants food poisoning). Delia Smith (who is a goddess) has a great series of books called how to cook, I cant remember which of the 3 has the meat section but it is well worth it and will give you skills and methods that you can then apply to any recipe (healthy or not) that you find on bbc food, all recipes or any of the other sources. I also recommend slow cooking meat- you can use cheaper cuts and have delicious healthy meals from real ingredients.

  9. I can’t recommend enough the LEON cookbooks (all 4 of them). I have yet to find a recipe that doesn’t turn out great. Each recipe is marked with a sign indicating if it’s especially healthy/a treat/vegetarian/etc. Honestly, you won’t regret it. And if you ever visit London, don’t forget to go to one of their restaurants, I never knew fast food could be healthy and tasty. And I know I sound like a salesperson but honestly they are that good.

  10. The Mayo Clinic has some great recipes. They put out a cookbook too, which won a James Beard award, but all the recipes are available for free online. I haven’t had a bad one yet. My favorite is the shrimp, mango, and edamame curry. Or maybe the Salade Nicoise. Or the chicken goat cheese asparagus penne. Or…

  11. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (don’t be put off by the emphasis on butter and cream – not all the recipes require them and there are some excellent + simple game + offal recipes for the adventurous).

    Also, many slow cooker/crockpot cookbooks often have good ideas for meat – if you’re in Australia or know any Aussies, the Australian Women’s Weekly Slow Cooking cookbook is great. Basically, stew = meat + potatoes + as many other veggies as you want to sneak in…

  14. I have to put in a word for “The Joy of Cooking“. I use it for everything – it’s a fabulous reference book and has a recipe for everything in it. The newest edition is much better about using healthy alternatives (for example, using milk instead of cream as often as possible).

    The other suggestion I have is “Bite Me” by Julie Albert & Lisa Gnat. Literally everything I have tried out of that one is amazing.

    • I couldn’t agree more. “The Joy of Cooking” is great for familiarizing yourself with any kind of ingredient, and has instructions on everything from brunch menus to bear meat (not kidding).

  18. Personally, I don’t think any kitchen is complete without a copy of the Joy of Cooking and Julia Child’s…but I’m old school. I look to them first when I don’t know how to do something. The meatloaf and banana bread recipes from Joy of Cooking are THE BEST! I have a ton of cookbooks…but those two are my favorites. And you might be able to find them at a thrift store as people are trading in for new-fad cook books and the internet.

  19. It’s not a cookbook, it’s a website, but I’d recommend http://www.skinnytaste.com/

    All of her recipes are fairly easy to make, and include the nutritional information. Plenty of recipes are vegetarian, but most have at least a meat containing option, and there’s a big variety.

    What I’ve done is print out recipes as I want to make them, and then I have a 3 ring binder that I put them in, sorted according to protein, so if I want the recipe again, I don’t have to print it again. 🙂

  20. I forgot one of my favorite cookbooks. Great Dinners by Time is about 40 years old but it is the best cookbook I’ve encountered for planning a dinner party. It gives you the pacing for what you can make ahead, when to start cooking, when to pull from the oven, and how to maximize visiting with your guests without burning the food. I cannot recommend it highly enough for a place to get started with for planning multi-course dinner parties.

  22. How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman is a good place to start for an all-purpose cookbook. I’m also a huge fan of old school Joy of Cooking. If you like Italian food, Biba Caggiano’s Northern Italian Cooking has very authentic recipes. (My Italian father swears by this cookbook.) Have fun!

  23. Cookinglight.com has a lot of good recipes.

    I really like Chef Michael Smith’s cookbooks, especially The Best of Chef at Home.

    The Extending the Table Cookbook is a really interesting cookbook with recipes from around the world

    Another one I like is Everyday Flexitarian, which offers vegetarian and omnivore options for practically every recipe in the book.

  24. I really love Nourishing Traditions because in addition to recipes, the author also explains why the ingredients are used and what it does for your body. She also explains how to properly prepare foods before you cook it as well.

    I’m also recently enjoying my The City Tavern Cookbook. I picked it up while at Mount Vernon. The recipes are a throwback to the days of George Washington. The food is sometimes very rich, but also very filling so you don’t need to eat a lot.

  25. Deb at smittenkitchen.com just put out a cookbook. I haven’t read it yet, but her site is pretty awesome and contains meatless as well as meatfull recipes. I also am a long time fan of Delia smith’s complete cookery course.

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