The “No Book” Book Club Edition

Hey everyone! I know what you are probably all thinking — how can you have a book club without books? Well, since being at home for the past number of weeks (frankly, I’ve stopped counting at this point because I’m tired of looking back) I’ve been thinking about people and cooking. While I have had the privilege of having relationships with some cookbook authors, publicists, and publishers which have afforded me free cookbooks to try and review, I know that cookbooks can be a luxury not everyone has access too. Especially now since libraries are closed, and after a quick check on my local library’s digital holdings, the availability of and, access to free cookbooks is almost zero. On top of this, some of us are cooking at home for the first time or, trying to come up with meals using the ingredients we have.

I read somewhere that we’re all weathering the same storm, but each of our boats is different. I think the same could be said of kitchens. We all might have them but how they’re stocked (equipment, ingredients, etc.) can be very different. Again, I have the privilege of having kitchen equipment and ingredients that help me get dinner on the table. So, what I’m aiming to do with this “no book” book club is to share some links for recipes I’ve found online. Over the past week, I sat down with my binder full of printed recipes and I pulled out some of the all-time, absolute best recipes. The recipes I fall back on when I’m running low on time or ingredients (or both). My hope is that these links are helpful and, that you might find a few favourites too! Without meaning to, my list of sites numbers an even twenty — I’ll be linking to the sites directly but, also to each recipe.

These recipes are ones I’ve made and remade many times and, they’re ones I feel that are tried and true. I know ingredients these days can be tricky. Access to flour is a big issue, so I’ve limited the baking recipes in this list. Kelly Neil’s recipe for biscuits is near perfect and easy to make so, I’ve got it on the list along w/ some Smitten Kitchen scones and Sarah Britton’s “Baby Step” buns. For the first little bit of our time at home, we were using fewer fresh ingredients and more canned, dried, and frozen (p.s. I totally roast frozen broccoli and cauliflower if the fresh is too expensive). Now that we’re able to order fresh produce from a local farmer’s market (wfm2go), the way I’m cooking meals has changed again. Have questions about substitutions or switches? Email me! I’ll be happy to help with finding alternatives.

I like to print my recipes but, if you don’t have access to a printer then you can totally copy and paste ingredient lists w/ instructions into your notepad or, screen cap it and then create an album in your photos for “Recipes.” There’s no right way of doing this, so whatever way works for you go for it! All of the recipes are free with the exception of the recipe from the NYT Cooking site. I saw this recipe for baked farro and lentils on Instagram and then signed up for the free/trial option so that I could have access to it. It has been one of our favourite recipes this year and, anyone in my “real life” who I’ve suggested it to, has *loved* it!

Many of these people have cookbooks, so if you’re looking to buy a cookbook then supporting an author by buying a book through an indie bookstore is another way of giving your support. I’ll place a “*” beside anyone who has a cookbook(s) that I’ve reviewed, just in case you’d like to follow up and find out more information. I’ve gone back in my pictures and on my social media to find some pictures to add. Still a handful of recipes that I don’t have pictures for — I think that’s because they’re from a time before I even thought I should be taking pictures of what I made.

*The First Mess (Laura Wright): (all vegan; very delicious vegetable-forward recipes, great use of grains, beans, and legumes)
Mushroom Gravy Pie w/ Garlicky Kale Mashed Potatoes
Garden Keeper’s Pie w/ Beets, Lentils, & Creamy Celery Root Mash
Stuffed Spaghetti Squash w/ Chickpeas & Garlicky Arugula Cream
OMG-Butternut Queso (I’ve actually used this recipe as a sauce for pasta too. My daughter loves it — just leave out the seasoning)
Vegan BBQ Lentils w/ Millet “Polenta”

*Hetty McKinnon: (I adore Hetty’s recipes! I’m linking to these ones because if you’re not already a cabbage lover, then these recipes will totally convert the non-believers! As Jane Grigson says, cabbage is smelly (when cooked), can “ruin a meal with its wet flab,” and it “also has a nasty history of being good for you.” That being said, these recipes really show how good this vegetable can be. 
Roasted Cabbage Steaks w/ Crispy Chickpeas and Herby Croutons (Epicurious)
Turmeric Coconut Braised Cabbage w/ Lentils (Instagram)

*Diana Henry: If you’re not familiar with Henry’s writing and recipes then I urge you to have a look! Not familiar with miso, it’s a sweet/salty paste made from fermented soy beans. It’s incredible umami flavours is delicious and, perfect when used in sauces and marinades. It’s also widely available in most super markets and, it’s not too expensive either. I love this recipe the day after it’s made, smashed on toast. 
Roasted Autumn Vegetables w/ Walnut-Miso Sauce (from her latest cookbook Oven to Table via Food52)

*Oh She Glows (Angela Liddon): The gold-standard for accessible, vegan cooking. Her recipes are well-tested and delicious.
Our Perfect Veggie Burger
Eat Your Greens Chickpea Medley

Vanilla and Bean (Traci): Since finding this recipe a few years ago, it’s become a family fav. I find it’s easy to customize depending on what’s in my fridge/pantry).
Smashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich

Kelly Neil: What can I say about Kelly? I’m fortunate to know her irl, and, she’s such a kind and talented photographer and recipe developer. These recipes of hers are ones we couldn’t do without! 
Elodie’s Cheese Biscuits
Buttermilk Quiche w/ Ham, Cheddar, + Chives (I made this one sans ham for my vegetarian family and, I’ve used a premade pastry crust too. So easy!)
Strawberry Baked Oatmeal

*Sweet Potato Chronicles (Ceri Marsh + Laura Keogh): Easy to make and so family-friendly, whenever I serve Ceri and Laura’s food everyone is happy! 
Margherita Pizza Dinner Waffles (this recipe requires a waffle iron BUT I think you could totally use a store-bought waffle here. I recommend using the whole-grain variety found in the health food freezer case at you local store — I think the whole-grain flavour would be great with savoury pizza toppings!).
Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

101 Cookbooks (Heidi Swanson):
Curried Tomato Tortellini Soup (This recipe is a CROWD-PLEASER!! I always buy the fresh tortellini and freeze it so that I’ve the ingredients on hand when I want to make this family fav! I suggest having frozen greens — kale or spinach — too.)

The Guardian – *Ottolenghi
Braised Chickpeas w/ Carrots, Dates, Feta (Noor Murad) (When I make this recipe, I use dried chickpeas but, I’ve heard from others who’ve tried this recipe with canned chickpeas that it tastes great too.)

NYT Cooking:
Baked Farro w/ Lentils, Tomato, and Feta (Ali Slagle)

Flourist: A Canadian company based in Vancouver that specializes in the sale of fresh-milled flours, as well as having a wide selection of grains, beans, and legumes. No sponsorship here, it’s just where I buy some of my ingredients (it all comes from Canadian farmers). Their blog offers really great recipes that use grains/beans/legumes!
Tomato Lentil Soup

*Golubka Kitchen (Anya Kassoff + Masha Sullivan):A mother/daughter team that offers delicious and inventive plant-based recipes! I’m a big fan of their work.   
Broccoli Stem “Tartare” (Don’t compost that stem! Use it in this delicious and inspired recipe — we love having it on crusty bread or crackers.)

*My New Roots (Sarah Britton): Sarah offers advice and recipes on how to eat healtier. Her recipes are delicious! 
Baby Step Buns (I love this recipe because it’s easy and great for beginner/aspiring bread bakers)

*The Yellow Table (Anna Watson Carl): I became familiar with Anna’s blog through her Kickstarter campaign for her cookbook. Practical and delicious, her recipes are always “must make!”
Tomato Chickpea Curry w/ Kale (w/ Eggplant variation)

The Kitchn:
Big Pancake (Dutch Baby) (You’ll need an over-safe pan for this one — I recommend using a cast iron skillet).

*Smitten Kitchen (Deb Perelman): Perelman is one of the original food bloggers, she offers utterly delicious recipes. Why I only put one here is a mystery, so I suggest a good exploration of her site.
Cinnamon Sugar Scones

Healthy(ish): a Bon Appetit production — delish recipes with a healthy spin.
Burmese Chickpea “Tofu” w/ Spicy Dipping Sauce (my daughter looooves these, minus the spicy sauce. If you’re new to chickpea flour, then this is a great recipe to start with!)

Ricardo: Ricardo and his company are a Canadian culinary institution. The recipes on this site are always easy and delicious!
Cream of Carrot Soup
Homemade Pizza Dough (Before I became devoted to the Birdie’s Bread Co. Sourdough Pizza Dough, this was my go-to)

*Amy Chaplin: I really appreciate how unique and delicious Amy’s recipes are. Quinoa for breakfast? Yes please! Since I haven’t posted too many breakfast ideas here, I thought I give a couple of good recipes to get your day going. 
Orange Quinoa Breakfast Pilaf w/ Cardamom + Vanilla
Coconut Breakfast Pudding w/ Sauteed Nectarines

*Green Kitchen Stories (David Frenkiel + Luise Vindahl): I’ll keep this blurb short because I could write so much about how great GKS is and how delicious their recipes are! They also have the distinction of being the most reviewed authors on my site. 
Hasselback Potatoes
Spinach Crepes w/ Chickpea, Apple & Tahini Filling (my daughter loves this recipe! If you don’t dig crepes, then you can still enjoy the filling on toast, crackers or even in a sandwich)

No Crumbs Left (Teri Turner): This is one of my favourite recipes because you can assemble it and serve it family style. Everyone can choose what they want and it’s customizable. When Teri posted about this recipe a few years ago on Instagram, she suggested that a tofu piccata would make a great vegetarian substitute for the salmon. I just use her chicken piccata recipe and sub in tofu for the chicken. 
Spring Nicoise Salmon Salad
Marinated Onions MAGIC ELIXIRS™

If you’ve made it through my massive list, then I hope you’ve found things to inspire you. Have some of your own easy recipes you’d like to suggest? Then just add a link in the comments! A home cook can never have too many recipes 🙂

(Just want to mention that there is no sponsored content or affiliated links on my site. Anything I post is in an effort to be helpful.)