The key to the perfect holiday gift is finding that delicate balance between practicality and indulgence, the quintessential ratio of need to desire. The goal is to give something that will be used, but also feels like a luxury. On top of that, the perfect gift should be personal and keep on giving. Cookbooks check all of these boxes.

The variety of quality publications ensure that there is a book for every lifestyle and special diet. Even non-foodies can learn from basic cookbooks, or simply enjoy their stunning photography. We reviewed the most noteworthy plant-based cookbooks of 2017, as well as a few classics, to provide a comprehensive guide for everyone on your list.

1. PLANTLAB

Chef Matthew Kenney’s latest publication, PLANTLAB, fits two demographics: the serious home chef and the photography-lover. It is broken down into four chapters, each increasingly more complex. The book is a compilation of over one hundred recipes, all inspired from Kenney’s various restaurant concepts around the world. Kenney focuses on the highest quality whole food plant-based ingredients and introduces innovate culinary techniques to create truly outstanding, multi-component dishes. We recommend trying the Truffle Pizza, Spicy Udon, Hearts of Palm Ceviche, and Chocolate Orange Tart. In addition, the book itself is a work of art; the recipes are interlaced with gorgeous, full page, glossy photographs. From the exquisitely plated food, to nature shots, to scenes from the kitchen, the images make for a solid coffee table book.

2. Healing Mushrooms

For the friend who is always trying the latest adaptogenic herb or superfood, Healing Mushrooms is the perfect gift. Written by the original “funguy” to make ‘shrooms more mainstream, the book reviews the health benefits of the top ten edible super mushrooms in a fun yet educational voice. The second half includes fifty vegetarian and vegan recipes that rely on these mushroom varieties, sorted into chapters according to specific health benefits. Sure, you could eat to reduce inflammation, increase sports performance, and promote gut health, but our favorite section is “Next Level Desserts.” Hello, Cordyceps Raw Vegan Cheesecake and Chaga Chai!

3. The Edgy Veg

This is “dude food.” Plant-based YouTube personality Candice Hutchings created one hundred and thirty-eight carnivore-approved recipes for those unwilling to swap their comfort classics to buddha bowls and green juice. Think Chive and Sriracha Beer Waffles, Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, Crunchy Taco Wrap Supreme, and “Literally Dying” Skillet Cookie a la Mode. This colorful, tongue-in-cheek guide to veganizing our favorite animal-based guilty pleasures does require some time in the kitchen; you can’t master the ultimate Drunken Fish and Chips without multiple steps and some planning ahead. However, the recipes are manageable and include “hacks” for the less experienced audience. For a simpler, more bro-friendly option, keep reading.

4. The Vegan Stoner

As the name implies, this illustrated idiot’s guide to delicious plant-based eating is full of recipes for the culinary-challenged. In fact, it could double as a children’s book, as the ingredient list is reduced to fun doodles, and the simple instructions are contained to a maximum of two basic sentences, if not mere verbs. For the friend that never reads recipes all the way through, hates long ingredient lists, and has no time (or desire) to cook, The Vegan Stoner is perfect. We love the Biscuits and Gravy, Corn Chowder, Tofu Puff Pastry, and Monkey Bread.

5. Sweet Simple Vegan’s Planting Our Roots

This e-book is the result of a cultural family mashup, a fusion between the families of the vegan social media millennial couple Jasmine Briones (@sweetsimplevegan) and Chris Petrellese (@consciouschris). Briones and Petrellese created plant-based versions of their favorite family dishes, while remaining true to their cultural heritage. Try Petrellese’s Italian Smoky and Spicy Cashew Alfredo Sauce, or Briones’ Filipino Kare Kare (peanut stew). With relatively simple ingredients and basic instructions, this e-book makes a terrific gift for families to get in the kitchen and cook together. We also love the variety and wide appeal to all eaters. Dive right into the Mac & Cheese Quiche, or opt for one of the many gluten and oil free recipes, such as the Chocolate Chip Chickpea Blondies.

6. No Meat Athlete Cookbook

Former ultra endurance runner Matt Frazier teamed up with plant-based chef Stepfanie Romine to provide busy families and athletes with the ultimate vegan meal prep guide. All the recipes are focused on whole foods to fuel grueling workouts and sustain a happy, healthy lifestyle. In addition to the stellar recipes, the contents also include “blueprints” to teach one how to whip up a balanced meal with whatever is on hand. Learn how cook satisfying, hearty entrees like “The Lifesaving Bowl,” and “Sheet-Pan Meals.” With a smorgasbord of sauces and endless ingredient pairings, this book proves that healthy and basic is not equivalent to monotonous and bland.

7. Find Your True Fork

For the health-conscious flexitarian, this publication offers ten different eating ideologies, represented with recipes from the most celebrated chefs in that unique field. Part cookbook, part lifestyle guide, Wanderlust founder Jeff Krasno curated this compilation to help people find the diet that works best for them. Think paleo, vegan, raw, and ayurvedic, among others. While some chefs do incorporate animal products, the philosophies behind all of the diets center around local, sustainable, and mostly plant-based eating. For a holiday entree, we suggest Guy Turland’s Stuffed Whole Butternut Squash. We also adored Matthew Kenney’s simple raw vegan Milk Chocolate Pudding, Jason Wrobel’s vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Meredith Klein’s basic homemade Almond Milk.

8. Grand Central Market Cookbook

For the local history buff and adventurous foodie, the Grand Central Market Cookbook compiles the best recipes from this iconic Los Angeles food hall. The pages are packed with historic photographs from the market’s early beginnings, tied to stories from the food stalls’ owners as to how their business came to be. The recipes are adapted to suit the limitations of a home kitchen, and although not completely vegan, many dishes are vegan or easily adapted. From the health-boosting Press Brothers Juicery V-9 Juice to the slightly more sinful Golden Road Brewing Artichoke Hot “Wings,” there is a recipe for every taste, lifestyle, and ability. Enjoy this as a fun read, or save a trip (and parking fees) to Downtown Los Angeles by cooking these craveable dishes at home. 

9. Vegan Richa’s Everyday Flavor: Epic Anytime Recipes with a World of Flavor

From traditional Indian dishes to comforting classics, blogger-turned-cookbook-author Richa Hingle veganizes these popular recipes to please both her culturally traditional and plant-based audiences. This book is for that special someone with an overflowing spice rack, as many of the Indian dishes rely on a handful of spices to create depth and flavor. It is not for the Trader Joes shopper who prefers to buy ready-made staples; Hingle believes in homemade sauces and basics, and she provides an entire section on “Awesome Sauces” that store brands just cannot replicate. For those who enjoy cooking, this book is all they need to create Indian-inspired stews and entrees, beautiful bowls, creative burgers, tempting desserts, and even classic deep dish pizza.

Tanya Flink is a vegan, foodie, and certified Master Personal Trainer based in Orange County, CA. She is also the host of the podcast, “The Vegan Potluck.”

*Disclaimer: Help support EcoSalon! Our site is dedicated to helping people live a conscious lifestyle. We’ve provided some affiliate links above in case you wish to purchase any of these products.

Related on EcoSalon

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The post The 9 Best Cookbooks of 2017 to Add to Your Gift List appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnMaybe this year should be devoted to kicking our food porn addiction.

I spent my vacation reading. Reading books. You know, those things that have a bunch of words printed on paper and don’t have a touch screen? Yes, those things.

I was deep into “A Fork in the Road”, a lovely collection of food/travel essays, when it occurred to me: good food writing doesn’t have to be accompanied by food photography – or dare I say it – doesn’t even need to be.

These stories were beautiful, and I was inspired to get cooking (and eating) immediately, and yet, there was no food photo in sight. It was refreshing.

Here’s the dilemma we’re currently find ourselves in:

We spend much of our time during the day online. During that time we often come across a recipe or two. How do we determine whether or not it’s good? If there’s a salivating photo to accompany it. Smoothie in a Mason jar? Definitely making that. Simply worded, text-only explanation for how to make your own fermented sauerkraut? Pass. Bare hands holding a warming bowl of soup? Don’t even get me started (and if you want a real snarky take on said subject, read this).

This food porn disease is infectious, and it follows us from the computer screen and into the bookstore. Book covered in food porn? Get it! Book that has – god forbid – mostly words? Forget it.

And then what happens? We don’t cook. We spend so much of our time looking at food blogs, buying yet another cookbook that we’re sure is going to change our lives and watching other people cook food on TV that we forget what all this stuff was supposed to inspire us to do: actually make food. And you know what the funny thing is? When you’re making dinner, you’re probably not going to style it, throw on a sprig of rosemary, and carefully sprinkle some bread crumbs on the side of your plate to make it look rustic before sitting down to eat. Nope, you’re just going to cook and consume. Because when the camera isn’t there, that is what we all do.

I love food porn as much as the next person, but there’s a point where you hit the overdose level and you need a detox. My frequent frustration with food media is this: we let the photos do the talking instead of the story of the food itself. The photos are great, and the food is mediocre.

You know why people aren’t cooking? Because they’re intimidated.

“Oh shit, my vegan chocolate mousse didn’t turn out the way it was supposed to.”

Was it delicious? Yes. Did you forget to put it in a quaint glass jar and tie a strand of twine around it? Well of course that is where you failed.

We need more focus on food and less on photos. Photography is a wonderful and beautiful thing, and when done well, amplifies a story. “The Way We Cook: Portraits of Home Cooks Around the World” is a photography book that comes to mind which does exactly that. And there are plenty of very talented food photographers out there who I respect and admire. But the photos shouldn’t be a crutch to distract us from the matter at hand: cooking and eating, and cooking and eating well.

So you know what this year is going to be about? Telling stories about food and telling them well. Inspiring people to cook more and think about what they’re eating. Addressing all the problems in the food world that really need fixing (and a food problem is not defined as something that ends up on Pinterest Fail).

Get off the computer, read a good food essay and be inspired to make something new. And please refrain from taking a photo of it. But write a paragraph, or an essay and share it with someone.

Related on EcoSalon

Foodie Underground: Why Are We Food Porn Obsessed?

10 Ways to Improve Your Food Porn Skills

Foodie Underground: The Other Food Porn

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: St0rmz

The post Less Food Porn, More Food, Please: Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnBored with your cookbooks? Here’s what you really want to read but were afraid to admit.

Tired of the same old titles popping up at the bookstore? Here are the cookbooks you really wish you could track down.

1. How to Infuse Everything With Kale and Other Leafy Greens
2. The 100 Dishes That Will Most Likely Lead to a Third Date and then a Wedding
3. How to Pretend You Eat Well When You’re in a Room of Really Wholesome People
4. Fancy Sounding Dishes for Lazy Cooks: How to Impress Even When You Don’t Have Time
5. I Just Want to Eat Food: A Guide to Tasty Things You’ll Actually Have Time to Make
6. Food-Porn Free: 100 Delicious Dishes That Will Never Photograph Well, From Stew to Goulash
7. I Don’t Know Where to Buy Chia and Other First World Food Tribulations
8. One Ingredient Recipes
9. Make This Non-Vegan, Gluten-Filled, Sugar Dense Cake and Like It
10. Pick Up Lines for Foodies: Sexy Sentences to Find Your Mate
11. No More Big Ag in Your Breakfast
12. Home Alone on a Saturday and Crying: A Guide to Comfort Food
13. Sage, Fennel, and Rosemary: An A to Z Guide for Using Complicated Sounding Herbs
14. Make This in 11 Minutes But Make People Think It Took Two Hours

Related on EcoSalon:

25 Things You Wish You Had Overheard a Foodie Saying

For the Love of Roots and Cookbooks

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: sling@flickr

The post 14 Awesome Cookbooks We Wish Someone Would Write: Foodie Underground appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnHas the seduction of cookbooks made us forget how to actually cook?

In a bookstore last week, I headed for the cookbook aisle. It’s often a place of cheap inspiration; you don’t have to buy a new cookbook to get new ideas. I love cookbooks. The pages, the words, the stories… a good cookbook is a combination of all these things.

But I also get overwhelmed by cookbooks. Standing in the cookbook aisle looking at all of the bright covers – How to Bake Bread, How to Bake Bread That’s Not Really Bread, How to Stop Baking Bread and Make Cupcakes Instead – I had that feeling. You couldn’t cook fast enough to keep up with the proliferation of cookbooks.

In a world of up close food photos with a shallow depth of field, I find myself drawn to the books without photos. The books that leave a little up to the imagination. You don’t really know how that apple tart is going to turn out do you? But at least you now have a basic recipe.

So I picked up The Flavour Thesaurus, a book about flavors and pairings: categorizing what goes with what. Coffee and coriander? Why not. I flipped through a few pages, and saw only text. No photos at all. Just a reference book for new food ideas. I bought it immediately. (As a complete and utter side note: I was in a Swedish bookstore, bought the Swedish version Smaklexikon, only to later realize that it was originally written in English. Global cooking to say the least.)

I came home and began the introduction, where the author Niki Segnit has a great line about after 20 years of cooking, still questioning her ability to cook food. Had she really learned to cook food or was she just fairly good at following recipes? Then she follows with a line that stuck with me, “My mother is, just like my grandmother was, an amazing cook but owns only two cookbooks and a folder with old cut out recipes, and she rarely looks in any of them.”

I was staying with my own grandmother, who having raised four children, knows her way around the kitchen, and there are always fresh baked rolls and cookies in her apartment. But her cookbook stash is tiny. All she really uses is one from 1985 with a funny photo on the front of a woman with a Farah Fawcett haircut, and even then, it’s only because she wrote down a few family recipes in the blank pages at the end.

My mother’s own cooking base comes from a worn out blue three-ring binder that dates back all the way to when she moved from Sweden to the US with my American father, sometime in the mid-1970s. Pages fall out and get put back in, no matter what the order. Some of her best recipes are in that binder, but she rarely has to consult them.

My mind returned to the bookstore, and the overwhelming amount of shelves with books from what to pair with wine to how to bake with licorice (ok, still sort of upset I didn’t buy that one). In the proliferation of cookbooks, have we actually forgotten how to cook?

Cookbooks have somehow given us the illusion that we are interested in food. That we dream of food. That we think about food. That we know what to do with it. But go to anyone’s home with more than a few cookbooks and see how worn the pages are. Most cookbooks remain only an illusion of a life well lived; we buy them because they provide a break from our everyday reality, but sometimes, we never even use them. A sort of lifestyle porn. We’re seduced by the dream that we too could be serving three course dinners and fresh scones with homemade yogurt every morning for breakfast. But can you whip up a dessert with just a few ingredients or are you stuck to being guided by a recipe? Does everything fall apart when you realize you don’t have three tablespoons of soy sauce?

If, for every time you had to eat, you had to take out a cookbook, you’d never even have the time to leave your position standing in front of the bookshelf. Cooking is a combination of being inspired and learning new things and daring to experiment.

That doesn’t mean we’ll never buy a new cookbook again – I have plenty on my “want” list – but what are the cookbooks that work? The ones that are references. Guidebooks to navigating and understanding the world of food. My own favorite cookbooks are the simple ones. Text-heavy, simply illustrated and straightforward. A good recipe doesn’t have to hide behind a flashy image; it stands alone.

Have cookbooks changed how we cook? Most certainly. A good cookbook collection can provide culinary inspiration as well as guidance for the daily staples. But they have to be used. The pages must be worn. The recipes tried more than once. Notes written in the margins.

Food won’t happen just by having a colorful cookbook on your table. You have to step in to the kitchen and get your hands dirty.

This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’ weekly column at EcoSalon: Foodie Underground, an exploration of what’s new and different in the underground movement, and how we make the topic of good food more accessible to everyone. More musings on the topic can be found at www.foodieunderground.com.

Image: timsackton

The post Foodie Underground: The World of Cookbook Porn appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnThe joy of delving into a good cookbook.

When I was home earlier this summer, I asked my mother for a recipe. She pulled out her worn 3-ring binder. This binder is blue, has yellowed pages falling out of it and has sat in the same place on the bookshelf for as long as I can remember. In it are recipes scratched in her handwriting of her earlier years, additions by her sisters, and almost four decades’ worth of recipe inspiration ripped from magazines.

My natural instinct when I need a recipe is to go to that online thing that starts with G. For my mother, it’s to go to her recipe shelf. If it’s not in the blue book then there has to be a recipe that can be improvised on elsewhere among the culinary titles. In fact, it was only recently that she called to tell me that she was wondering about a specific recipe and went to her computer herself to search around the internet for it (normally she calls me and has me cull the pages and select a few links, her personal search engine so to say).

I am ashamed to say that I have not started such a recipe collection myself. Raised in the digital age, my own is a mish-mash of bookmarked links and emails that I always plan to organize but never get around to. But although I am quick to tap in a search query that combines a few ingredients that I have lying around and I don’t know what to do with (raspberry, kale, go…), I have an affinity for my small cookbook stash.

The collection is small because I have limited space, and it’s worth committing to the tried and true: The Essential New York Times Cookbook (Amanda Hesser what would I do without you?), Vår Kokbok (a Swedish essential) Swedish Cakes and Cookies, a few from Moosewood Collective, Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking, and Sheila Lutkins’ All Around the World Cookbook. There are a few others here and there, but that is the staple collection and it doesn’t shift very much. I have a favorite recipe in each, and they all have numerous dog eared pages.

In need of dinner inspiration? Sit on the couch with a few of the books and a pen and paper and good things are bound to happen.

There is something that happens with cookbooks that doesn’t happen with food blogs or obsessively looking at food porn on Pinterest. Away from the screen, you engage with a recipe in a different way. You take time to think about the preparation and the process. That is why I prefer predominantly text cookbooks; you are not seduced by photos the way you are int he digital world, your are swayed by words and culinary combinations. A good cookbook is the one you can put your trust in; let it guide you through the cooking process.

And that is what a cookbook should be: a guidebook, a resource. The kind of thing you can go to again and again and again. Not because you loved one recipe, but because no matter how many times you read it, you’ll always learn something new. That is what I discovered in Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes, which arrived at my doorstep just a couple of weeks ago.

Let me restate the fact that I am hesitant to add new cookbooks to the collection; my appetite for more food inspiration is countered by an acceptance of the reality of space, and the fact that too many cookbooks can be a bad thing. But Roots was meant to be added to that space, it hit all of my cookbook expectations. It’s a resource (and a good one at that), the photos are beautiful but the recipes aren’t over dominated by them, the story is personal, and in reading it, you get a lesson in food. For example, I had no idea that carrots are believed to have originated in Afghanistan.

I had never given root vegetables much thought, but after reading through numerous sections I soon wondered how I had gone without this book for so long. Sauteed beet greens with a little lemon juice will now certainly be a regular concoction.

Newly obsessed with root vegetables, I caught up with Roots author Diane Morgan to learn more about the cookbook, the most underrated root vegetable out there and her favorite recipe (hint: it might be the only time I am ever tempted to make a cupcake, because these look good).

This book is such a valuable resource. Why do you think something like it hasn’t been done before?

There are a couple of much older books focused on the “common” root vegetables (beets, turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes), and there are encyclopedic books written on vegetables, but an encyclopedic book written on the large family of root vegetables along with a large selection of recipes hasn’t been written until now. I went looking for the book I wanted to own and realized it didn’t exist, so I decided to tackle the subject and write the book I wanted to own.

As a very comprehensive guide, this cookbook packs in a lot of information. How long did the research and writing process for it take? Any glitches along the way?

It took me two and a half years to develop the book proposal, and then research and write the entire book. I am not a botanist(!), so the research to make sure I found all the edible roots that exist was challenging. Even as I was turning in the manuscript I would double check some exotic root to make sure it was classified properly. With regard to glitches, there is a lot of confusion between malanga and taro and it took me time to resolve the distinctions. They are fascinating roots with interesting cooking properties. The high starch factor makes them delightful to mash and terrific as fritters.

I am assuming you ate a lot of root vegetable dishes while doing recipe development. Are you sick of them now? Or do you incorporate more roots into your diet than before?

I have never tired of eating roots. They are so varied and so seasonal that something that goes out of season, such as celery root, delivered a new-found excitement when I see it again the next season.

What was the most interesting thing you learned while writing the book?

There were many interesting discoveries, but I did love learning about all the edible tops – beet greens, radish tops, carrot tops, turnip tops – all are edible and highly nutritious.

Which is the most underrated root?

It would be a toss up between rutabagas and burdock root! Rutabagas take on many flavors – they are delicious when braised in beer and also paired with apples for a wonderful wintertime sweet galette. On the other hand, burdock root, used commonly in Japanese cuisine, is amazing when paired with mussels. If you love mussels then you must try my recipes for Steamed Mussels with Burdock Root, Shallots, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

If you had to pick one, what is your favorite root and why?

That’s like asking which is your favorite child. They all have such unique characteristics! However, since writing the book, I have incorporated the dark orange-fleshed sweet potatoes into my diet more often. They are an incredible superfood, packed with vitamins. I roast them or even grill-roast them and then rewarm them for breakfast. Skip your morning toast and eat a sweet potato!

Can you share one of your favorite recipes with us?

While I have many favorite recipes in the book, I am delighted with the Red Velvet Cupcakes because it is so unexpected and most folks think red velvet cake is made with food coloring, when, in fact, the gorgeous magenta color of the cupcakes comes from pureeing fresh-roasted beets.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

These darling magenta-hued cupcakes are brilliantly colored all the way through. No food coloring is used here; the color comes from pureeing freshly roasted beets. I tested the recipe with canned beets and the color is drab and faded, but given how easy it is to roast beets this simple step can be done while you measure and prepare the ingredients for the cupcakes and buttercream. I finely chop the roasted beets and then puree them in a food processor. It is important to let the machine run for a couple of minutes, scraping down the sides of the workbowl once or twice, until the puree is completely smooth.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 2 cups/200 g sifted cake/soft-wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp kosher or sea salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups/342 g puréed red roasted beets
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp/225 g granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2/3 cup/180 ml canola oil
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Orange Buttercream

• 1 1/4 cups/280 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’/icing sugar
• 1 tbsp heavy (whipping)/double cream
• 1/2 tsp pure orange oil (see Cook’s Notes)
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 to 3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F/180°C/gas 4. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the beets, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, stir in one-third of the flour mixture, and continue stirring just until the flour disappears. Do not beat or overmix. Repeat, adding the remaining flour mixture in 2 batches.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing the batter evenly and filling each cup almost to the top of the liner. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Let the cupcakes rest in the pan, set on a wire rack, for 10 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack to cool completely, about an hour.

To make the buttercream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer, cream the butter on low speed. Add the sugar, cream, orange oil, and vanilla, and beat until incorporated, about 2 minutes. Add the orange juice, a little at a time, until the buttercream is fluffy and smooth.

When the cupcakes are completely cool, spread a thick layer of buttercream over the tops, swirling the frosting to decorate the tops. Alternatively, the frosting can be transferred to a pastry bag and piped around the tops of the cupcakes. The cupcakes can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store, covered, at room temperature.

Cook’s Notes
Pure orange oil is an essential oil cold pressed from the rind of oranges. It is different from pure orange extract. Look for pure orange oil in the baking section of natural foods stores, at baking supply stores, or Middle Eastern grocers. Two brands I see often is Boyajian or Frontier.

The cupcakes freeze well and are handy to have on hand for a party. Freeze the cupcakes unwrapped on a baking sheet/tray. Once frozen, wrap them individually, first with plastic wrap/cling film and then with aluminum foil. The cupcakes can be frozen up to 1 month. Unwrap the cupcakes and thaw at room temperature.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

The post Foodie Underground: For the Love of Roots and Cookbooks appeared first on EcoSalon.

Everything you need to eat and cook consciously in the new year.

Our exclusive EcoSalon shopping must-have, the curated eco product assortment known as The Box, is back. We’re offering $500 worth of holiday eco-goodies for just $99 and these won’t last. That’s a guarantee.

It’s one month into 2012; how are those healthy resolutions going? Hopefully well, but if you need an extra boost of support in eating better this year, look no further than our Conscious Food Box. It’s packed with goodies that are good for you and the planet. From gluten-free cake mix and a cookbook to reusable produce bags and coffee mugs, we hope this Conscious Eating themed box inspires you to live by our Food section motto, “good food, from good places with good people.”

(If you do miss out this time around, our friends at Foodily are hosting a giveaway for the last remaining Entertainment Box standing. Head on over to their site and register to win!)

Cooke Ceramics handmade heart shot glass

An EcoSalon Exclusive shot glass (or espresso cup) handmade by Laura Cooke of Cooke Ceramics will hold the winter libation of your choice. With our heart logo on the front and a red interior, it will warm you up no matter what you put in it.

(Retail value of $15)

Flip & Tumble produce bags

This set of 5 reusable produce bags from Flip & Tumble has everything you need to keep track of your organic produce, without having to get one of those pesky plastic bags every time you go grocery shopping.

(Retail value of $11)

100 Gluten Free Recipes for Your Vegan Kitchen

If 2012 has you thinking about making a serious change in your diet, 100 Gluten Free Recipes for Your Kitchen could easily become your Bible. The cookbook has a diverse selection of completely vegan and gluten free goods, with everything from Pad Thai Salad to Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies.

(Retail value of $14.95)

KeepCup reusable coffee cup

500 billion disposable cups are manufactured globally every year. That’s why your morning americano tastes so much better when it’s served in something reusable. Welcome the KeepCup, the size and shape of regular disposable coffee cups so they fit under espresso machines. BPA-free, dishwasher safe and splash proof, you’ll wonder what you ever were doing with the paper and disposable plastic lid situation.

(Retail value of $12.20)

Home Made by Yvette van Boven

“This year I will make more of my own food.” You may have made the resolution, but are you living up to it? Home Made gives you step-by-step insructions for a plethora of foods that you really can make at home. Your own cheese? Ice cream without a machine? It can all be done with the help of this book.

(Retail value of $40.00)

Upcycled Green Glass tumbler

A used Perrier bottle never looked so good. This tumbler is made from the classic sparkling water bottle, and keeps the used bottles out of landfills. Bright and fun, you’ll want to make this your daily water glass.

(Retail value of $9.00)

Kishr drink

Kishr is like a cup of chai on steroids. It’s a tea-like infusion made from the dried coffee cherry and a blend of Saigon cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. The beverage is actually an ancient wellness beverage that has more antioxidants and less caffeine than green tea, so just add hot water and drink up.

(Retail value of $13.99)

Assorted Luna Bars

Made with organic ingredients, Luna Bars are the perfect way to fuel up. This bundle of 3 assorted bars, will let you try a few flavors and figure you your favorite one.

(Retail value of $4.17)

Lunchbots reusable container

This reusable container does it all. Salads, sandwiches, lunches to go, leftovers… the list goes on. Made with stainless steel, the Lunchbots container is BPA-free and easy to clean. Virtually indestructible, take it with you wherever you go and you’ll cut disposable food containers out in no time.

(Retail value of $19.99)

ECOBAGS® Organic Cotton Lunch Tote
Simple and straight to the point, this is a no frills organic cotton lunch tote. With a velcro closure and completely machine washable, you’ll soon find that it’s an everyday essential for the working girl that’s making sure she’s packing her own healthy lunch.

(Retail value of $5.99)

Mum’s Original Slow Roasted Hemp Hearts and Culinary Coconut Sugar

Mum’s Original produces a variety of nut-free, gluten-free super foods, and here is your chance to check out two of them. The Slow Roasted Hemp Hearts have are exclusive to Mum’s, have a superior taste and are perfect for stocking up on your daily protein and essential fatty acids. With a taste similar to brown sugar but with twice the iron, four times the magnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc,  this low-glycemic Coconut Sugar is an excellent sweet alternative. You’ll get a bag of each, and we’re sure you’ll put more on your shopping list.

(Total retail value of $15.98)

Strawesome Glass Straw

Cut the plastic and use one of these striking Lifetime Guaranteed Strawesome Glass Straws as a drink accessory. Handmade in Michigan, these straws are just as much works of art as they are functional drinking essentials. We have an assorted selection of straws that vary in decoration and color, so be excited to be surprised!

(Retail value of $10.99)

Fresh Wave Crystal Gel Deodorizer

If it’s time to freshen up the kitchen, this crystal gel from Fresh Wave should be your first step. A natural odor eliminator, it gives you with the all natural solution for getting rid odors by using a blend of plant oils and water; no harsh chemicals or masking fragrances. Overpowering compost? Gone. Smelly kitchen trash bag? No more. Simply place it where odors abound and let it works its magic.

(Retail value of $14.99)

San-J Organic Tamari Travel pack

If you’re gluten intolerant, you know how hard it is when it comes to eating soy sauce. Now you can stop carrying around that big, bulky bottle of gluten-free soy sauce with you when you’re on-the-go! These travel packs of organic tamari sauce are the solution. You’ll get 20 travel-sized sachets in one box, ready to be stashed in your bag or purse for your next eating adventure out.

(Retail value of $4.19)

Betty Lou’s Just Great Stuff Bar

An organic bar that’s perfect for chocolate lovers and high in antioxidants. Made with carrot juice, spinach, kale, broccoli sprouts, raisins, dates, and dried bananas you’ll know you’re eating something good for you before the first bite.

(Retail value of $2.19)

Laundress Kitchen Soap Bar

Kitchen and hand friendly, The Laundress Kitchen Soap Bar will do a number on your dishes but not on your skin.  A 100% vegetable soap, it’s made with saponified coconut and palm oils, vegetable glycerin, olive oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, wheat bran, oatmeal, almond flour, apricot seed, coconut husk, ground coffee, white tea leaves and buttermilk.

(Retail value of $8)

Core Bamboo Salad Servers

Take it up a notch at your next dinner party with these bamboo salad servers from Core Bamboo. They’re big enough to not be overwhelmed by a huge bowl of leafy greens, so whip together all your favorite produce and serve in style.

(Retail value of $18)

33 Cups of Coffee Book

If your coffee drinking ventures are a blur, it’s time to jot them down. Just like a good wine journal to keep track of your favorite vineyards and vintages, this pocket sized coffee journal lets you remember all the important parts of your coffee drinking experiences, from the roaster to the taste. Just make sure your java is organic and fair trade, so it matches the ethos of this journal, made with 100% recycled papers sourced in the Pacific Northwest and printed using US-grown soy-based inks.

(Retail value of $4)

Matiz Organic Chestnuts from Gilt Taste

Gilt Taste is a purveyor of pretty much all good things when it comes to food, and these organic chestnuts are no exception. The chestnuts are sourced from small farms across Galicia, Spain and already peeled and cook, which makes your job easy.  From salads to soups to dessert, they’re the perfect addition to many dishes.

(Retail value of $12.50)

Assorted Remakes placemats

Keep your kitchen table clean! Made with reclaimed billboards and movie posters, Remakes placemats give your table an edgy and urban look and protects it all at the same time.

(Retail value of $15.99)

Wholesome Chow Gluten Free Vanilla Cake Mix

Having a hard time with gluten free baking? Maybe it’s time for a mix. Wholesome Chow’s Organic Gluten-Free Vanilla Cake Mix is easily prepared in less than 40 minutes. It’s moist, fluffy, delicious and perfect for every occasion.

(Retail value of $4.99)

Mrs. Meyer’s Basil Liquid Soap

Pots and pans have nothing against this stuff. Made with naturally cleaning Soap Bark extract, it’s a powerful cleanser and degreaser with plenty of essential oils. Your sink dishes will thank you.

(Retail value of $3.99)

eSutras Organics Cocoa Vanilla Sugar

Putting regular sugar to shame, this organic cane sugar with vanilla and cocoa is perfect for sprinkling on brownies, ice cream, cake, or anything else you want to sweeten up a little.

(Retail value of $5.00)

Nature’s Path Love Crunch Granola

This bag of Dark Chocolate and Red Berries granola will sweeten any mood. Beyond the organic Italian chocolate, it also has flax seeds for essential fatty acids, so kick off your day with a bowl of love.

(Retail value of $4.49)

Sorry: this box is now sold out!

The post January Food Box: The ‘I Will Eat More Consciously’ Edition appeared first on EcoSalon.

ColumnBeing a junk foodie has never been so hip.

It’s always good to leave your bubble. In Portland, Oregon, my bubble is food related and consists of farmers markets, New Seasons and buying quinoa in bulk. But for the past few weeks, I’ve been on the road, which has necessitated numerous gas station stops. Entering a gas station in general is rare for me, and the experience is much like sitting down to watch an hour of regular television and getting completely sucked in by the commercials. A sensory overload of sorts.

These interstate gas stations and mini marts offer much of what you’d expect: bad coffee, beef jerky sticks and an assortment of chips and high fructose corn syrup packed candies. In fact, I certainly don’t expect to find examples of fine cuisine at trucker stops, but the amount of strange food products above and beyond the standard is mind-blowing. Consider Tum-E Yummies, a 100% fake drink that’s the color of a neon set of Crayolas, a gummi spread of Mexican inspired food and a two pound bucket of cheese balls. How can it be that people really eat this stuff?

But it’s not just late night road trippers in need of a sugary fix. Even in a world of organic and local, junk food is all the rage. In fact, at a recent monthly supper club with my usual gathering of like-minded foodies, there was a plate full of crab bruschetta. Lovely. Until I overheard the maker of said bruschetta say, “You know what I rolled the crab in? Ranch Pringles.” I cringed.

You can go so far as to call it “Gourmet Junk Food.” Twinkie Napoleon, Mountain Dew Jelly and Fruit S’Mores – there are plenty of recipes waiting to go around, making the simple fried onion, green bean and mushroom soup casserole look tame. These days even lollipops have celebrity status and you can send all kinds of junk food gift baskets to your nearest and dearest. No matter what your personal take on the trend, from five star restaurants to books, being a junk foodie, for better or for worse, has never been so hip.

Andrew Freeman & Co.’s annual Trend List for 2011 was spot on when it announced that “Munchies are moving to the forefront as chefs reinvent junk food in gourmet ways.” The list cites Cereal Milk Ice Cream at Momofuku Milk Bar in New York City as one of the examples of culinary destinations taking a stab at classing it down, but there are certainly many more restaurants and chic bistros out there incorporating junking their gourmet, like the Junk Food Platter at Simon L.A and deep fried Twinkies spotted in Honolulu. In Philadelphia you can even take a Junk Food Tour, which touts a First Class tour and dining experience.

Incorporating bad foods into classier creations isn’t just happening out and about at finer restaurants. The real gourmet junk food movement is happening right at home. Just look at Mini-Mart a la Carte. This book probably has its greatest following in the hipster crowd, but bad food is unfortunately back, from Vienna sausage pigs in a blanket to Sardines Rockefeller. I’ve been drawn to perusing this book on several occasions simply because of mere disgust; reading the recipes are akin to staring at a traffic accident, when you know you should look away but you can’t.

And while Mini-Mart à la Carte certainly doesn’t attempt to label itself as a cookbook for foodies, Junk Foodie does exactly that, taking advantage of the word with which so many of us use to define ourselves. A cookbook for “the lowbrow gourmand,” it’s all about taking office snacks and turning them into something classier, like Oreos and Hot Tamales blended together to make an Aztec Coffee Cake. The author, Emilie Baltz, is quick to remind us that nothing in her book is good for us, but that somewhere in between the aisles of jelly beans and potato chips, we can find inspiration for new creations.

Need some real inspiration? Head on over to Fancy Fast Food, a blog devoted to fast food makeovers that look almost like they could be served with a white starched napkin and your finest silver. Except for the fact that some of these photos, which turn combo meals like Popeye’s Fried Chicken into Spicy Chicken Sushi, might induce some gag reflexes.

Foods and desserts that incorporate some of the worst ingredients that the food industry has to offer? Bring your bismuth.

Of course, no matter how conscious we are about the negative effects of these junk foods that we’re cooking with, we’re still popularizing products that shouldn’t have a place in a healthy food society. I doubt you’ll see Alice Waters making a homegrown, organic spinach salad sprinkled with crumbled Doritos anytime soon.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment of Anna Brones’s weekly column at EcoSalon, Foodie Underground, discovering what’s new and different in the underground food movement, from supper clubs to mini markets to the culinary avant garde.

Images: Junk Foodie, Anna Brones, Anna Brones, Chronicle Books, Junk Foodie

The post Foodie Underground: A Penchant for Gourmet Junk Food appeared first on EcoSalon.