5 Cookbooks You NEED in 2017!

5 Cookbooks You NEED in 2017! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE, guys! I wanted to get this post up for you last week, but everything got pushed back due to my poor macbook and it's subsequent crashes last week. [If you're not already, you can follow my IG story for constant updates.😅] Between trips back and forth to the Apple store trying to repair it and all of the Holiday activities, it just wasn't in the cards. It feels like everyone is pretty ready to say goodbye to 2016 tonight. Socially, economically, culturally - not a great year. Personally however, it was one for the books. Alex and I got engaged, moved back to the OC, and my cookbook was released! That said, we can always more into the New Year with more focus, clarity, and calm than we are leaving this year. So let's do it! I know you and I can achieve our goals if we work our butts off in 2017 - so let's KILL it together! Let's take this year back together and make it KICK ASS, shall we? To get you started, here are 5 rad cookbooks I've been loving lately and think you might enjoy, too. I love every single one of you and want to thank you for reading, sharing, and  commenting on all the stuff I post. It rocks, and you do you. Bring it, 2017! 

​The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook

Isa Chandra Moskowitz
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The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook has arrived and it is AWESOME! Bestselling author, vegan goddess, and comfort food queen Isa Chandra Moskowitz is back with her biggest book ever--to prove that making festive vegan food for any occasion can be easy, delicious, and superfun. She has complied this book full of creative, delicious, inspired recipes for EVERY holiday. I mean it - every one from Christmas and Hannukkah to St. Patrick's Day and Valentine's Day. A huge, hardcover book packed with over 250 recipes for every Holiday, this book is the NEW must-have for your cookbook collection. It has fun old favorites from Isa's site and books as well as tons of new, creative recipes to make the Holidays as delicious as they can be stressful. With tasty vegan recipes for Cinnamon Apple Crepes, Cheeseburger Pizza, Biscuits and Gravy, Churro Biscotti, and so much more, The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook will make everyone at your table happy-even meat eaters and the gluten challenged. GET YOUR COPY!

​Homestyle Vegan

Amber St. Peter
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My Homestyle Vegan cookbook came out in November and has been getting great reviews ever since. This cookbook was a serious labor of love. I quit my job to dedicate myself full-time to testing, re-testing, editing, styling and photographing all 80 original recipes inside. The dishes inside are broken up into sections like 'Cook Up Some Comfort Food', 'Meals That'll Stick To Your Ribs', and 'Bake-Sale Worthy Baked Goods' you'll be able to easily find exactly what kind of recipe you're looking for. If you still can't find it you can head all the way to our detailed index in the back. Each recipes is served up with a full-page color photo, detailed instructions, and helpful recipe tips + tricks. Oh and did we mention? NO TOFU or FAUX MEAT in the whole damn book! And most recipes include soy-free and gluten-free substitutions as well. This book will have both vegans and meat-eaters begging for more. You’ll be cooking healthier dishes that remind you of home in no time. GET YOUR COPY!

But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!

Kristy Turner
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I've been a fan of Kristy's creative recipes and drool-worthy photos, taken by her talented husband Chris, for a long time. Her blog 'Keepin' It Kind' is full of tasty treats & restaurant reviews, presented with descriptive photography and a  focus on eating kindly, which I think is something we could all do a bit more of. Kirsty has some food allergies driving her eating habits, but she presents her recipes and writing in such a sweet, girl-next-door fashion you feel like she's already your best friend. She makes veganism accessible with recipes that'll leave meat-eaters wondering what hit 'em and fellow vegans praising whatever god(s) they believe in. Her newest cookbook; 'But My Family Would Never Eat Vegan!' is a work of art against excuses. This second book goes beyond tackling dishes for home and gets into the monster of all diet-breakers: family dinners! She presents 125 new, hearty, gorgeously photographed recipes to win everyone at the table over. It's a must-have for every family with a vegan or veg-curious eater.  GET YOUR COPY!

Eat With Intention

​Cassandra Bodzak
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Meditation and wellness teacher Cassandra Bodzak struggled for years with unhealthy dieting, stomach pains, and food allergies. It was only when she began to listen to her body and eat with intention that she transformed her life. Which is why this is not your traditional cookbook. You won't have to do a cleanse, eat kale every day, or eliminate entire food groups. Instead, you'll learn the step-by-step process for eating with intention and put a stop to the never ending cycle of fad diets, constant exhaustion, and general unhappiness with your body and yourself. I totally need this cookbook right now. One of my major goals for 2017 is to start a daily meditation practice and to be more present, setting intentions that will help me reach my goals. I love that Cassandra not only teaches you how to nourish your body from a place of self-love, how to incorporate a daily gratitude or meditation practice into your life, AND how to prepare nearly 75 plant-based recipes, each accompanied by a mantra and meditation for eating with purpose and fueling your body. GET YOUR COPY!

Mad Genius Tips

​Justin Chapple with Food & Wine

I was gifted this book for Christmas this year and I loved it so much, I knew it had to make the list. I have yet to watch Justin's video series on Food & Wine, but he seems like a fun, smart dude and I am loving his new book. And now that I love his new book so much, I'll have to start tuning into his channel as well! ​The book, Mad Genius Tips, is all about using everyday, household items to make life in the kitchen just a little bit easier, one clever hack at a time. For instance - did you know you can use a muffin tin to poach a dozen eggs at once? Or transform a Bundt pan into a rotisserie? Or cut gnocchi with dental floss? Or use a cooling rack to make guacamole? You'll discover unexpected new uses for everyday tools, clever time-saving tips, and fantastic recipes in a cookbook that's as useful as it is entertaining. It's not vegan, so there are some recipes in there that I don't really have any use for, but there are enough clever tips + tricks that it's well worth the investment. Each of the 20 chapters is dedicated to a different tool, including resealable baggies, wine bottles, floss, muffin tins, and plastic takeout-container lids. GET YOUR COPY!