• Hi there, my name is Heidi Swanson. 101 Cookbooks is my recipe journal. It's where I write about the recipes that intersect my life, travels, and everyday interests. Often the recipes are from my cookbook collection, sometimes not - they might come from a friend, or I might write about a recipe I created myself. I focus primarily on natural, whole foods and ingredients - vegetarian recipes that are good for you and for the planet. Welcome!

The other night I found myself standing in front of a 6-foot by 4-foot display of summer squash. Standing, staring, thinking about what I might need for the week. An older gentleman came up beside me carrying a handful of lemon cucumbers. They were beautiful. The size of baseballs, pale with vibrant yellow marks. With a twinkle in his eye, he started telling me how much he'd enjoyed the cucumbers he'd purchased the previous week. Well, two lemon cucumbers came home with me that evening. I eventually made a simple tofu salad with them. I marinated the cucumbers and some chopped dill in lemon juice and olive oil, then tossed that mixture with tofu, pine nuts, and avocado. Not my idea at all - the inspiration came when I posted a note on Twitter: Two lemon cucumbers - seeking inspiration. Any ideas?

Continue reading Lemon Cucumber Tofu Salad and recipe...

I wanted to highlight a special book today for a couple reasons. First, because it was authored by an individual who, on a whim, bought a 1970's van on eBay, refurbished it, and turned it into a business - an inspiring story in itself. But secondly, because the topic of the book is ice cream & sundaes - and we are right on the cusp of prime ice-cream season. Lola's Ice Cream & Sundaes was written by Morfudd Richards, an accomplished London-based chef and restaurateur. She sold her popular restaurant (Lola's), and has become the grande dame of granitas, the high scholar of sorbets. She shares her icy goodness with the world from behind the wheel of this over-hauled Mr. Frosty.

This is just a sneak peek of the book - I haven't even had a chance to churn...

Continue reading Lola's Ice Cream & Sundaes ...

This is a simple soup I made the other night with the summer squash left over from the gratin we talked about last week. Nothing fancy, just a pureed summer squash soup with a buttermilk twist. I used a hint of red pepper because, quite honestly, I often prefer it over black pepper. I used a bit of rosemary for depth, some potato for body, garlic, shallots - and aside from the buttermilk, nothing too far beyond the usual suspects. And I have to say, while I heartily enjoyed the soup as a main component of our dinner, I enjoyed the leftovers even more the following day.

There was plenty of soup leftover, so when Wayne and I decided to throw our cameras in the car and head toward Pt. Reyes for an impromptu photo excursion, I decided...

Continue reading Buttermilk Summer Squash Soup and recipe...