Hippy Gourmet

I love the concept of the Hippy Gourmet. They support organic, sustainable agriculture, alternative energy, and non-profit organizations. Awesome!

I was so excited to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher. I am constantly looking for new recipes, and this is a different genre than Giada's Everyday Pasta I've been enjoying. At first glance, my husband said, "Ew," the instant he saw tofu, tabbouleh (one of my favorite things!) and quinoa. But he loved the spinach salad (after removing the water chestnuts and giving them to me), tomato soup, herb-steamed halibut, and clams/mussels in white wine and herb broth. YUM!!
Most of the ingredients are common and already in my kitchen cabinet- perfect! A few of the ingredients are a little difficult to find (especially living on an island like Key West), but if you have access to a Whole Foods or Fresh Market (jealous), then you should be able to find items like kasha, bulger, yucca, and asian eggplants.

Just a note for the more traditional consumers: this book doesn't have any meat and potato entrees (although there is a lovely pescatarian section) and there are a few digs at conservatives (for example, on p. 139, "Hippy? Formal Dining? Those two things usually belong together like compassionate and conservative") that may be slightly offensive to some people. But honestly, with a name like "The Hippy Gourmet," I wouldn't expect them to be praising starched collars.

There are a ton of great tips- how to roll your own sushi, what's in a stock, solar cooking, cooking with hemp- and I really enjoyed how much the book actually informs in addition to providing recipes. There are terrific tidbits to offer while serving some of these meals during a dinner party. Did you know tofu was made by curdling soy milk? The Incas virtually lived off quinoa? The difference between stir-frying and sauteing? (the answer: stir-fried foods are, you guessed it, stirred, while sauteed foods are tossed about)

Overall, the book is a terrific cookbook alternative if you're in a cooking slump and you'd like to integrate a few healthy alternatives (the bean-taco salad is delicious!!) into your dining routine!