Happy & Healthy

4 X COOKBOOKS OF THE MOMENT

Ha! My addiction cookbook collection is being well-fed again this month. There are a few beautiful new copies waiting on my dining table to get dirty. The first thing I do when I flip through a book is stick post-its next to the dishes I want to make and taste as soon as possible. I must honestly admit that there are still about 40 recipes waiting for me, but that shouldn't dampen the fun. Especially not now that I can share my favorite books with you.

My Arabic Kitchen – Mounir Toub

I’m going to dive right into this. I’m not very familiar with Arabic cuisine, at least: not in cooking Arabic food. Mounir Toub is going to teach me that, I hope. Besides the fact that I’m diving into that kitchen as soon as possible, I also enjoy lying on the couch reading about Toub's life and family. A delightful book indeed. The recipe for the fish soup is covered with a big post-it with an exclamation mark on it.

Superfood for Family and Friends – Jamie Oliver

Well, sorry, this might not be one of his best books (I mention Jamie’s Italian or The Naked Chef), but still, Jamie remains Jamie and he is great. Especially when cooking for a larger group, this is a nice book. The explanations are always simple, the photos are mouth-watering; actually, Jamie can’t do anything wrong with me.

“The recipe for the fish soup is covered with a big post-it with an exclamation mark on it.”

Life in Balance – Donna Hay

Fresh, green, unprocessed, super healthy, and super tasty. Donna works a lot with superfoods in this book and although I’m a bit done with that hype, she has made me want to pull out the jar of chia seeds again. The real die-hard healthy green girls go wild for this book, but so do I, because it also has something sexy about it and thankfully not something ‘zen and boring’.

Slow Cooked – Olivia Andrews

I’m playing unfair because this book was already released in January of this year, but I’m having so incredibly much fun with it. Every dish you see in this book can be made with a slow cooker (this device is the best thing I’ve bought since then), but also on the stove or in the oven. Don’t be shocked by the amount of ingredients you come across here and there, because step into a Moroccan greengrocer and you’ll find everything there. Such a slow cooker is mega practical when you have a lot of eaters and a busy day ahead. Set your alarm a quarter of an hour earlier in the morning to turn on the pot and fill it with the ingredients. When you come home, you can sit down at the table right away.