• 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!

I did that thing the other night, Halloween actually, where you're invited to a party and can't decide exactly what to bring. At first I said I'd bring a hearty salad of some sort, but as soon as I heard the word salad leave my mouth, ideas for savory tarts started flitting around my brain. And wow, is that a pâte sucrée tart shell in the freezer? Maybe I should make something with that. I also decided, right around the same time, that it would be a good idea to bake cookies for trick-or-treaters instead of handing out candy. It was looking at a long day in the the kitchen for sure.

I got an early start, and in the morning I collected ingredients from all my favorite shops. It was beautiful and sunny out, and hey, we should really go for a walk. And do you want...

Continue reading Autumn Potato Salad and recipe...

I'm going to argue that this is the type of soup that needs to be made to order. While many soups and stews get more complex and enticing after a day or so in the refrigerator, I don't find that to be true when it comes to soup of the broccoli variety. Am I alone here? Day-old broccoli soup always smells very strong (and not in a good way) and tastes overcooked, as if from a can. The good news is this version couldn't be simpler to make, and it's perfect for those times when I feel like I need something with a serious nutritional punch - say, the day after a sweet-packed Halloween. I give the soup a bit of an unexpected twist by topping it with golden, crunchy, mustardy croutons. Which you can skip, but I wouldn't.

Aside from...

Continue reading Broccoli Cheddar Soup and recipe...

I suspect that some of you might be on the lookout for a few Halloween recipes, or Halloween-inspired recipes might be a better way of phrasing it. There are a bunch hiding in the archives, so I thought I'd bump a handful back up to the top here. A few of my favorites include:

Roasted Pumpkin Salad - A roasted pumpkin salad made with wild rice, tiny, caramelized red onions drizzled with a simple, honey-kissed, creamy sunflower seed dressing. A colorful harvest salad perfect for Fall festivities.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup - From deep in archives, this Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup couldn't be easier to make - roasted winter squash, coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, and sea salt come together in a pot of vibrant, rich, flavorful soup. Total crowd pleaser.

Caramel Apples - a caramel apple recipe made from apples, honey, cream, and salt -...

Continue reading Halloween Recipes ...