The Best Easy Recipes Books

Why to Buy Easy Recipes Books

There's such a variety out there of different books so that you can make any type of food you would like.

Luckily for you, recipes don't have to be incredibly difficult to taste amazing.

Buying recipe books is kind of a hobby of mine.

1) They're always on sale.
2) There are always new ones coming out.
3) You can never have too many of them.
4) The compliments you get make it all worth while!

What's On This Lens?

My Favorite Easy Recipes Books
Super Fast Minestrone
Websites Instead of Books
Easy Recipe Books are a Necessity!
Easy Recipes Books from EBay
Black Bean Burgers
You Don't Need Just Books for Easy Recipes
Easy Vegetarian Cooking
Instructional Videos
Fun Stuff to Cook In
Restaurant Food...at Home!
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My Favorite Easy Recipes Books

I've bought a whole lot of recipe books (aren't they always on sale?!) but these are the ones that I've had the most success with.

How I pick the books:

I generally prefer the easy cook books that don't require many uncommon ingredients and very complicated steps. I also like very detailed pictures that actually help you make the stuff and don't just serve as pretty art.

The Best 1001 Short, Easy Recipes

by: Cookbook Resources LLC

The title pretty much speaks for itself. Yes, there really are 1001 recipes and yes, I've tried a lot of them and they are easy.

Amazon Price: (as of 07/10/2009)

Everyday Food: Great Food Fast

by: Martha Stewart Living Magazine

I love Martha Stewart...there, I said it. I love her cooking gear the most but I've never tried a recipe of hers that I didn't get a million compliments for.

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/10/2009)

The Big Book of Easy Suppers: 270 Delicious Recipes for Casual Everyday Cooking

by: Maryana Vollstedt

The pictures in these books are actually helpful (rare for some cook books). I really liked the majority of these recipes...however, I would exclude a couple of the recipes in this book because they are too involved to be labeled "easy".

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/10/2009)

Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes from the New York Times: Featuring 350 recipes from the author of HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and THE BEST RECIPES IN THE WORLD

by: Mark Bittman

The recipes are very interesting in this book but the best part is that they don't use that many steps or ingredients. They also use very common ingredients so that you don't spend an hour searching for something at the store. I got lots of compliments from cooking with this book.

Amazon Price: $12.89 (as of 07/10/2009)

Super Fast Minestrone

This takes a little bit over 30 min. to prepare. The best part is that it makes enough to have leftovers (although that depends on for people you are cooking for!) and is easy to double if you need more food.

Fast Minestrone

3 cups vegetable broth
1 14.5-oz can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta
1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 16-oz pkg frozen Italian-style mixed vegetables
2 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

(recipe from The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook)

Websites Instead of Books

There are lots of good websites that you can use if you don't feel like using your easy recipes books (or if you feel like you don't like any of them enough to buy one).

There are so many types of websites out there that you can find pretty much any food you like.

Easy, Better Recipes: This website is broken up in very convenient sections so that searching for the food you would like to make is super simple.
YummyFood.net: The name pretty much speaks for itself! On this website, you can compile your "recipes box" to save your favorite ones. You can also do a search on any food you would like and choose from a variety of different recipes.
Cooks.com: This is the most comprehensive site on different recipes. You can literally find thousands of recipes for a single recipe idea. These recipes are all submitted by regular people, not chefs. It also lists the recipes by the number of ingredients so that you can gauge how easy it is to make them.

Easy Recipe Books are a Necessity!

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Easy Recipes Books from EBay

This is where you can buy some of the cheapest of the easy recipes books.

There is also a huge variety of choices for the type of food you would like to make.

You can find a lot of recipe books that have low-calorie or low-fat dishes that you can make at home. You can also control the quantity of food you make so those can be extra handy.

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Black Bean Burgers

Once you get the ingredients, there is only 10 min. of actual involved cooking time!
There are always a big hit at parties since they can be enjoyed by vegetarians and meat eaters alike!

Backyard Black Bean Burgers

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 10 minutes

2 cans (15 ounces each) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
¼ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup chunky salsa
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
Hamburger buns

Place beans in food processor; process until fairly smooth. Add flour, cornmeal, salsa, cumin and garlic salt. Process until well combined. Spoon mixture into 6 balls on a large plate and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours before cooking.

Heat barbecue grill or ridged grill pan over medium heat. Coat grill or pan lightly with oil. Form each ball into a 4-inch patty about ½-inch thick. Place the patties on the grill or in pan and cook until browned and heated through, 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Serve on hamburger buns with your favorite toppings.

You Don't Need Just Books for Easy Recipes

Blogs are amazing when it comes to finding easy, but new/inventive recipes.

You can subscribe to them with your Google reader which I happen to check impulsively throughout the day (who can blame me when I'm getting new recipes for chocolate chip cookies all the time?). To find out how to use the Google Reader, check out my other lens for easy, step by step instructions.

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Easy Vegetarian Cooking

Whether you are a vegetarian or not, these great recipes are really easy to make and they are very healthy.

Pretty much anyone who has tried my cooking from these cook books has enjoyed it...it's hard to mess them up!

If you're not a vegetarian, it's easy to modify them by just adding some chicken or any other meat you'd like.

Student's Vegetarian Cookbook, Revised: Quick, Easy, Cheap, and Tasty Vegetarian Recipes

by: Carole Raymond

Amazon Price: $10.94 (as of 07/10/2009)

Vegetarian Meals For People On-The-Go : 101 Quick & Easy Recipes

by: Vimala Rodgers

Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/10/2009)

Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet

by: Nava Atlas

This is one of my favorites...you can't get any easier than something with just 5 ingredients!

Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/10/2009)

125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes

by: Judith Finlayson

My $15 slow cooker is one of my best investments. I just throw stuff into in the morning and when I get back, viola! There's a meal waiting for me!

Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/10/2009)

Instructional Videos

There is a whole series of videos on YouTube that are under "Healthy Meals Under 30 Minutes."

I've given most of them a try and they truly have been fast, easy, and tasty! As long as you have the ingredients (there aren't too many to begin with!), it really shouldn't take you more than half an hour. In most cases, I was finished making it even earlier!

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Fun Stuff to Cook In

This is some fun cooking gear; I keep t-shirts and aprons in my kitchen that I wear while I cook so that 1) I don't get my clothes all messy and 2) it's just more fun to wear fun stuff since you have to be in the kitchen anyways.