First up on my Cookbook Countdown is THUG KITCHEN: EAT LIKE YOU GIVE A F*CK: THE OFFICIAL COOKBOOK. I must admit, I picked this up at work because it was a new cookbook, and well, of course I couldn’t resist the title. I really didn’t know anything about it or the popular THUG KITCHEN website, so it was all a surprise to me when I opened it up. Kinda fun, right?
The premise behind this cookbook is actually really good. It’s all about real people making real food. And this isn’t a cookbook for meat-eaters at all; in fact, there are no animal products in any of the recipes—-no eggs, butter, meat or milk. Crazy, huh? Growing up on boiled veggies that either came from a can or the freezer, I can tell you I was not a fan of the green stuff. It wasn’t until I was in University that I even ate things like green peppers(!), and my first taste of asparagus was made for me by my husband when we were first dating. Sad, right? No offence, Mom, but veggies weren’t your wheelhouse.
THUG KITCHEN aims to change that for people. The opening of the book talks about how easy it is to make great-tasting food without opening a package or going through a drive-thru. I love that they spend ten pages (10!!) talking about important things like reading the recipes through first, not leaving out ingredients, and writing down critical errors made on recipes you’d probably like to make again. There’s also a quick primer for cooking basic foods like rice or beans, things they won’t go into later within certain recipes. But it’s fantastic advice! And they do it in a really entertaining way. (Can we say “plant nachos”, people…aka SALAD!) Yes, there’s plenty of swearing in this book—-it probably isn’t something you’d buy for a member of your church group or your grandma—-but it adds to the whole you-can-do-anything attitude. Go for it!
Along with most of the recipes comes either a handy tip about what the food should look like during a particular step, or some great infotaining tips about the food you’re going to cook. Wouldn’t you like to be able to educate your guests about what they’re eating at your next dinner party? They’ll think you’re a genius!
The only negative is the lack of calorie/fat/etc. breakdown for recipes. If you’re on a restrictive diet, this might take some extra work to figure out.
This is a library book, but I want my own copy now. And if you’re looking for more recipes, drop by their website for a daily recipe, as well as timely ideas for holiday eating and more. Fantastic, right? It certainly makes our return to healthy eating more fun.
If you’re looking for a creative wedding gift for a YOUNG couple, this would be a great starter. It’s also something I’d recommend to someone going off to college and cooking for themselves for the first time. They’ll get it, trust me. Or just buy this for your sister or brother or best friend or mailman or….you get the point.
January was a good pick. What am I going to review for February? It’s a 2013 release…MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT FAVORITES: THE 250 MOST-REQUESTED NATURALLY DELCIOUS RECIPES FROM ONE OF AMERICA’S BEST-LOVED RESTAURANTS, THE MOOSEWOOD COLLECTIVE.
Yum! And happy eating….
