The Cookbook Road Test series takes a rarely used cookbook from my collection out for a spin. We’ll kick the tires, rev the engine and put the pedal to the metal down an open stretch of highway. Meaning we’ll try a few recipes and tell you what we think. Sounds much better in car lingo. Yes, we’ll play some music too. Every road trip needs a soundtrack, right?! 

The Cookbook: In a former life I was a meeting planner for Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), a very worthy charitable organization whose conference that year was held in Milwaukee. In addition to providing high-quality education for attendees, we also hosted a fundraiser with a celebrity chef doing a cooking demo at the Milwaukee Public Market. We had no budget for the enormous fees that some of the big name chefs command, so we called in favors and wound up with a perfect fit in the lovely and talented Chef Wynnie Stein, a longtime member of the Moosewood Collective.

Moosewood Restaurant in Ithaca, New York, became well-known in the ‘70s as a very successful vegetarian, natural foods restaurant operating as a collective instead of a traditional business model. They’re still going strong, and have added cookbook-authoring to their menu of delights. Still not ringing a bell? How about this: The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Found in many kitchens including my own, this famous and beloved vegetarian cookbook was written in the ‘70s by Mollie Katzen, an early member of the Collective (but no longer).

That evening Chef Wynnie prepared several dishes from the Simple Suppers cookbook while speaking about the emotional and health benefits that kids derive from having family dinners at home on a regular basis. Strong families are what PCAA is all about, so this special event scored a home run in terms of message and donations. And I scored a free cookbook, autographed by the chef herself. ​

​​The Cookbook Road Test stories usually get decorated with fast car photos, but since this one is all about a simple, family-friendly meals we’ve got a safe, sensible minivan instead. 

As a guide to preparing quick, easy, delicious, mostly-vegetarian meals (there’s a small section on fish) this cookbook is modest and unassuming – no bling-bling recipes here! Here are a few representative recipes:

• Indonesian Sweet Potato & Cabbage Soup – recipe tested and included in this post (keep reading)
• Easy Egg Rolls & Duck Sauce – recipe tested and included

The next few recipes are not included here, listed only to whet your appetite and give a broader sense of this cookbook's range:

• Pasta with Broccoli, Edamame & Walnuts 
• Vietnamese Noodle Salad
• Black Beans with Pickled Red Onions

​Keep reading for recipes, pictures galore, a cool playlist, and the verdict. 

Cookbook Road Test is a recurring feature in which we try out a rarely used cookbook from my collection. I’ll share my opinions about the cookbook, selected recipe, meal overall, and oh yes – a little music too. Every road trip needs a soundtrack, right?!

The Cookbook: Received at a hospitality industry event promoting San Antonio as a meeting destination. (SA is A-OK BTW.) The party was held at Rick Bayless’s Chicago restaurant Topolobampo – a very fine upscale Mexican restaurant, which earned a Michelin star and numerous other awards. Of course this was a corporate cocktail party so hors d'ouevres and thimblefuls of various margaritas were passed. The cookbook was the parting gift, and one I was very pleased to receive (versus countless branded tote bags and beer coozies from other events.)

Rick is a first and foremost a lover and scholar of regional Mexican cuisine, passionate about the culture and eager to share what he has learned. He’s also a fine chef, successful businessman, television personality – and seems like a really nice guy to boot. He’s the author of 8 cookbooks, this one themed around parties and preparing food for a group.

Sample recipes:

• Grilled Pork Tacos al Pastor
  
• Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
  
• Wild Mushroom Queso Fundido 

Cookbook Road Test is a recurring feature in which we try out a rarely used cookbook from my collection. I’ll share my opinions about the cookbook, selected recipe, meal overall, and oh yes – a little music too. Every road test needs a soundtrack, right?!

The Cookbook: This was a gift from my sister several years ago. The Green City Market Cookbook is beautifully photographed, carefully curated, and seasonally organized around what’s available when at this apparently-famous farmer’s market. The book jacket says this: “Green City Market is known across the country as a premier destination for the best in organic, sustainable, and locally sourced farm products.” The cookbook features these ingredients in recipes that appear to be delicious, easy and accessible, their success based largely on the high quality of a few simple ingredients. And there you have the motto of the entire farm to table movement. 

Sample recipes from the Spring and Summer chapters of the Green City Market Cookbook -- commence mouthwatering now:

• Mushroom, Asparagus and Fontina Cheese Strata
  
• Grilled Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa
  
• Heirloom Tomato Salad with Aged Cheddar

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to receive many cookbooks as gifts from generous friends and family and even a few business colleagues. (Thanks again, everyone!) I’m also a voracious food blog reader, saving copious recipes for “later.” Problem is, I frequently default to the same 3 cookbooks again and again for everyday cooking, leaving a big bunch of books and one-off recipes that I’ve flipped through but never put into practice.

So in this recurring feature we’ll kick the tires on some new-to-me cookbooks, take them for a road test, you know, kick out the jams for a spin on the open road, and report on the ride after crossing the finish line.

And what goes better with a fast cars metaphor than a road trip playlist? We’ll play some carefully selected* tunes while cooking from the book, and then we’ll talk about all of it. (*Or maybe totally rando. We’ll see.)

I’m purposely avoiding the word “review” here, as I feel neither capable nor qualified to do so. Music criticism in particular has a language in which I'm not conversant, despite my lifelong love of all sorts of tunage. Instead I’m going to share my experience using the cookbook (pictures, yummy-appeal of recipes, ease of use, etc.) and listening to the music (overall sound/feel, favorite tracks, etc.)