Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cucumber salad

  • TippyCanoe on November 24, 2015

    This has a particularly nice vinegar/lemon dressing with lemongrass. I had some left over so I used it over roasted beets. Very nice. Great vegetarian lunch with protein from tofu and pine nuts.

  • apw2020 on October 06, 2021

    The dressing is what made this salad -- I substituted cilantro for kale and it was divine.

  • lorloff on August 09, 2025

    I made this as part of a vegetarian dinner party. It was fine but not great. We did not think that the tofu and cucumber combination worked very well and the dressing was interesting but we felt something was missing.

• Fennel stew

  • maggiewt on March 04, 2016

    flavor was good - we didn't follow the directions exactly, and definitely regretted it.

• Red lentil hummus

  • Rutabaga on December 25, 2015

    I enjoyed this hummus alternative, although my husband said he prefers chickpea hummus. Your preference will probably depend on whether you like chickpeas or red lentils best. It's very creamy and thick, so extra water (or lemon juice, if you like it tangy) may be needed. I topped it with plenty of flavorful olive oil, nigella seeds, and flaky sea salt.

  • cedarmakesthings on January 30, 2016

    Really good, I was at first afraid it was too much tahini, but it had a nice balance. I needed more cooking water than the recipe called for, as it came out a bit dry.

  • TrishaCP on February 12, 2016

    As others have said, this makes a really creamy and smooth hummus. I didn't miss the nutty chickpea flavor as much as I had thought either, so would definitely make red lentil hummus again. But I did find it verging on bland, so definitely plan more lemon juice, and definitely don't neglect the toppings.

• Sprout salad

  • cedarmakesthings on March 04, 2016

    This was incredibly delicious. I used green lentils that I sprouted a few days prior. Even my four year old vegetable hater loved this!

  • Rutabaga on May 26, 2016

    I used this recipe for inspiration, altering it to fit what I had on hand. Since I only had regular old bean sprouts from the store, I added a can of cannellini beans, and mixed in some fresh salad greens with the beans. In the yogurt, I used finely chopped green onions. This is definitely one of those Swanson recipes where the simplicity of the ingredients work together to make something surprisingly satisfying and flavorful. Be sure to season well with salt and pepper.

• Leek soup

  • Rutabaga on February 10, 2016

    This is a unique soup with a pleasant, gentle combination of flavors, but I would make a few changes to give it more verve. Brightening it with some lemon juice would add a little more interest. I also found it too brothy, so would cut the water from nine cups down to six. As is, I added an additional can of beans and extra rice and cauliflower, although I did not include the yuba skins or pasta, something I would do again even with less water. The hazelnuts and lemon oil are excellent as toppings, and some chopped herbs and maybe a little preserved lemon would make it even better. Also, the recipe (at least as I made it) easily would provide 8 to 10 servings, not 6.

• Yellow wax beans

  • Rutabaga on November 09, 2015

    Beautiful presentation, and quick to make, this dish still packs in a lot of flavors and textures. I particularly appreciated pairing the creamy avocado with the beans, and the za'atar really heightens the flavor. (This is the same dish that also appears on Swanson's blog, 101 Cookbooks.)

• Shredded tofu stir-fry

  • DDPGirl001 on August 14, 2023

    I didn’t have any pea shoots, so I instead sautéed onion slivers, shredded carrots and chopped spinach. The dressing is light….I used a small de-seeded Thai chili that was in the fridge as substitute as well. It was all delightful. I served it alongside some cool soba noodles!

• Spring carrots & beans

  • Rutabaga on June 12, 2017

    I made this dish using home cooked flageolet beans. The beans were quite "al dente" , and in retrospect, I think it would have been better if the beans had been cooked to a softer texture. The carrots are great here, sweet and toasty, but more of them would better balance the dish.

  • ruedigar on April 20, 2020

    This is delicious, but I disagree with it serving 6 to 8. Needs to be at least doubled.

• Fregola Sarda

  • Rutabaga on May 03, 2017

    I liked the flavors of this salad. It's a subtly unusual combination - a little briny, a little bitter, but still mellow. My husband and five-year-old didn't enjoy it as much. In my husband's case, he just didn't care for the texture of the fregola. For my five-year-old, I think the flavors just weren't appealing. I omitted the egg, purely because my husband dislikes them, but think I will add my own egg to the leftovers.

• Edamame mint spread

  • ccav on June 03, 2016

    good flavor, almonds add a lot of flavor and crunch. Used juice of half a lemon.

• Spicy green soup

  • VineTomato on September 12, 2022

    Heidi describes her inspiration for this recipe and it just took me right to that moment. I knew I had to make this soup. It is delicious but the calories can quickly add up with the oil and almonds if you are looking for a light dinner. I made with soba noodles and the suggested egg and olive toppings - wonderful. It is perfect the way it's written but needs a squeeze of lemon or lime to finish it off. For our tastes though, next time I make it I will reduce the oil, almonds and water to make a soup for two with a bit of a punchier flavour.

• Pozole verde

  • Rutabaga on November 30, 2015

    I doubled the recipe to make a big pot to share, and used one enormous can of hominy instead of soaking and cooking dried hominy. Unfortunately, the mixture bubbled and spat like crazy when I added the pepper puree to the hot oil. Maybe it would be better not to double the oil when doubling the recipe. For toppings, we used pepitas and queso fresco, although I look forward to trying the leftovers with avocado, too. Crema or sour cream would also be a nice option. Mine deviated from Swanson's in that I used turkey stock in place of water, although I think there is enough flavor in the pepper puree that water would be OK here. The texture is thicker than other pozole soups I've tried, which are usually quite brothy, but the flavor is vibrant and fresh for a fall or winter soup.

  • consortiumlibrary on April 08, 2017

    Quite tasty, with good flavors in the chile verde sauce but, made with whole dried hominy, it takes a very long time (soaking hominy over night and 2+ hrs cooking time). Next time would use canned hominy or would plan on soaking one day, cooking hominy the next, and making Pozole Verde on the third. I made recipe as written. Served with avocado, crushed tortilla chips, feta, lime wedges, and crema. Next time would get cotija instead of feta and maybe another crunchy topping. Was surprised to learn that not everyone likes hominy.

  • TrishaCP on March 09, 2020

    We really liked this, but I must have used extra spicy poblano chiles and jalapenos (subbed for the serranos), because this packed such a punch that it would have been inedible without the toppings. (Served with blue tortilla chips, queso fresco, avocado, and sour cream- all with the intention of spice mitigation.) I also used canned hominy since I had it on hand, though I've had the Rancho Gordo previously and it really is worth the effort.

• Squash & wild rice soup

  • sarahcooks on January 04, 2016

    I didn't make the butter, but put some rosemary and orange zest in the soup. I used kabocha. It was really delicious. I thought it was too sweet until I put in the wild rice and yogurt and that balanced it perfectly.

• Cauliflower pasta

  • Rutabaga on November 09, 2015

    While I enjoy Castelvetrano olives, which Swanson suggests for this dish, I found their subtle, buttery flavor was lost here. Perhaps this was partly due to the fact that I chopped them quite finely. Next time, I would just slice them in half, or use other, stronger flavored brined olives. Letting the cauliflower get really toasted, almost charred, would also boost the flavor. I used orecchiette and a mix of yogurt and cream in place of the crème fraiche. Not bad, but a more delicate, thinner, pasta might be better here. This was a good starting point, but I'm eager to make it again and try boosting the flavor since it fell a little flat for us.

  • IvyManning on September 03, 2016

    This was really bland and we found the combination of briny and creamy to just be too weird for us.

• Cara Cara chop salad

  • Rutabaga on December 29, 2015

    This is a beautiful salad for winter, one that hits all the flavor notes - sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and offers a good mix of textures. I think I overcooked my radicchio slightly, so be careful with that, especially when using delicate farmer's market radicchio. One flavor that did get a little lost in the mix was the toasted garlic, which was pretty subtle. If you are not a fan of strong bitter flavors, then I recommend decreasing the amount of radicchio or increasing the amount of orange.

• Rye pound cake

  • jzanger on October 30, 2017

    What a surprising and tasty cake! I had to substitute walnuts for sunflower seeds and honestly I think I'd do that every time. I also chose to cut the caraway down to 1/2 tsp in addition to adding a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon. The black sesame seeds add a great complex flavor and the pepitas are subtle in flavor but really make the texture of the cake interesting. I have a feeling this rye cake could be a blank page of sorts and you could add anything to it (chopped candied ginger, rum-soaked currants, raspberries...) and it would be a great little snacking cake.

  • Rutabaga on February 14, 2019

    This is an unusual cake, not as sweet as most, with a little savory mixed in. I really like it, but it might not be for everyone. Unfortunately, I forgot to include the orange zest, and every time I eat it I think of how nicely a hint of orange would really round out the flavor. It's good for breakfast or a snack. If serving it for dessert, it would probably be good to pair it with something a little more decadent, such as whipped cream and fruit compote. Just spreading some jam over a slice would also be nice.

• Baked oatmeal

  • e_ballad on July 01, 2017

    This was great, but Heidi's original 'Baked oatmeal' is fantastic ("Super Natural Every Day"). The tang was nice as something a bit different, but for our everyday go-to, we will stick with our old favourite.

  • bernalgirl on December 01, 2019

    Excellent as is, try varying fruit by season, or plumped dried fruit in winter.

  • TrishaCP on July 26, 2020

    I loved this recipe- and I think it’s even better than her other baked oatmeal. The pluots go so well with the oats and I liked the tang from the buttermilk. I think this would also be lovely with peaches.

  • Jane on October 10, 2023

    I'm not a big fan of baked oatmeal (I prefer savory breakfasts) but I've been making kefir recently and was looking for recipes to use it. It was nice enough and very easy to make but it did feel like I was having dessert for breakfast (not necessarily a bad thing). I'll try some other recipes before giving up - maybe her Super Natural Every Day recipe that seems very popular?

• Whole wheat waffles

  • Rutabaga on November 09, 2015

    This is a tasty waffle recipe, and I really appreciated the suggestion to put the finished waffles in a 200 degree oven to crisp them up prior to serving, as that helped a lot. If you want to add some whole grains to your waffles without making them heavy, this is a good recipe to try.

• Strawberry salad

  • Rutabaga on June 10, 2017

    The hint of caraway gives this salad a little something undefinable. Personally, I loved it, but it didn't go over well with my six-year-old, but go figure - the one-year-old wolfed it down, leaving only the nuts behind.

• Ruby ginger juice

  • Rutabaga on March 13, 2016

    The ginger flavor was quite potent in this juice. I used a microplane grater to grate it, which essentially pulps the ginger, so perhaps this affected its strength. While I enjoyed it, the ginger flavor was too strong for my husband, who suggested I use only half the amount in future. It's a beautiful, bracing drink to serve when citrus are at their peak, but I recommend adding the ginger syrup little by little, tasting as you go.

• Spring rolls

  • TrishaCP on December 05, 2015

    These are absolutely delicious and come together quickly if you have already pulled together the components. Filling but also feels healthy at the same time.

• Brown sugar tofu & mushrooms

  • TippyCanoe on November 20, 2015

    This is a deceptively simple and delicious dish that came together in minutes (not counting the cooking time). The brown sugar, salt, garlic, oil combo make a heady mix and could be used with other veg as well as mushrooms. Served as a main over brown rice. I added kale as author suggested in the side note.

  • TrishaCP on December 05, 2015

    Love the combo of flavors with brown sugar, garlic, and salt.

  • mzgourmand on September 11, 2016

    Loved this, bright and clear flavors.

  • meggan on January 28, 2018

    I liked the flavors but I would double the garlic sugar paste because it didn't end up coating my mushrooms.

• Ginger onion paste

  • TrishaCP on December 05, 2015

    Beyond delicious paste that could be used on veggies, chicken, or in the spring rolls recipe from this book. Mine was quite salty and potent (cooked for a bit more than the recipe calls for)-so use judiciously.

• Fresh tomato salad

  • Rutabaga on September 10, 2018

    This salad is good, it's just not my favorite tomato salad. The roasted tomato salad in this same book, on the other hand, really stands out as an excellent salad. This one is interesting for the inclusion of zucchini blossoms and cumin, and I will likely try adding zucchini blossoms to salad again when I have just a few around that need to be used.

• Chicory soup

  • Rutabaga on November 18, 2015

    Starting with a very basic soup base, this dish becomes something special when you personalize it with the different toppings. I especially enjoyed the lemon-chile relish; the sour/salty/sweetness of the preserved lemons really enriches the flavor. For chicory, I used radicchio, which, along with the herbs, adds yet another dimension to the soup. Next time I will be more careful to heat the oil for the lemon-chile relish on low heat, as my chile immediately darkened upon hitting the oil, turning the flavor slightly bitter. For me, this was hardly noticeable in the final dish, but my husband, who is more sensitive to bitter flavors, found this gave the relish a slightly off taste to him.

• Saffron tagine

  • e_ballad on August 05, 2021

    A very tasty tagine. On the table in 30 mins too. I did serve this as a side to some protein.

• Harira

  • aberne on May 13, 2019

    Very nice vegetarian rendition, though a bit heavy on the spices. Would cut each by about a third.

  • lorloff on March 15, 2020

    This was absolutely delicious. I had a bean mix from my farmers market with a nice variety of beans including chickpeas added some french lentils. In total it measured 2 1/2 cups uncooked. I soaked the bean mix in warm water while I prepared the vegetables and spices maybe an hour. Used a can of fire roasted tomatoes, I added two carrots, 3 bay leaves, fresh turmeric, the celery leaves and skipped the pasta. Served with fresh cilantro. I made this in my Zavor multi-pot following the recipe cooking everything on braise in the multi-pot and after adding the tomato mixture I brought it to a simmer on braise and switched the pot to pressure cooking. I pressure cooked the soup for 30 minutes on high pressure and allowed it to slow release. It came out perfectly. My vegetarian niece and my non-vegetarian husband both loved it. The spices were exactly right not too much at all. I added two Oaxacan pasilla peppers which were smoky to the pot along with the onions.

  • bernalgirl on October 24, 2021

    I varied this with the addition of turnips, a small amount of summer squash, and some leftover rice from our local Lebanese rotisserie chicken place, but followed the technique and spices. This is a delicious, warming soup for today’s storm.

• Dried fruit salad

  • nutrica6 on April 10, 2025

    Classic Moroccan combination of sweet and savory with olive oil, avocado, and dried fruit. I thought this was really great, the perfect side dish to a protein entree.

• Roasted tomato salad

  • RosieB on March 10, 2016

    Yum! I made this with locally grown tomatoes which were beautifully sweet so I didnt add sugar. I didnt have any labnah so substituted persian fest.

  • Rutabaga on September 25, 2016

    What great variation on the basic lettuce and tomato salad! The harissa dressing is perfect with the roasted tomatoes. I forgot to make labneh, so left some Greek yogurt out to strain on the counter for about four hours prior to serving. The cool creamy yogurt was a great contrast to the sweet spicy tomatoes. For lettuce, I used a "wild & spicy" mix from the farmer's market that included leaf lettuce, arugula, mustard, mizuna, tatsoi, and baby kale.

• Roasted winter squash

  • TrishaCP on December 18, 2017

    This was easy to pull together and was fine as a side dish, but I don't think I'd use pricey argan oil again here. Olive oil would be just fine.

  • mllamas on November 01, 2018

    I made this with Kabocha squash instead of acorn squash and used olive oil instead of the argan oil. I really enjoyed the dish. Flavor was great, the yogurt really finishes it nicely and adds brightness to the sweet squash.

  • e_ballad on September 26, 2019

    Use the argan oil to dress the dish at the end, but to use it in the cooking is pure craziness given its cost. I did follow the recipe & it in no way imparted any flavour, especially with the ground cinnamon & ground ginger. Agree with everyone else: use olive oil.

• Miso oat porridge

  • FlowerGold on November 14, 2024

    Nice savory oatmeal. Add water slowly to toasted oatmeal as the pan is hot and will splatter. Used almost 2T miso. Miso does add moisture so make sure oatmeal has absorbed water. The walnuts and roasted oatmeal do come together well. Would redo.

• Broiled miso tofu

  • IvyManning on February 27, 2016

    This was very salty and dry. I used extra firm tofu as instructed, but after broiling it was hard to get our chopsticks through it. Won't be making this again.

• Turmeric miso soup

  • radishseed on May 11, 2018

    I used my own vegetable stock concentrate instead of making the quick stock in the recipe, and then added small cubes of roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, and radishes (clearing out the fridge!) at the end with the tofu. So good! With the turmeric and lemon, the flavor is a lot punchier than a traditional miso soup.

• Carrot & sake salad

  • radishseed on July 26, 2024

    The dressing is delicious; the salad's a little bland if you skimp on it.

  • FlowerGold on November 22, 2024

    Very good. I was cautious about 2 cups of seeds but it makes the salad hearty. Used a mixture of seeds. A perfect winter salad when herbs aren’t available. Definitely redo.

• Sake-glazed mushrooms

  • IvyManning on February 27, 2016

    8 ounces of shiitake served 4 people about 2 bites each. Could have used a splash of soy, and definitely don't use sundried tomatoes that are packed in olive oil...clashed with flavor of sake.

• Brussels sprouts

  • Lnbrittain on May 30, 2019

    This was excellent. I like things more spicy and salty than the recipes I’ve tried so far in this book. I just doctor things up a bit. So I added lots of horseradish to basic Dijon instead of using Karashi (Japanese mustard). I increased the lemon and soya to the dressing. It was great.

• Farro salad

  • mllamas on November 03, 2018

    An easy and delicious salad, farro is a hearty and delicious grain for so many salads. I halved the amount of olives, it was plenty for me with pieces of olive in every bite. I also used light golden agave syrup instead of honey. I'm looking forward to making this again for company.

  • ChelseaP on May 22, 2021

    Phenomenal salad! This is a seriously delicious mix of ingredients. Tastes amazing the next day too as leftovers from the fridge. Everybody loved this. We had it as an accompaniment to a side of pomegranate molasses glazed salmon.

  • VineTomato on September 12, 2022

    Delicious! Totally divine. This will now go into regular lunch rotation. I served with some broccoli on the side.

  • eliza on September 14, 2022

    A good grain salad, but I don’t think we enjoyed it as much as the other reviewers. I did like the combination of green olives, walnuts, and golden raisins. The recipe makes quite a lot, so I might experiment with some extra seasonings, herbs etc on the leftovers. That said, it makes a pretty tasty and nutritious lunch or side dish.

• Fiasco-style fagioli

  • Rutabaga on March 02, 2016

    I love creamy Italian style white beans, and these did not disappoint. I soaked cannellini beans for about four hours prior to starting the dish, and if your beans are fresh enough, you probably don't need to soak them at all. The amount of water called for yields a loose bean stew. My beans were well cooked after two hours, but I removed the lid and cooked them down further for another 15 minutes or so on the stove, which caused some of the beans to break down, thickening the broth beautifully. Of course, you can choose to cook the beans to any consistency you like. I did end up turning the oven all the way up to 300 F to get the beans to simmer; perhaps because the pot was sitting atop my baking steel, which I generally always keep in the oven due to its extreme weight, the liquid didn't bubble at lower temperatures.

  • Rutabaga on May 25, 2017

    I made this again, but soaked the beans overnight and through much of the day. Maybe that would have been for old beans, but that turned out to be fare more than needed for this reciped. I still added about the same amount of water as called for in the recipe, but should have reduced it by at least one third, as the beans were really breaking down even while the dish was still watery. I ended up finishing the dish on the stovetop, letting some of the excess liquid simmer off, thickening the beans. The taste was still good, but the beans became very soft and broke down into the cooking liquid. While I enjoy creamy beans, I also like a toothsome bite, and these had been cooked well beyond that point.

• Rasam

  • cedarmakesthings on March 05, 2016

    Really good flavor, though be cautious with the chilies. We added a dollop of yogurt on the top of each bowl and it brought a nice balance to the dish. Served alongside some fresh naan bread.

  • Rutabaga on March 17, 2016

    I really like this soup, although my husband felt something was missing (he couldn't decide what that was, however). It is nicely spicy, and does indeed go well with a spoonful of whole milk yogurt. It's also very easy to make, and works well when cooked in advance.

• Vaghareli makai

  • Rutabaga on March 17, 2016

    Even made with frozen corn, this dish really stands out. My husband loved it. Pairing peanuts with corn may seem unusual, but they add a wonderful crunch, and the spice paste and mustard seeds make for a likely side dish. I used one fresh red cherry pepper in my spice paste, which gave the dish a moderate amount of heat, not at all overpowering.

• Paratha

  • Rutabaga on March 17, 2016

    Flaky, rich , and buttery, these flatbreads are truly delicious. They taste best fresh out of the pan. With a stand mixer, the dough comes together seamlessly, and they are easy to roll out and cook. I shaped them in the early afternoon, dusted them very well with flour, and left them covered on a plate for several hours until it was time to cook them. As long as they are very well dusted, I didn't find they had problems sticking together, and this made it easy to get them ready quickly at dinnertime.

  • IvyManning on October 29, 2016

    We found these to be tough and greasy at the same time. Going back to my Julie Sahni recipe.

• Radicchio salad

  • Frogcake on December 26, 2016

    This is a great salad! We loved the arugula radicchio combined with the sweetness of the figs. As well, the lemon vinegrette is slightly different with the addition of coriander seeds and honey. Heidi lists heavy cream as an optional ingredient added after the dressing is emulsified- I highly recommend adding the cream, which tempers the acidity of the dressing. All in all a very yummy salad!

• Vin de pamplemousse

  • okmosa on March 25, 2018

    I’ve never had #vindepamplemousse but I just love citrus, especially grapefruit and lemons, and have been known to like a little sangria. I first saw Heidi Swanson’s recipe, but did a little more searching for a traditional recipe. I went back to Heidi’s recipe because the quantity was more realistic (others were 5 liters of wine) with a few modifications. The only crock I could think to use was a beverage dispenser (didn’t want to use plastic) which I could not tip upside down, so I dissolved the evaporated cane sugar in the vodka before mixing all together. I used the suggested fruit but noted for the next time that other recipes did not use blood oranges (love them!) and used more lemons (next time!). All other recipes called for dry white wine not rosé, preferably Sancerre or from the Loire valley. I didn’t want to break the bank so I used an (inexpensive) dry white wine the helpful staff at the liquor store suggested. I’m stirring it every night and can not wait until it’s ready.

• Aloo bhaji

  • radishseed on March 11, 2021

    Excellent. Because I cooked this with what I've got, I used regular red potatoes, quartered after boiling, instead of small new potatoes; regular butter instead of ghee (and only half the amount, this calls for a lot of ghee); and less of the garlic and shallots.

• Dashi

  • radishseed on February 04, 2022

    I used half kombu and half dried shiitake mushroom stems for a little flavor boost.

• Vin berries

  • FlowerGold on August 07, 2024

    Very nice! Easy and light. Serve over ice cream or anything creamy.

• Orange thyme za'atar

  • FlowerGold on August 18, 2024

    Uses fresh thyme, preferably a specialty thyme. Takes more effort than dried thyme but is nice.

• Lucques in grapefruit juice

  • nutrica6 on December 03, 2024

    These are a nice variation, the cheese is a perfect addition. I was impatient and ate them cold but would definitely warm them up in the future. Served with pizza and a salad for dinner.

• Stonesoup

  Heidi Swanson from 101 Cookbooks loves food and travel. She’s combined both passions in this stunning book. I especially enjoyed reading about her travels in Japan, Morocco and India...

  Full review

• San Francisco Chronicle

  Best Cookbooks of 2015: ...both a travelogue and an invitation...it’s these types of images and unusual-yet-appealing recipes that have made Swanson popular — and this collection is no exception.

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• Food52

  Entertaining menu including comments re recipes from this book.

  Full review

• Food52

  Entertaining menu including comments re recipes from this book.

  Full review

• Food52

  Review and 1 recipe from the book.

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• 101 Cookbooks

  Author talks about the book.

  Full review