The Berkeley Bowl Cookbook

I was curious to see the recipes in this book and it exceeded my expectation. The recipes are exciting and unsual and help to discover new ways of cooking. Many thanks to Netgalley and Parallax Press

Wow, this is one fabulous cookbook. It is filled with vivid images of the fresh ingredients, including images from the independent grocery store that inspired this book. It's my dream grocery store! Some recipes seem fancy (mostly due to the exotic ingredients), others are simple, and many are simple but with a fancy flair! One I will be making soon is the Green Garlic Soup with Lemon Cardamom Yogurt- hello! 😊 That won't be the only recipe I try, as I have many bookmarked to try in the future. I love cookbooks filled with pictures, and this one certainly is. If you enjoy fresh produce and a few fun ingredients tossed in from time to time, this is an adventurous cookbook to try!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley, for the complimentary copy.

If you are drawn to markets like the Berkeley Bowl, but don't know what to do with the beautiful food that is presented to you, get this book. The founding story of the Berkeley Bowl at the beginning of the book is a very interesting read and it is fascinating how its existence has shaped a whole community. When it comes to the recipes in this book, I have to say that I have never had such intense food cravings as the one I had when I read the Berkeley Bowl. I instantaneously had the urge to shop at a similar market in my own home town and start cooking. Everything looks so fresh and is brimming with color. Although the recipes in this book feature exotic ingredients, they are all easy to prepare. By studying Laura's recipes I will get more familiar with the foods I have previously passed up at my local market because I did not know how to prepare them.

This is an inspired cookbook. The author, using Berkeley Bowl Market as an inspiration, makes up some very exotic recipes. For the adventurous cook, this is a must-have cookbook.

I Highly recommend this book. The cover is as colorful as the dishes. This book shows how we can have more variety in our diet especially if you are into plant based diet. The recipes I will definitely try are:
1. Vanilla Rubharb Jam
2. Green Garlic soup with Lemom Cardamom Yoghurt
3. Savory Daikon Pancakes with Ginger Maple syrup
This cookbook will be a great addition to your kitchen shelf.

I would like to thank the publisher, Parallax Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

To be honest, I approached that book with the trepidation that Southerners have regarding anything from California. Is California really that great? Do Californians deserve to be so smug about where they're from? Will I, a rustic Southerner, be able to grasp all the great Californian concepts?

Basically, I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about California. However, my hesitation was completely unwarranted. Yes, the book is an homage to California's Berkeley Bowl and its wide range of ingredients, but it is written in a way that is easy to follow and intimidating, despite the unfamiliar ingredients.

I think that the overall concept of this book is actually pretty awesome. The recipes all highlight an ingredient that is not used very much in mainstream American cuisine. Some of them I love and have cooked before (like daikon), some I have eaten but never cooked myself (rhubarb, Taiwanese spinach), some I've heard of but never tasted (Romanesco broccoli), and some I've never heard of (sea bean? That's a thing?). It's a huge range, and it's a pretty cool reference for someone interested in food, especially someone looking to add more variety to a vegetarian diet, or get a little more adventurous in the kitchen.

However, what I appreciate the most about the recipes is that although they are designed to highlight the flavor and qualities of the featured ingredient, they are still solid recipes without them. In fact, the author includes information about what more common ingredients you can substitute in case you can't find the featured ingredient. If you do want to try out something new, information is also provided about when and where you can find the ingredients, and how to choose good ones. I really appreciated the way that the unfamiliar ingredients were broken down in a way that was easy to understand without seeming dumbed-down, as well as the fact that substitutions are provided and encouraged.

On the whole, I'm very excited about this cookbook, and I think it's a great purchase for anyone looking to expand their culinary horizons and learn about some of the amazing ingredients used around the world. Whether you live in California or not, you can definitely get something out of this creative cookbook!