Good and even great cookbooks continue to be published at such a rate, that it’s hard to keep up, much less make use of the recipes of one book before the next one is out. There are some books, however, that I like to take my time with. Books that carve out their little space in your life and which never make it to the bookshelf, but sit on the counter top instead, bookmarked in preparation for the next meal.
One of these is Viljaton kattaus by Emmi-Liia Sjöholm, a book dedicated to gluten-free cooking. The recipes tend towards the vegetarian and vegan, and though there are also a few dishes with meat, poultry, fish, and dairy, they are by no means central to the recipes, and can easily be substituted with veggie alternatives.
Some of you might know Emmi-Liia as the writer of the charming blog Torkkuja ja Nokkosia, and it was hardly a far-fetched guess that the book, like her blog, would satisfy visual as well as physical hunger. This talented woman didn’t disappoint – the book is visually beautiful and timeless and, even more importantly, of high quality, and very durable. I don’t know about you, but my go-to cookbooks tend to begin unraveling sooner rather than later.
I’ve only had time to try three recipes so far, as I tend to get stuck on the really good ones. The first recipe I tried was a gluten-free pizza base made out of chickpea flour – hands down the best gluten-free pizza base I’ve ever tried. The eggplant burger was my next endeavor, and gosh, what a gourmet lunch I had! With nutritious and delicious – not to mention cheap – recipes like these, who would want to go out for lunch?
I was beginning to feel the carefree existence of the past six months in my body in a most alarming way, and I’ve thus been on a mini diet for the past week (just to be clear: I’m not trying to lose weight), which has involved cutting certain things out of my diet until things are back under control. This included saying goodbye to the eggplant burger, but it’s not like this foodie is starved for treats. The next recipe I discovered was a kale soup, and after a few tweaks, I am now well and truly hooked on it.
This book could not have come at a better time, allowing me to enjoy my food during, and especially after, this diet.
The book is available at Hyvinvoinni tavaratalo* and Adlibris, or Stockmann’s academic bookstore.
Have you gotten your hands on the book yet? What are your favorite recipes?
Book gifted by the publisher
*Affiliate link
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
