Last week, every spare minute went to finishing my cookbook and we are almost done! I thought that I would share a little more about it today.
Other Salad Books
When I set out to redo some of my favorite recipes and to create brand new recipes for the book, I got a stack of library books whose titles I got from perusing Amazon. I quickly realized that there were very few salad cookbooks that I would want to use on a regular basis, as they just weren’t practical. Every other salad included a specialty item in some books, and almost all of the recipes were quite complicated. In short, the salad cookbooks I browsed contained the type of recipes you may use on a special occasion or for guests, or perhaps a lazy Saturday afternoon, but they were not recipes you would use every week and certainly not on a daily basis.
I know that I have many readers who live busy lives. I consider my life fairly busy as well. I think that many of us don’t want to have to spend huge amounts of time in the kitchen on a daily basis, but we do want to eat good, nourishing, healthy food. I found that many of these salad cookbooks weren’t helpful for that end.
A Cookbook that I Wanted
So I wanted my cookbook to be different. In fact, I wanted my cookbook to meet my own needs. I wanted a cookbook that I would want to use on a regular basis. And so that’s what I created. My cookbook has a mix of very simple to more complicated recipes (though none overly complicated). Some recipes would be considered more “gourmet” while others are remixes of old family favorites.
Last night we had a celebration dinner for my husband’s birthday with his siblings. I made a couple of the salads for the occasion ( Leon Salad and Nourishing Caesar Salad) and had to scan through the file that my book is written on to find my recipes. I told my husband that if nothing else, I am going to be really glad to have my book in print so that I myself can have it! I am already using the recipes over and over again.
However, a “salad cookbook” isn’t the most alluring of the cookbooks. In fact, when one friend came over and heard that I was going to be serving salads that I was testing out, she wasn’t overly excited. But once she actually tried the salads, she told me that she would buy the book. I was gratified to win over a reluctant friend. A salad well made is actually quite delicious.
Anyways, back to the making of the book. Not only did I want the recipes to taste really good, but I also wanted to keep the recipes simple enough to be made on a regular basis. I actually got a little discouraged at the beginning of this project as I realized what a pain it was going to be buying different vinegars and oils all the time. And then I thought, “Why? Why make a recipe book using a bunch of different vinegars and oils?” I knew that I didn’t want to have a cupboard full of oils and vinegars I only used occasionally, and I wondered if the same would be true for you all.
Using Two Vinegars
So I decided to try an experiment. I decided to set out making salads with just two vinegars, raw apple cider vinegar and balsamic, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I decided that if I couldn’t make a salad with those two vinegars and/or lemon juice, I would expand the vinegar selection, but I would try it first with one or both of those vinegars. Turned out, I never needed to expand. Those two vinegars were able to create a wide variety of salad dressings. I also created my absolute favorite lemon pepper dressing with freshly squeezed lemon juice.
I want to make just one remark about apple cider vinegar. When I first switched over to raw apple cider vinegar in salad dressings (which I did for all of those lovely live enzymes and nutrients), I was very skeptical of the dressings actually tasting as good. But I soon found with the right combinations of flavors that I love my apple cider vinegar dressings! I was able to refine my dressings even more for this salad book and I’ve feed them to many friends who could care less about the enzymes in their dressing, but who love the salads along with the salad dressing. Another score for real food!
I hope to talk more about raw apple cider and it’s benefits soon, as well as sharing more about the book about to be released and recipes and tips. So stay tuned!
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Sounds wonderful! Cannot wait to see it 😉
I was so bummed to see the title and think your book was out, only to realize it’s not yet!! Haha. Looking forward to it! 🙂
Hopefully it will be ready to buy next week! We are so close. 🙂 Thanks for the encouraging comment though! It was your sister who was so unexcited about me serving salads at first! LOL 😉
Some how I knew that had to be Heidi! lol.
Some how I knew that had to be Heidi! lol.
The cover is beautiful and in keeping with your simple but nourishing theme. I loved the salad I already tried. Can’t wait to see the completed book. Great work Kimmy!
How exciting! I love salads and love to eat them as main dishes, especially in the summer, but I often get stuck in a rut so some fresh inspiration would be great! I’m glad to hear that it’s actually going to be “in print” though since I’m not a huge fan of e-cookbooks…I’d much rather have an actual book.
This is such a unique idea, Kimi. So glad to see you made it simple. I think that will really help people incorporate your recipes into their everyday lives. I know that I can’t make a habit of anything that isn’t very simple–it just doesn’t stick! I look forward to hearing more about your recipes, especially the salad dressings.
This sounds wonderful! I’m a busy mama of four, and have made a lot of your recipes. Will the book be available in print, or only as an ebook? I’m voting for print, please!
Rebeca,
It’s a full sized book, instead of of an ebook size, so yes it will be printed! We actually still need to reformat it for an ebook (but it will hopefully be available as an ebook too).
Yeah!! I love the idea of ebooks, but in reality don’t find them useful. Are you self-publishing?
So excited about this book!!!!!
Love the cover, well done!
Can’t wait for the book to come out! I made a couple of the salads for a large gathering yesterday. They loved them! Many of the ladies were begging for the recipes and wanted to know about your website. I told them that your book was going to be coming out soon. So hopefully they will be buying your book!
I hope you do make an ebook!! I prefer to store my recipes electronically because it is so much easier to have everything in one place 🙂
Yay! It’s almost here! I’m de-stalking to tell you how excited I am to get my hands on this! We love salads, but I’m afraid I’ve gotten into a rut. I have a feeling things are going to be much yummier around here soon!
I am intrigued. Can’t wait to see the book.
Your book sounds wonderful. I look forward to trying out your seasonal salad recipes with local produce.
Are you familiar with the book “Raising the Salad Bar” by Catherine Walthers? Excelsior!
Your salad book sounds really wonderful and like one that I would really use, Kimi. 🙂 Can’t wait!
Shirley
I really like the cover. Can’t wait to see what’s inside!
It’s amazing how much diversity can be created with such simple ingredients. I’m looking forward to your release. Very exciting.
Great! I’m looking forward to it, too. Easy salads by Kimi? Love it. BTW, is there a way to peruse the book prior to purchase? Like, to get an idea of what we’d be buying? Thanks!
I told my husband I wasn’t going to buy any more cookbooks. Guess I lied.
Looking forward to it as well! I’m particularly interested in winter salads. It’s hard to find seasonal ingredients.
Yum! I love salads and anticipate the opportunity to buy your book and try them out. Woo hoo! I’m glad you’ve tried to keep things simple. I agree that it is a great pain to invest in ingredients then to hardly ever actually use them! Kedesh in New Zealand.
Love books that make meal prep easier and fun – are there going to be lots of pictures?
Love books that make meal prep easier and fun – are there going to be lots of pictures?
So excited to actually have a lovely hard cover book of yours. That’s awesome and congrats! I’ve started my collection of healthy living and eating books and looking forward to adding yours now 😀
I’m impressed at your resolve to create this salad book and knowing how well you cook I’m sure it will be a hit with many…I know its already on my list! I totally agree with your reason for wanting to write it. It has been very frustrating to find an excellent quick go-to resource for making salads…and it will give me yet another reason to clear out some of the deadwood from my cookbook collection and make room for a book I will use. =-)
~Patty~
We’ve always been big salad eaters, with my husband frequently indulging in 4 cup green salads. Everything we grow in our garden and buy at the farmers’ market always goes into the mix. We eat green, grain and bean salads. I can’t wait to get a copy of this book and try some different ideas for creating salads.
We’ve always been big salad eaters, with my husband frequently indulging in 4 cup green salads. Everything we grow in our garden and buy at the farmers’ market always goes into the mix. We eat green, grain and bean salads. I can’t wait to get a copy of this book and try some different ideas for creating salads.
Sounds delicious. Beautiful cover too. Can’t wait to try it out.
How exciting for you! I read a sugar free cookbook that had numerous salads in there, like you said, many were complicated, but the few I came away with I make over and over, so I can’t wait to see what you come up with! Yay, real food!
That sounds wonderful! I eat lots of salads and would be delighted to get your cookbook. The thing I love about salads is that you can put practically anything in them- any food from any food group.
And don’t be discouraged, I think people like good salads more than they know.
P.S. Though I’m not a raw foodist, I am fond of raw food recipes, and have noticed that salads from raw recipe books are very delicious.
Yay! I’m so excited for your book. I am a print cookbook girl. Online options are nice. But I confess that I put my most-used recipes in our church cookbook so that I could reference them when needed.
I’m excited to read more about your dressings. I love that you simplified to use just two vinegars. You so know my world!
As an aside, my husband and I have both come to enjoy raw cider vinegar as a dressing itself. I splash it on green salads, add a touch of extra virgin olive oil, shake on salt and pepper – viola! But I know we’ll both enjoy the wonderful dimension that a real dressing brings.
Thanks for all your labors!
Yippee!! I’ll be buying it!
Personally, I think salad recipes are great. I can throw a decent salad together, quickly but I always look for something just a tiny bit different. Usually, that means throwing in a new ingredients. I am looking forward to your book. I am glad it is coming out before the summer is over when we eat the most salads.
Congratulations on being so close to being done with your cookbook, Kimi! I’m sure that you are very excited as are a lot of other people (like me!) who can’t wait to try out your salads. I’m sincerely looking forward to the release! 🙂
Brilliant idea only using a couple vinegars. I’ve loved all the salads I’ve tried from your recipe section; in fact I’ve made your cucumber and red onion salad so many times this summer I think some in my family are tiring of it but I still get eat it enough! I’m excited for your book!
I cannot wait for the book to be on sale! I will be buying a copy right away. (And probably several more as gifts!)
I am also looking forward to this book. I do agree with a previous commenter about hoping to have a chance see what’s in it before buying it. Will that option be available? And I’d like the ebook version, so I hope you’ll include that option.
Thank you for the effort you’re putting into this. It’s going to be a benefit to so many!
Hi Kathy,
I will definitely be having more thorough information about the book coming out soon. 🙂 I am just waiting for the editing to get through before I spend all of my time talking about the book. 🙂 (I don’t want everyone to get tired of me talking about it before it’s even ready to buy!)
Kim,
I love it that you are only using one type of vinegar and keeping it simple! Looking forward to the new cookbook too!