The autumn chill is in the air and if you’re like me, you’re snuggling up on the couch with a mug of something warm, a soft blanket to cover  you up and reading a good book. Well, more like a cook book lol. Now that summer has pretty much passed  and fall is making it’s way in, I’ve been enjoying some delicious reads to help be inspired with upcoming meals. Before you know it, the holidays are here and it’s never too early to start thinking about those menus! Here are some books I’ve been reading and perhaps one of these will peak your interest…

Indian For Dinner

Anupy Singla is a Chicago area cookbook author and former business reporter for the Chicago Tribune. She’s quite the expert in Indian cuisine and has already 3 Indian cuisine cookbooks under her belt. I have 2 of the her 3, with this one being her third. This cookbook, much like her other two, combine her journalistic style with food… something I can totally get behind. Anupy makes Indian cuisine very approachable at home and many of the recipes include adaptations to make them vegan, vegetarian and gluten free friendly. I love that she includes helpful primers on Indian spices, herbs and other common ingredients.

Slow Cooker Double Dinners for Two

When you have a small household, preparing recipes often result in lots of leftovers. In this book by Cynthia Graubart, recipes are focused on preparing them once to create two different meals to enjoy. This breaks the leftover cycle of eating the same thing over and over! Even better is that the meals are focused around the slow cooker, making it stress free and less complicated. And if there is ever a time to utilize that slow cooker, it’s definitely during the fall months…

Prevention RD’s Cooking and Baking with Almond Flour

Revolutionary Pizza

Everyone loves pizza, right? So when I came across this pizza cookbook, I couldn’t put it down! This cookbook by Dimitri Syrkin-Nikolau highlights some delicious variations to pizza and pizza toppings. I’m especially excited Joel has requested more family pizza nights at home for dinner where he’d like to help make pizza from scratch. The recipes included are not your typical pizzas but rather ones that are inspired by different ethnic cuisines, celebrities and other popular dishes… made into pizza form. If you’re looking for fun ways to get your family and friends involved in the kitchen, pizza is the way to go and this book will give you a ton of ideas to make it fun and interesting!  

Dumplings All Day Wong

In a week or so, Top Chef: Boston will be starting up and I’m pretty pumped about watching the new season. Being a Top Chef fan, I was happy to see one of last season’s top contestants, Lee Ann Wong, come out with cookbook devoted to dumplings. She’s got her dumpling skills down and this cookbook shares quite a few different varieties and fillings. I’m actually inspired to have a dim sum brunch with family and friends soon, which would be a delicious change from the usual breakfast fare I serve up on weekends. Another beautiful thing about dumplings is that they can be made in advance and frozen!

Green City Market Cookbook

Lastly, the local farmers market in my town is switching gears and starting their fall market this week. But although the amazing summer market is over, that doesn’t mean you can enjoy fall markets too. This cookbook is a compilation of recipes from local chefs, farmers and even customers of the ever popular Chicago Green City Market. Recipes highlight the seasonal ingredients throughout the year and are organized by season too, making it easy to be inspired.