I love cooking and looking through cookbooks but I don’t buy them very often. They’re always so beautiful to look at and I love getting inspired to try a new recipe but I’m hesitant to buy a cookbook unless I know I’ll like it. In case you’re the same way, here are 3 of my favorite healthy cookbooks that I use all the time, plus my favorite recipes from each.

These would also be great gifts to give someone who enjoys cooking. 🙂

1. Simply Real Eating by Sarah Adler

I love the recipes in here, but also Sarah’s philosophy to living a healthy life. It’s more than a cookbook; she shares tips for making healthy eating more sustainable, simple and joyful. And the recipes are delicious too. Some of them have been on regular rotation in our house.

Some of my favorite recipes from Simply Real Eating:

• Crustless Chicken Sausage & Veggie Pizza (page 167): My girls LOVED this one! The first time we made it, my girls asked if we were having pizza. It really does taste like pizza minus the crust, and you don’t even miss the bread.
• Summer Picnic Poblano Salad (page 105): I love a good corn salad, and this one is good, especially with tacos or enchiladas.

• Broccoli Basil & Goat Cheese Pizzas (page 184): YUM. This combination is so good. And I love that it doesn’t a ton of cheese; a sprinkle of the goat cheese is enough. It comes together so quickly if you have a rotisserie chicken too. We like using Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pizza Crust.
• Turkey Sausage, Veggie & Polenta Bowls (page 190): The flavors of this one are so good together. This is such a delicious fall or winter dinner.

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2. The Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon

There are SO many good recipes in here that I make all the time! They’re all vegan, and can be easily tweaked if you don’t want to go that route. A lot of the recipes are also great for when you have friends over because they feed a crowd. Here are some of our favorites:

• Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Cumin-Corriander Tahini Sauce (page 191): The seasoning on the carrots plus the tahini are so good together and a combo I never would have thought to try. These are a really delicious side dish for chicken, salmon, sausage, any protein.
• Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas with Avocado-Cilantro Cream Sauce (page 147): These are so good. I’ve made them both with the from-scratch enchilada sauce and store-bought and both are good. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes is so good with the enchilada sauce.

• Cream of Tomato Soup with Roasted Italian Chickpea Croutons (page 141): I never knew tomato soup was so easy to make until I tried her recipe. Instead of cream, the recipe uses soaked cashews, which are just as good. It’s great with or without the chickpeas, and also great along-side grilled cheese (not vegan!), and roasted broccoli.
• Crowd-Pleasing Tex-Mex Casserole (page 149): I love that this one has so many veggies, and my girls like it—win, win! This one is also great if you have company over because it makes a lot. We also use organic cheddar cheese, so it’s not vegan.

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3. Cooking with Trader Joe’s – Vegetarian by Deana Gunn & Wona Minati

I love Trader Joe’s and this cookbook has a couple really good recipes using TJ’s ingredients. (I have a page full of Trader Joe’s favorite items posts HERE if you’re also a TJs fan!) They’ve both become favorites in our house:

• South of the Border Pizza (page 136): This pizza is one of our favorites. It uses salsa as the sauce, topped with pinto beans and cheese. Then when it’s cooked, topped with cilantro and guac.
• Tamale Bake (page 124): This recipe is easy and kid-approved in our house. It’s made with TJ’s polenta tubes, black beans, zucchini, enchilada sauce.

Do you have any favorite healthy cookbooks? Let me know in the comment section below, I’d love to check them out!