Near & Far: Recipes Inspired by Home and Travel [A Cookbook]

This cookbook is like that doomed relationship you stay in for far too long because everyone else thinks your partner is so great that anything going wrong must be your own fault. Honestly. It's ridiculous. I've owned this book for nearly a year. I've tried probably a third of the recipes and several of them twice--the actual recipes not the "sprinkle toppings on _____" pseudorecipes all the cookbook-writing food bloggers seem to think we can't work out for ourselves--and, almost without exception, have found the flavors to be lacking to the point of seeming unfinished, entirely one note, or infuriatingly muddied. There are a few that I have enjoyed, but not enough to make up for the duds. After another totally average dinner last night, I'm officially giving up. I so badly wanted to love this book, but there you have it.

Heidi's latest book is organized by location, starting with "near" (SF), En Route (nutritious portables to take with you during travel), then moving through "far" places (Morocco, Japan, Italy, France, India), and finally accompaniments. SF definitely is the largest single section of recipes, but there's plenty of variety in terms of flavors. There are gorgeous, eat-me-now photographs for many of the dishes and also plenty of travel photos, although none of the location photos seem to be described in any way.As with her blog and previous cookbook, all the recipes are vegetarian and a large percentage of these recipes look delicious yet easy to execute. The recipes are well-written and clear - I really like Heidi's friendly writing style, she has a way of making me feel as if we're in the kitchen chatting while cooking. She gives great guidance about what you are looking for as you go. Each recipe has some brief intro about why it's in the book and this intro might contain relevant notes about how to shop for a specialty item like shichimi (for her Nori Granola) or what you can substitute if you cannot find the major ingredient or it's out-of-season (as with the Strawberry Salad).Since the book was just released, I've only made the Cucumber Salad (with lemongrass, tofu, red onion, and kale - there's a kale or cilantro option here, but 1 cup of cilantro seemed like an awful lot to me and I like cilantro). It is the recipe she opens with to "set the tone", so it seemed like a good choice. It is delicious, refreshing and filling, so I am certainly looking forward to testing more of her recipes like the Almond Cake, the Saag Paneer with scratch-made Paneer, the lentil & chickpea-based Harira (a Moroccan soup), and the Rye Pound Cake (which sounds absolutely genius and is full of pepitas, sunflower seeds, black sesame, caraway and orange zest). For me, about 30-50% of the recipes look like something I might actually make, which is not as many as I was hoping for, but still plenty of intriguing new dishes.My main complaint is I would have preferred fewer recipes for drinks, and more recipes for food. For example, the France section holds 13 recipes; 3 of these are for drinks and 3 are pretty simple tartine recipes. Only a few are recipes for an actual dish. The India section holds 11 recipes; 3 of these are for drinks. I like drinks just fine, but she doesn't post that many drink recipes and they weren't discussed at all in the book summary. I was excited about this book for the food recipes, and the drink recipes are mostly wasted on me, but they do give a sense of the location.

A wonderful cookbook - I kept it on my nightstand for bedtime reading, it's that engaging. I like the mix of simple recipes and ones that take a little more effort. I've given this book as a gift and the recipients really appreciate it.

I am trying to cut down on cookbooks, but this book is an excellent addition to my treasured collection. Beautifully written with mouthwatering recipes that inspire and beg me to recreate them! More than I was hoping it would be.

this has become my go-to cookbook. i was a die-hard blog lovin vegan for many many years, but now find myself scouring through this book when i'm hungry instead! her blog (101 cookbooks) is a staple in my life. heidi has helped me appreciate new flavors, and simple rustic food.

I love Heidi Swanson's books. This one has just become my favorite. Right now I can't get enough of Moroccan cooking. This book is fun, fresh, clean and healthy.

the farro salad recipe is beyond delicious -- i have already made it twice and plan to keep it in rotation! I am looking forward to pushing myself into new territories with some of the recipes. this book is more adventurous than the last 2 -- i'm drawn to the home, on the road, and more familiar cuisine sections so far, but will use the recipes to push my comfort zone.

can hardly wait to try the recipes

I have been a long-time fan of Heidi Swanson's blog 101 Cookbooks but this is the first of her books that I bought. Aside from the fact that the book is simply gorgeous to leaf through, I have tried various recipes already and every single one of them has a success. I loved the baked oatmeal (and love that it allows me to prep one big portion on a Sunday night which gives me breakfast during the working week), the Rasam is already a staple in my house, I adore the miso oat porridge when I want something creamy and comforting but savoury in the morning, the paratha are as simple as delicious and I have made her saag paneer multiple times as well. Many many more recipes are bookmarked.realsimplefoodblog.com

Lovely book, clever recipes. I know I won't make them all - but a lovely travel/recipe book combination.

This is such a beautiful book and amazing collection of unique recipes.

This really is an inspired collection of recipes. The way they're grouped together into cuisines based on her travel makes it easy to put a meal together from the book. The recipes are very "doable," and she has many extremely simple ideas to add little flourishes to meals. There's something effervescent, eclectic, and light about her style—flower petals, ginger juice, saffron...And she has a very likable "cookbook personality." Very fun.

All the recipes tried so far turned out nicely (dried fruit salad, roasted acorn squash with cinnamon and ginger, tortellini with brown butter) but all needed a little tweaking for our taste (a little less oil, a little more parsley). They were all enjoyable enough to be made again. I am not loving it as much as supernatural everyday but I am glad to be cooking with it. The voice and the aesthetics of the author shines through. The food is good and pairs combinations I would not think of on my own-which is something I look forward to in a cookbook:inspiration.