Simply Julia: 110 Easy Recipes for Healthy Comfort Food

I was a fan of Julia Turshen’s Small Victories, but did not find her follow-up, Now and Again, to be as appealing. I’m glad I tried Simply Julia. I judge cookbooks on two main factors: How entertaining it is to read, and how delicious the recipes are. On the first, Julia nails it; the recipe notes and essays are interesting, recipes are written clearly, and the photography is great. On the second factor, I’m still working my way through the recipes. So far I’ve tried: Roger’s Jambalaya: Good flavors, nice textures, easy one-pot cooking. The recipe does not ask you to rinse or toast the rice, & it calls for cooking shrimp in residual heat off the flame, both of which I was skeptical of—but it turned out well and taught me a new technique with the shrimp. This will be a go-to recipe in my arsenal. Grace’s Green Beans with Garlic and Tomatoes: Surprisingly good for how few ingredients and steps are involved. The recipe calls for sautéing the beans for 25 minutes, but I found it took closer to 40m to get the beans blistered and tender. Never mind, it was worth it. Carrot and Chickpea Korma: To be fair, I did not cook this as directed (blending cashews for creaminess); I don’t have a blender and couldn’t afford the $15 worth of cashews called for in the recipe. I used canned coconut milk as a substitute and it was ok, but a little one-note (because I was missing the cashews). I stirred in a few tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter and some sambal, which helped with flavor. Overall, a nice vegetarian stew recipe that proved to be easily customizable. White Pizza-Style Kale: After seeing this all over Instagram I had to try it. It’s not bad, but I found the mozzarella too chewy after being broiled, and the ricotta too soupy/flavorless (even though I used high-quality local cheese). It also did not reheat well. This wasn’t my favorite, but to each their own. Buffalo Brussels Sprouts: So so good. Crispy roasted brussels tossed with spicy buffalo sauce and creamy blue cheese. This was a hit. Other recipes I’m looking forward to trying: Ratatouille and Ricotta Baked Pasta; Sheet Pan Lamb Meatballs with Sweet and Sour Eggplant; Shredded Pork in the Spirit of Cochinita; Sesame Rice Bowls with Tofu, Quickles, and Peanut Sauce; Stewed Chickpeas with Peppers and Zucchini; Stewy Escarole and White Beans with Fennel and Lemon; Sweet and Spicy Mashed Sweet Potatoes; White Bean and Pimenton Dip; and Zucchini, Green Olive, and Feta Fritters. There are also some good salad dressing recipes/formulas, which is helping break me out of my salad rut. Overall, would recommend this book for both beginners and more advanced home cooks. It has the most dog-eared pages of any of my recent cookbooks, which says a lot. Try it!

This book is written in a way that'll make you feel like you are being hugged by a big sister and taught all her recipes so lovingly. I can't say enough good things about this cookbook by Julia Turshen. It's organized very well. There's a very decent variety of recipes that'll cater to people who like to eat meat and also eat vegetarian meals as well. I've made about 10 or so recipes so far and I've really liked each and every one. Julia walks you through the steps and it feels so comfy, how she speaks to you. You'll gain confidence in yourself in the kitchen. She has tons of words of encouragement for each and every single recipe. I love it. I can totally feel her personality shine through. I love how the recipes contain easy to find items and substitutes as well. She uses a lot of basic ingredients but the flavors just comes together so well! Love her take on fancy recipes but she brings them down to the average person's level and it's so accessible and doable. I honestly hope and wish that Julia makes another cookbook very soon. I purchased her two other previous books after this one but this particular book I HIGHLY recommend if you have to choose only one. The only issue I have come across is that for some of the recipes, like Roger's Jambalaya for example, I will mix my own Cajun seasoning mix to enhance flavors. I will definitely add more garlic than what is asked for. But these recipes are much more superior by far compared to the most gourmet cookbooks I own. If you are new in the kitchen, an experienced cook, even a hobbyist, I HIGHLY recommend this one.

Already a fan of Julia Turshen, this is her best cookbook yet! Very approachable ingredients and excellent tidbits and suggestions throughout, it's a walk through what feels like a very personal friendship.

I love all of Julia Turshen’s books. (Well, I don't have the first one.) This one’s fabulous, too. There are a lot of vegetarian dishes and then you’ll see a lot of poultry and some dishes with a low-carb swap. As always, they’re stress-free easy and yummy. White Bean and Pimenton Dip. Flippin’ lickable! The beans are zhugged in the food processor with olive oil, garlic and smoked paprika. I used it as the center of a charcuterie board with a Spanish vibe. Great stuff! Black Bean and Corn Tamale Pie. Total comfort food vegetarian dish. It’s got plenty of flavor and the smell of the cornbread baking over the bubbling beans and veggie mixture filled the house. Coffee Crumb Cake for Georgine. Oh wow. I don't think I've had a crumb coffee cake since the 1970s. I'm so glad Julia's bringing them back! Delicious! Street Fair Stuffed Mushrooms. This is my kind of street fair! Portobellos stuffed with Italian sausage, sweet bell peppers, onions, and garlic and finished with bread crumbs and goat cheese. Yum! White Pizza-Style Kale. This totally works! Absolutely delicious! This is going to be a side dish around here regularly! Grace’s Green Beans with Garlic and Tomatoes. Yum! It couldn’t be easier. Everything gets tossed into the pan together! Spinach and Artichoke Dip Chicken Bake. Fabulous and delicious one pan dinner. I love this. It's all produce and protein. It's supposed to be sour cream, but I didn't have any, so I used Greek yogurt, and that totally worked. I’ll update this as I play in the book more.

This cookbook is amazing. I had put it on my wishlist because it was on a best of list from somewhere. My sister got it for me for Christmas. Without any expectations, I started reading it and was almost immediately blown away. The stories. The conversational style. The suggestions. The food! Blown away. I'm a huge Julia Tursgen fan now and will be getting all of her cookbooks.