This site has been my culinary “home base” for over twenty years. 101 Cookbooks started in early 2003 when I looked up at my huge cookbook collection one afternoon and realized that instead of exploring the different books in my collection, I was cooking the same recipes over and over. This site aimed to change that. I would stop buying cookbooks, start discovering new recipes, and discover my own culinary point of view along the way.
Over the years, I’ve cooked many wonderful vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes, soups, fresh homemade pastas, and *so* many great salads. I love to bake, and there have been no shortage of cookie recipes. Many of the recipes you’ll find here are my own, lots of others are inspired by cooks and writers I admire. You’ll find a diverse mix of recipes here.
Through it all, 101 Cookbooks has always been the place I come back to. It’s my playground for exploring ideas, and where I can interact with the cooks as they are inviting these recipes into their own kitchens. I’m so very thankful for all the friends I’ve made, and inspiring cooks I’ve met through this site.
A Bit About Me
The person behind the site is me, Heidi Swanson. I believe in the power of plants, natural foods, home-cooked meals, and sharing a table with the people you love. You can visit my personal site here. I try to keep it updated with various other projects I work on. If you’re new here, welcome! I cook, test, photograph, and eat all the recipes you’ll find here.
I lived in San Francisco for many years, travel a lot, and recently moved to Los Angeles where I finally scored a community garden plot. Living in California, books, traveling, visiting farmers’ markets, and being vegetarian, all influence my cooking. We have a cute & feisty cocker spaniel named Polly, and I post whatever I’m cooking, and other little slices of life here.
On a professional front, along the way, I’ve written five cookbooks, become a New York Times best selling author, and a two-time James Beard Award winner. I love cooking with natural foods and ingredients, and Super Natural Simple is my most recent cookbook, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House (March 2021).
I’ve been featured in publications like Food & Wine, Food52, Bon Appétit, A Piece Apart, CAP Beauty, TASTE, Epicurious (100 Greatest Home Cooks), The Kitchn, Viet World Kitchen, The British Journal of Photography, Shape, The Kitchn, The Washington Post, Remodelista, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vegetarian Times, Wallpaper, The Chalkboard, and Camille Styles. If you want to read some of the interviews I’ve done, or have a look in my fridge, you can poke around here.
photo by Andrea Gentl
I publish recipes, links, and that sort of thing every week-ish via an ad-free newsletter. If you’d like to sign up for it, you can do it here. I also love painting, sewing dresses, and camping (and cooking!) along the California coast in our Airstream trailer. Here’s where you can download my favorite camping recipes.
In short, consider this a warm welcome! I’m excited to cook and discover recipes together!
If you’d prefer an ad-free version of the site, you can sign up here.
Other places you can find me:
– Instagram
– TikTok
– Pinterest
– Press & Profiles