The World Community Cookbooks, as I know them, consist of More-with-Less, Extending the Table…, and Simple in Season.  They were commissioned by the Mennonite Central Committee, “in response to world food needs”, “to promote global understanding and celebrate the variety of world cultures”, and “to promote the understanding of how the food choices we make affect our lives and the lives of those who produce the food”, respectively.  Though these goals are laudable and I believe in the work the MCC does, I look to them primarily as excellent cookbooks.

Though the overall tone and recipes of each book varies, the underlying themes of each is to provide high quality, wholesome foods, with simple readily available ingredients.  Grab a book, flip to a page, and you can probably find something there that you can make right now. For a family always on the go or if you are a few days late getting to the grocery store due to a busy schedule, this can be a godsend.  With but a bit of planning around a few go-to recipes, you can always have the option for a quick, hot, home cooked meal.

Many of the recipes are also vegetarian friendly if you so desire, though vegans will probably want to look elsewhere.  This is important as my family and I look at eating less meat.  Even if you are not looking to do as we are, they are worth a look.  Individually these books are priced at $24.99 for the spiral bound editions, a few dollars less for the paperback, or you can get a boxed set of all three spiral bound for $55.99.  If you buy through those links you will be directly supporting the MCC and their mission of food and relief.

Be safe and eat well.