pregnant bitch. A Cookbook.

I started writing this book about nine years ago. At the time, I was a newly pregnant actress living in Brooklyn who always loved to cook and write. I figured I would take the time to focus on those two other passions of mine, while I was pregnant and taking a break from acting. I thought I wanted to just write a straight-ahead cookbook. But, once I began writing, I started to naturally incorporate my journey through my pregnancy into the book's narrative as it was a complete reflection of what I was craving, creating, cooking, and experiencing. My pregnant desires may have been the inspiration for the recipes (and narrative) of the book, but they are a reflection of how I always cook, whether pregnant or not. They are seasonal, rustic, healthful, whole grain, unrefined-sweetened, and will benefit anyone desiring that kind of nourishment.

I finished the first draft when my son was just a newborn, sent it to a copy editor, put a little pitch together (sans pictures), and shopped it around to some publishers, but no one was interested or intrigued. I was discouraged, of course, but I was also juggling the dance of being a new mother, so my sleep-deprived mind and sore breastfeeding nipples were busy with other things. I decided to shelve it and come back to it later. Then, as life does to us, I got busy. I became pregnant with my second child, moved to a new town, began building a new business, and became a mother of two. Through those years, I didn't forget about the book. I did a few photoshoots, created a food blog, figured out social media, sent it around to a few friends who knew publishers, but again, no one was interested.

The, last summer, I spoke to a friend about my book and she encouraged me to publish it myself. Convincing me, I would be much happier and more creatively fulfilled if I had complete control of the book. I sat with the idea for a bit. And then, a few months later, I jolted out of bed early one morning, determined to figure this shit out.

The standing title from the beginning was Salty, Spicy, Bitter, and Sweet. These, to me, represented the emotional cycles and seasons each trimester brought (the fourth trimester being postpartum). But, as the years went on, I realized I wanted a bolder title with some humor in it. That title started to feel too precious, pretty, and quaint to fully represent me. Not to mention, almost all the books in the pregnancy section are too freaking serious or some precious new-age account of a woman's journey through her pregnancy. This is not such a book. Nor is this a "what to eat when you are pregnant" cookbook. This is a book I wish I read when I was pregnant. I mean, pregnancy is full of beauitful challenging life changing months. But, no matter how many pre-natal yoga classes you do (or don’t in my case) or breath work seminars you attend (nope) or books you read on your “birth plan” or what you “should” be fucking eating (the worst!) - it ain’t gonna go down the way you plan. And so, if the title Pregnant Bitch offends, I say this; buck up cause motherhood ain’t for pussies.

Anyway, back to self-publishing. Since I didn't have enough in my budget to hire my favorite and only food photographer I wanted to work with  Eva Kolenko, I decided to get crafty and do some old school bartering with a few mom friends for their services. My graphic designer, Olivia Glynn, was a retired stay at home mom of 2 twin girls; my illustrators Alice Sutro and Naomi Mcleod, both artists and dear friends. When we started, I honestly didn't have a clear vision of what I wanted the book to look like; instead, I was open to what creativity would spark during our collaboration. And, sure enough, the book slowly started to come together in ways I had never imagined or thought I even wanted. Each of us gave our unique strengths in this project. I endlessly wrote, edited, re-wrote, and recipe tested; Olivia designed and redesigned, Alice and Naomi painted, drew, redrew and painted. And, the best and most incredible part was that, since we are all mothers, this book (somehow) miraculously came together between drop-offs, pickups, late nights, and early mornings. (These were the pre-COVID days when the kids actually went to school. Le sigh).

I am super proud of this book, I hope you buy it. Buy it for yourself, a friend, a spouse, a partner and definitely a mother to be. It’s the perfect baby shower or holiday gift for those that appreciate art, wit, women and cooking. Plus it may be the first cookbook to have boobies and cha cha’s too, so there’s that. I will be posting a few seasonal recipes from the book over the next few weeks. Here is one of my all time favorite soup recipes and probably the easiest, most accommodating, and flavorful soup I have ever made. Not to mention, such a fantastic way to use a pile of root vegetables. According to Chinese medicine, root vegetables help “root” or ground us and build stamina. Something I think we are all craving right now. Oh and in case you missed the memo, the Fall season has begun. So, bust out your decorations bitches and start cooking. Happy Fall!

ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP WITH SPICED WALNUTS

2 TB coconut oil or unsalted butter
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
1 large or medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
2 TB fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
sea salt
2 pounds (about 8 cups) assorted root vegetables, such as winter squash, rutabaga, carrots, Japanese or regular sweet potato, celery root, parsnip, turnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground turmeric powder
6 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, bone broth, or filtered water
dash of cayenne

In a large pot, heat coconut oil or butter over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp sea salt, and stir well. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and slowly cook until the mixture is soft and juicy, about 15 to 20 minutes. Check a few times and stir. Add the root vegetables and thyme, raise heat to high, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Pour in the stock or water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender.

Use an immersion blender or, working in careful batches, a high-speed blender, and purée the soup until smooth. Put pureed soup back into the pot you cooked it in, over medium-low flame, and stir in the cup of milk, a nice pinch of sea salt, and a dash of cayenne. Taste. Add more salt or cayenne if desired. Serve hot with toasted walnuts (recipe below), a sprinkle of dried red chili flakes, and some thick slices of really good, whole grain bread.

Spiced Walnuts

I used red walnuts here because of their beauty, but you can obviously use regular English ones. I still encourage you to seek out the reds. So pretty. You can order them on-line at a bunch of places. Google that shit. These are also gorgeous for a homemade holiday gift in a glass jar too. Just double the recipe for a larger batch.

2 cups walnuts
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil or melted coconut butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the nuts on a parchment paper-covered, rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the oil, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne over the nuts and stir to coat evenly. Toast about 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheet. When cool, store in an airtight container in fridge.