The 4th of July is coming up tomorrow - the day that commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and America’s independence from Great Britain (and yes, also the time when many Americans like to chomp on burgers and look at sparkle-y things).

In honor of such a revolutionary holiday, The Jew & The Carrot would like to salute the small revolutions that happen every day in our kitchens: the first time we successfully make a matzoh ball like grandma’s, cook kale from our CSA, or teach our kids (or ourselves) how to make jam. And no tribute to kitchen revolutions would be complete without a shout out to every home chef’s trusty sidekick: the humble cookbook.

The Jew & The Carrot contributors compiled a list of our favorite “revolutionary cookbooks,” - the inspired recipe collections that in some way changed the way we cook, eat and even view ourselves. Check them out below the jump, and get inspired for a culinary revolution of your own!

The Jew & The Carrots’ “Revolutionary Cookbooks” Collection

Chez Panisse Vegetables - Alice Waters
Alice Waters more or less single-handedly popularized the local food movement with her restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA. Her collection of cookbooks - including Chez Panisse Vegetables - brings her delicious food values to life with stunningly simple and delicious seasonal recipes.

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet- Frances Moore Lappe and Anna Lappe
Frances Moore Lappe will go down in history as the author of Diet for a Small Planet - the 1970s bestseller that taught many Americans how to “eat their ethics,” long before Michael Pollan came on the scene. Frances teamed up with her daughter Anna to write the follow up book/cookbook - Hope’s Edge, which includes recipes as well as updated information about GMOs, worldwide famine, and the growing rates of obesity-related health issues.

How To Cook Everything- Mark Bittman
With over 1500 recipes in this cookbook, The New York Times’ column known as “The Minimalist Chef” really does include instructions for cooking just about anything in his tome of a cookbook. And with his easy-to-follow directions, he ensures that just about anyone can do the cooking. That’s pretty revolutionary.

The Go Green East Harlem Cookbook - Scott Stringer
Edited by Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, Go Green East Harlem is a bilingual cookbook that features recipes contributed by East Harlem restauranteurs and community residents. It is available for purchase in bookstores and online, but was also given out to many East Harlem residents. In addition to being a good source of nourishing recipes, it serves as a model of community empowerment through food.

Jewish Cooking in America - Joan Nathan
Joan Nathan’s collection of cookbooks - and particularly Jewish Cooking in America - capture the mystery and elegance of the traditional Jewish cuisine - Ashkenazi, Sephardic and beyond.

Jewish Cooking For All Seasons - Laura Frankel
Penned by professional chef and The Jew & The Carrot contributor, Laura Frankel, this book is one of the only Jewish cookbooks that entirely eschews margarine, coffee whitener, non-dairy whipped topping, and other faux foods. Frankel is the chef of the Wolfang Puck cafe at Spertus in Chicago, and a local, seasonal foods buff - and her professionalism and dedication to revolutionizing the way Jews eat show on every page of this book.

Joy of Cooking - Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker
The words of cookbook authors Matt and Ted Lee sum up the impact that this classic “kitchen bible” has had on home chefs: “In our kitchen, Joy of Cooking is a tool as indispensable as the chef’s knife, the scale, the whisk. We actually own two copies–a shelf-copy for reading, and one whose sauce-splattered, dog-eared pages bear witness to just how much joy we get from Joy.”

Mastering The Art of French Cooking - Julia Child
Julia. Child. I hardly need to say more! Julia was a shining beacon of light during America’s darkest, peas-in-a-can culinary hour. And her timeless recipes still give cooks goosebumps (in a good way!) today.

The New Moosewood Cookbook - Mollie Katzen
As The Jew & The Carrot contributor, Tamar Fox, wrote, “Mollie Katzen is the Jewish patron saint of vegetarian cooking.” She was also a founding member of the pioneering vegetarian restaurant, Moosewoods, in Ithaca, NY. All of her cookbooks, but particularly The New Moosewood Cookbook, have played a significant role in revolutionizing American’s eating habits. New Moosewood also includes Mollie’s original pen and ink drawings that bring you right back to the 1970s (or bring you there for the first time, as the case may be.)

Olive Trees and Honey - Gil Marks
From brisket to cholent to chicken soup, the Jewish culinary tradition is filled with meat. Rabbi and food historian Gil Marks’s cookbook offers a different look at Jewish food, offering readers a “treasury of vegetarian recipes from Jewish communities around the world.” How refreshing!

Nourishing Traditions - Sally Fallon
The subtitle of Fallon’s cookbook is: “The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats.” True to form, this nutrition-focused cookbook asserts that “animal fats and cholesterol are vital factors in the human diet.” Whether or not you decide to consume animal products, you will undoubtedly come away from this cookbook with a radical new way of thinking about the food you nourish yourself with.

The Splendid Grain - Rebecca Wood
This cookbook combines Wood’s deep passion for macrobiotic-inspired cooking, refreshingly old-fashioned values, and - dare I say it - revolutionary recipes for the kitchen’s most unsung hero: grains.

Synagogue Cookbooks!
Warm, homey, and filled with family favorites, the “synagogue cookbook” (which features recipes from members of the congregation) is the ultimate resource in community cooking. I’m proud to say that my mom *edited* the most recent edition of West Suburban Temple Har Zion’s synagogue cookbook. While it’s not as shiny and professional as most of the cookbooks on my shelf, it always tastes like home. Make a community cookbook for your synagogue here.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone - Deborah Madison
One of the biggest complaints about joining a CSA is that members don’t know what to do with the vegetables. That’s simply because they have not read Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone yet. Deborah’s cookbook functions like a vegetable instruction manual or, as Amazon calls it, “a virtual book of culinary revelations.”

Veganomicon: - Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romano
Even though I’m not a vegan (anymore), The Veganomicon gals are kind of my heroes. These Brooklyn natives pioneered a seriously tasty version of vegan cooking - one that relies on vegetables and creativity instead of fake meat products. Isa and Terry have published two other vegan cookbooks (including this savory one and this very sweet one), but Veganomicon is definitely their shining star. Their animal-free recipes appeal both to veggies and meat eaters (no, really!) and, more importantly, to both new and experienced cooks. And their Almost All-American Seitan Pot Pie is just wickedly tasty.

*We know we likely left out some goodies on this list, so please share *your* favorite revolutionary cookbook below!

Thanks to the following The Jew & The Carrot contributors for their suggestions: Rabbi Avi Finegold, Tamar Fox, Esther Mandelheim, Elisheva Marguiles, Regina Ostrovski, Aliza Wasserman. Special thanks to Bonnie Slotnick for her endless expertise on all things cookbook related.

Cookbook image from Life Begins at 30.