Happy Friday,

Hello from Brooklyn, where the cherry blossoms are in full bloom and spring produce is just starting to appear. (Are ramps overrated? You tell me.) This week’s newsletter is packed with my latest fixations, from new cookbooks to hip-saving stretches, plus plenty of good reads to start off the weekend. Hope it’s a great one. xoxo— Aliza Abarbanel, executive editor

This Week's Picks

This week's Sponsor:
 

Not all water pitchers are created equal

We always start the day with a cool glass of tap water—but instead of sipping straight from the faucet, it’s coming from a LifeStraw Home water filter pitcher. The sleek BPA-free pitcher is just chic enough to leave out on your desk or the dinner table to ensure everyone stays hydrated (especially in the cheery lavender Wisteria hue). It’s the only pitcher around that removes bacteria and microplastics in addition to more than 30 contaminants. Considering that many water systems in the U.S. are over 100 years old—and vulnerable to contaminants caused by age-related issues like cracked pipes—we’ll take all the extra filtering power we can get.

The water we use for ourselves, our family, our pets, and our loved ones should be as safe as possible—and even our ice cubes taste crisper when the trays have been filled up with filtered water from a LifeStraw Home. Want to make the switch? GNI readers can take 20% off the purchase of any LifeStraw Home at LifeStraw.com with the code "GNI".

3 Spring Cookbooks to Revitalize Your Weeknights

Spring produce is hitting the markets, and a new crop of cookbooks is here to make the most of all that bounty. From entirely plant-based books to those that foreground vegetables alongside meat, there’s something for everyone, but these are at the top of my “to-cook” list.—Aliza

Some think of Vietnamese food as all beefy phở and bánh mì—Andrea Nyguen is here to change that. The celebrated cookbook author’s latest book is all about Vietnam’s deeply rooted plant-based traditions, with a little meat that can be subbed out. Think: cabbage stir-fry brightened with punchy nước chấm, vegetarian phở, and allll the herbs. Out now.

Say it with us: No more sad salads! This cookbook places vegetables at the center of the plate, throughout the seasons, from a winter-friendly smashed potato and chorizo salad that comes together on a sheet pan to peak-summer corn salads. Every recipe is fast, fresh, and flexible. Out now.

A love letter to vegetables that interweaves family memoir with recipes like Miso Mushroom Ragu with Baked Polenta and Upside-Down Rhubarb and Ginger Olive Oil Cake. Hetty is a regular contributor to New York Times Cooking and her recipes never fail—I recently made her fennel frond pesto for a niçoise-style salad, which received rave reviews. Preorders ship May 30.

Butter Living Giveaway with East Fork

Want to brighten up your kitchen? We’re teaming up with fan fave ceramics brand East Fork to give away a seven-piece dishware set in their cheery new hue Butter, plus more elevated kitchen staples and a year’s supply of the very best butter. The prizing package is worth over $2500 (!!). Enter the giveaway (ends 4/30)!

Reader Mailbox 💌

“I've been a subscriber for a couple of years now and had to let you know this is one of the best newsletters I've read from y'all in a while! Just maxed out my e-book holds in my library account...Thanks for the great recs!” —Blake L, in response to last week’s mega list of book recommendations in Issue #314

This Week's Reads