This is my sixth Susie Fishbein cookbook. If that doesn't attest to the quality of her recipes, layouts, ideas, advice, and book quality, I don't know what else would.
Kosher chefs spend more time in the kitchen preparing elaborate family meals than your average American. Combine that with the constraints of finding quality kosher ingredients, the time limitations in that most of us lead busy lives today, the fact that you still want to provide eye-catching, yet delicious meals when entertaining guests, AND the fact that you want to provide a more healthy lifestyle for your family....well, that's a pretty big expectation to live up and Susie Fishbein delivers.
I was afraid that I was going to receive a cookbook full of salads and pictures of measly portions of sad-looking tofu. But Fishbein has taken managed to keep sight of her heimishe audience by providing savory recipes with fish, chicken, and beef dressed up with gourmet flavors in a healthy preparation. As it true with most of Fishbein's books, you'll find recipes for foods not often found at your neighborhood shabbos tables (polenta pie, miso or udon soup, or vietnamese summer rolls) but she provides plenty of helpful tips on where to find these more exotic ingredients with kosher supervision. Meanwhile, you'll still find pot roast, london broil, roast turkey, stir fry, lasagna, and dessert -- for those of your eaters who are wary of foreign or healthy foods.
I will warn you that many of her recipes are more elaborate, often with a dozen or so ingredients. But between this book and my Kosher by Design Short of Time cookbook, I've been able to find a nice balance and make a menu where the dishes are healthy, delicious, and not going to kill me right before shabbos.
Moreover, the book begins with a very helpful section on health food buzzwords (organic, GMOS, free-range), unhealthy ingredients to watch out for when reading the labels in the grocery store, and a brief understanding on some of the chemicals used in processing food. There is a brief page on kashrus for those unfamiliar with the practice (which makes me believe that this cookbook is being marketed beyond the frum world), review on the different types of flour, grains, sugars, and oils available, and best of all, there are cute little ingenious tips on how to reduce your caloric intake and small steps on how to change your lifestyle slowly to a more healthy one.
I love this cookbook and know that I'll integrate it among my favorites. I will point out that my favorite recipe in here is a garlic dressing salad which I make for shabbos almost every week. I've had a dozen people ask for the recipe. It's a smash hit.
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