Saturday, October 26, 2013

Cookbook Review: THE FOOD YOU CRAVE by Ellie Krieger

Getting back to school means getting back to routines and getting back to health. So one of the book recommendations I was most enthusiastic about trying this fall was a recommendation from our own Beth Fish: The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life by Ellie Krieger.

As the Weekend Cooking crew may remember, I have a love/hate relationship with Food Network personality cookbooks. But this particular book won a James Beard Award in the category of “Cookbook with a Healthy Focus.” Those two recommendations were enough to put the book on my library list.

Who is Ellie Krieger? Krieger is a registered dietician with a Master’s degree in Nutrition. She hosts the Food Network show Healthy Appetite. Krieger is a prominent member of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, and she was head nutritionist for the White House’s “Healthy Kids Fair.”

Take on Cooking: Traditional favorites reimagined into healthy meals.

The Delicious Parts:The book is beautifully designed, with lots of photos (although not for every recipe). The recipes are easy to understand and prep, without myriad ingredients that some healthy cookbooks employ to make up for a lack of fat, so I found they were fine for weeknights. Her strategy is to change the proportions of non-healthy ingredients in recipes, rather than use unpleasant or unsatisfying substitutes, which I appreciated. The book is jam-packed with nutritional information, which I found very helpful. For example, rather than just give total fat information for recipes, she breaks down both good (mono- and polyunsaturated fats, like the ones found in nuts and veggies) and bad (saturated) fats. She also includes daily numbers to shoot for in many nutrition categories.

My First Bites: I cooked four recipes from the book: Confetti Chili, Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce, Buffalo Chicken Salad and Chicken Chop Suey. They all came together easily, and my family enjoyed them all. The Confetti Chili was spicy from the chipotle, smoky from the adobo sauce and cumin, and sweet from the corn. Made with canned beans (suggested by Krieger) and tons of veggies, it came together in about an hour. It could easily become our house chili. The only recipe my husband wasn’t too enthusiastic about was the Chop Suey. It was a bit bland, but since the original is kind of a bland, Americanized version of Chinese food, it would probably be a winner with people who are fans. And even at that, I got a great idea for turning dumpling skins into a healthier Asian crunchy topping than those canned fried noodles.

Not Quite To My Taste: When it comes to dinner, Krieger really focuses on meat dishes. Red meat factors heavily in the Main Course section, but we don’t tend to eat steaks and chops very often. Still, for meat lovers, finding healthier ways of cooking them would be a real plus. Oddly, I wasn’t blown away by the salad choices; many were more “go-withs” than meals on their own. Still, those negatives are based on my personal taste and lifestyle. I think Krieger really does a great job with the promise of the book.

Recommendation? Devour, Split, Send it Back to the Kitchen? Devour or split, definitely – but I’d lean toward devour if you’re looking for a solid, healthy lifestyle cookbook with a broad range of recipes. You certainly won’t be disappointed with this one.

One Great Recipe: Ellie Krieger’s Confetti Chili

1 T olive oil
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (½ cup)
2 t ground cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 lb. lean or extra lean (90% lean or higher) ground beef
One 28-oz can no-salt added crushed tomatoes, with their juices
2 c water
1 canned chipotle chili in adobo sauce, seeded and minced, plus 2 t of the sauce (I didn’t seed the chipotles, because we love heat)
½ t oregano
One 15.5 oz can black beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
One 15.5 oz can kidney beans, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 ½ c frozen corn kernels
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1) Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrot, cover, and cook, stirring, for occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin coriander and cook, stirring for 1 minute. And the ground beef; raise the heat to high and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, and oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes.

2) Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer, until the chili is nicely thickened. Stir in the corn and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

FTC disclosure: I did not receive a free copy of this book for review. I borrowed it from the library.

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. Thanks to Beth Fish Reads for hosting!

19 comments:

  1. Thanks for this! We don't eat red meat because my husband's allergic, so I'll look for healthy cookbooks that are less meat-centric.

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    1. Yes, this is definitely chock full of meat, but for the right person, it would be fantastic.

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  2. That chili sounds really tasty -- never used chipotle chili in adobo sauce before.

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    1. You can keep the leftover chili in adobo in your fridge for a long time, so it's worth opening a jar for this chili.

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  3. I love her cookbooks and have three of them (including this). But I agree with your overall assessment that she is definitely a meat eater!

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    1. This really was a good recommendation, thanks so much. I think I am going to look at the new Comfort Book title as well, before I decide which to buy.

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  4. That chili sounds amazing! I'm going to try it... good to know the chili in adobo keep in the fridge.

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    1. My sister-in-law is convinced chiles in adobo have a half-life -- I don't quite go that far, but they are smoked, so a couple of months doesn't seem to do them any harm!

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  5. I'm not a big meat eater so I think I'd have to do a try it before you buy it run with this cookbook too.

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    1. In your case, Kathy, I'd say that's a good idea. I did love everything I made, but I'm weighing how often I'd use the book.

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  6. Love chili in this house. Sounds good!

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    1. The corn is a really nice addition to our normal chili. I hope you enjoy it!

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  7. Why do they call it confetti chilli?

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    1. Because it is so colorful, Carole. It has orange from the carrots, red from the peppers, yellow from the corn and black from the beans. It really is a pretty bowl of chili!

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  8. sounds like an interesting book-I am with you we do not eat that much red meat-or I should say I do not my husband buys it for himself.

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    1. My husband actually cooks two days a week so he can plan meat for the menu, so I get what you're saying!

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  9. Think I might try to see if the library has this one. I rarely eat meat (well beef) but I still cook it for my husband 1-2x a week.

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  10. This book certainly piques my curiosity - I'm always looking for healthy options in the food I eat but, like you, I'm not a big meat eater, and I do eat a lot of salads, often as a main meal. So I think this might be one to check out from the library first before heading to the book store. Thanks for such a helpful review.

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  11. I always enjoy her show on Food Network - I find it soothing. I think it is the uncluttered set and the simplicity of her recipes. I must try one of her cookbooks.

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I absolutely love comments. Thanks for taking the time to share! Col