Review | The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller

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Getting couples cooking together certainly gets the Nibbles seal of approval, and as a soon-to-be newlywed myself I was happy to tuck into The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller.

Written with those just setting up house in mind, Miller designed these recipes to make use of some of the most common staples of gift registries and makes it easy for the new cook to plan by listing not only the ingredients, but the equipment needed as well. She’s also included glossaries of Herbs & Spices, Cooking Terms, and Equipment in the back of the book toÂ demystify all this new information for the beginning cook. (And since I did much of the same in my own book, I’m totally on board with all of the above–kindred cooking spirits are a good thing!) She also includes 10 menus for special occasional cooking from holidays to theÂ in-lawsÂ coming to dinner–an old idea but I suppose today’s new brides are still just as eager to please and impress, right?

As far as the usability of the book is concerned, Miller includes estimated preparation and cooking times at the bottom of each recipe (great for busy cooks) and a little bit of information about each recipe as well. I always appreciate tips and anecdotes in cookbooks, it makes them that much more fun to read through start to finish for those of us who read cookbooks like novels. There are many recipes that serve only 2, but others that go up to 6-8 servings, so a good mix, but still with that just-starting-out couple in mind.

What I would have liked to see is the aforementioned equipment needs listed a little bit apart from the ingredients–in the copy I have (which, admittedly, is an advance copy and not the final edit) they are all listed together and it makes the “Needed Items” for some recipes longer than need be, and could dissuade less-experienced cooks on a quick glance. Also, some recipes features wasteful steps–like the one Todd made where the instructions were to marinate the meat in a shallow baking dish, then transfer the marinated items to a prepared baking dish and top with the marinade before baking. That’s just an unnecessary step and means an additional dish to wash. Hopefully someone will catch that, too, on the final edit.

Of course, the real test of any cook book is how the recipes turn out, and we tried out several over a couple of weeks, both Todd and I taking turns in the true spirit of the cookbook.

Linguine with White Clam Sauce

It’s tough to go wrong with a good Linguine with White Clam Sauce in your pocket, and Miller’s is a lightened version of this classic in her Pasta and Risotto chapter. I especially liked the tough of using vermouth for the white wine (an option that uses up a rather perishable bar staple quite nicely). Of course, how much Parmesan you add on top is entirely up to you.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with mashed potatoes

The Jamaican Jerk Chicken was the culprit of the aforementioned hokey-pokey-chicken instructions, but the end result was still quite tasty, if a little heavy on the cloves and allspice. To tone that chicken down serve it with creamy mashed potatoes!

Moroccan Turkey Salad

While the Moroccan Turkey Salad was more gently seasoned and a step outside what you’d normally think of as a turkey salad.

Peking Duck and Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Two Cheeses

Peking Duck and Oven-Roasted Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Two Cheeses

Todd was even brave enough to try her (much simplified) version of Peking Duck! Even though it’s not the full-on traditional multi-day preparation, it’s still best for a weekend where you’ve got plenty of time. And since it was the weekend, he broke one of my “rules” and paired it with Oven-Roasted Scalloped Potatoes with Ham and Two Cheeses. (It was a delicious combo, don’t get me wrong, but if you’re making one show-stopper element, I believe in keeping the other items simply to save you time in the kitchen.)

Spicy Shrimp Scampi over rice

Another lightened up classic is Miller’s Spicy Shrimp Scampi. Jalapeno pepper is not the usual seasoning for scampi, but it certainly didn’t hurt! While it might sound like gilding the lily a bit, we like to pair dishes like this with basmati rice instead of the usual long-grain white rice.

Sloppy Joes served with sweet potato puffs

For a simple, yet tasty, weeknight supper with the flavor of a childhood throw-back, give her Sloppy Joes a try–in addition to the usual suspects these Joes are studded with bell peppers, celery, and corn to get the veggies in. While I’d planned a different side for that night, I fully admit to giving into ease and pairing the Sloppy Joes with another updated childhood favorite: frozen sweet potato puffs.

Hey, not every dinner can be Peking Duck, you know.

Lemon Cornmeal Bars

And for a treat one night I made the Lemon Cornmeal Bars from the desserts chapter. I had high hopes for these bars, Todd too, but they were a little lackluster in the end. They weren’t overly lemony, though the texture was nice and moist. Instead of a dessert, I ended up using them in place of the cornbread I’d usually make to go with chili later in the week.

Overall we enjoyed the recipes and I do think this could be a useful guide to a now-on-their-own newlywed. Pair it with a basket of kitchen tools for a lovely shower gift and look forward to a lovely thank-you note. And maybe even a dinner invitation!

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I received a copy of The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller for purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review | Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris

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It’s hard to read any food or nutrition book, magazine, or website without some reference to the latest and greatest “superfood.” Not all mentions of them are good, there is plenty of skepticism about the veracity of these powerhouse foods–the acai, the goji, the chia, the maca. Are they really all they’re cracked up to be?

Who knows.

Whether you cite ancient cultures that revere these new-to-us foods or the science behind them, I’m of the opinion that it never hurts to make dining choices that could improve our health and, maybe, prevent the need for as many pharmaceuticals as we take these days. (Though I’m also quick to add that I don’t think we should disregard doctor’s prescriptions for a “natural” remedy without so much as a by-your-leave; scientific research and implementation has it’s place.)

This is why I was more than happy to take a look at Julie Morris’ Superfood KitchenÂ and, of course, try out a few recipes in the process.

Morris, Â a Los Angeles’ natural foods chef, has written an informative tome on the popular superfoods of today focusing on nutrient density and a plant-based diet. She candidly shares her personal experience, and a common one at that, of getting “hooked” on coffee and energy drinks and the fall-out from depending on those substances instead of food for energy. When she realized what was really going on with her body, she set out to understand other ways of supplying the needed energy, and superfoods became her new passion.

As an omnivore, I’m more than happy to eat a meat-free meal when the meal is interesting enough. We love rice and other grains in our house but, of course, now that I’m eating Low-FODMAP, I have to be careful what plant-based food I’m consuming. And since the folks on the hunt for FODMAPs are still working through a back-log of current foods to test, superfoods aren’t always known entities. This made deciding on recipes to try a little tougher, but there’s so much good information in the book it was a happy hunt. (And, as I learn more about my body’s tolerances and the substitutions that work best for me, I look forward to trying out more of her inventive recipes.)

Something we love to do is have breakfast for dinner. We probably do this a couple times a month, so her Goldenberry Pancakes (page 57) were quote enticing. The batter was not what you usually think of as a pancake batter–it was not pourable, it was more like a quick bread or drop-biscuit consistency. That said, they cooked up very well on our griddle and the orange flavor really worked with the goldenberries.

Goldenberry Pancakes, with photo-bombing bacon

Granted, we served them in a very non-superfood way, with eggs and bacon on the side, but hey, you do what makes you happy, right?

Another recipe we tried and absolutely loved was the Sushi Salad Bowl (page 95). This is basically sushi for people who just don’t Â have time or inclination to bother with rolling sushi but it is all kinds of tasty. She suggests adding some tofu or edamame for additional protein, but we’re not big fans of the former and the latter doesn’t sit well with a low-FODMAP diet, so I added a sliced, hard-boiled egg to the top of each instead. Same concept, it just worked better for us. Also, my sprouts were shot by the time I made this, so did not include them. I’m sure it would have been all the more delicious had they not gotten soggy.

the delectable Sushi Salad Bowl–if you make the rice ahead this is a very quick supper

At first, as I was putting this together, I was truly wondering if we were going to end up ordering take-out or making sandwiches to go with, as it wasn’t looking like very much at the beginning. But two ingredients made the difference: the avocado for creaminess and the sliced nori for texture and aroma–without those two this would have been a passable side-dish but not sushi. I will definitely be making this one again.

Another thing that might stop you from cooking a la the Superfood Kitchen way? The price. Because they are mostly imported goods, the distributors are few and the prices can sometimes be steep. I saw a bag of acai powder for over $20 in our local health foods store. Ouch! But if you go this route, you generally use very little of any given superfood in a single recipe (which keeps things in a bit more perspective). If you want to start cooking with more superfoods, supplement the easily available ones (pomegranates, quinoa, hemp and chia seeds, and green leafy vegetables) with some of the more specialty ingredients over time. When you spread out those specialty purchases, maybe a superfood kitchen isn’t quite such an improbably feat.

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I was provided a copy of Superfood Kitchen for purpose of review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review | The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson

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Some folks thing giving up gluten-bearing wheat, barley, and rye means a lifetime sentence to rice side dishes. Now, I happen to like rice in all its various forms and flavors, but even I’d get tired of it if that was my only grain option!

This is, of course, not the case even if you just expand your horizons only as far as oats and corn. And then there’s quinoa–a pseudo-grain (really a seed) that is becoming quite popular and is tasty source of plant protein, millet–a cost-effective option but you might have to look for it in health-food stores, and wild rice (another seed); chances are you’ve heard of more than a few of these, too.

In The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook, the author also digs deeper into other grains like amaranth, buckwheat, Job’s tears, and sorghum–all of which might be tough to find in smaller cities, at least in raw material form. I find amaranth in my new-favorite gluten-free cereal option (Mesa Sunrise), and buckwheat I can find in mixes and soba noodles (not that we’ll be seeking those out any time soon after the last reminder that their flavor is somewhat of an acquired taste), and sorghum in flour-form that I use in my gluten-free baking.

This book is actually an update of Finlayson’s The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook from 2008, an update made necessary by her realization that she “wasn’t [her] optimal self much of the time” while on a diet that included a lot of wheat, even in its whole-grain forms. The symptoms she describes are very similar to many of the stories I’ve encountered learning about the Low-FODMAP diet, so it does make me wonder if she’s heard of it or not. Of course, Low-FODMAP recognizes that it’s the fructans in wheat, barley, and rye causing the issues, and not the gluten, but gluten-free is easy short-hand these days, widely recognized and, in marketing terms, a goldmine buzzword.

And seeing as I’m following said Low-FODMAP diet, the book was a treasure trove of inspiration for interesting main and side dishes as well as baking recipes, even if many had to be altered to eliminate the onions and garlic.

I feel I should warn you–the pictures and descriptions below might make you very, very hungry.

One Sunday when our gaming friends weer over, I prepared her Zucchini Fritters (p.50) but opted to cook them on my electric griddle instead of deep fry them. While crispy-fried deliciousness is not something I’m against, it was easier to prepare them this way and they were just as tasty.

Zucchini Fritters from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Zucchini Fritters–griddled instead of pan-fried but still delicious!

For that same group I also turned out these amazing Oatmeal Shortbread Squares (p.198) which were a snap to prepare in my food processor. At first I wondered about cutting the 8-inch pan of shortbread into 25 servings, but these shortbread squares are so very rich and buttery–one friend called them cookie dough cookies–that a small square is enough, even though you’ll likely go back for seconds.

Oatmeal Shortbread Squares from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Oatmeal Shortbread Squares–these are dangerously simple to prepare, serve with coffee or milk to cut the richness

You know what’s really gratifying? Preparing foods that are a step away from the norm (gluten-free, vegan, whatever) and having someone say they wouldn’t have known the difference. My guests went so far as to say if the manufactured gluten-free foods tasted as good as the ones I made them, gluten-free wouldn’t have nearly the bad reputation it did. And that, my friends, is a mark totally in favor of cooking from scratch, just in case you needed the motivation.

Of course, it wasn’t just entertaining we used this cookbook for, Finlayson’s recipes also figured highly into our weeknight meals. When tracking down the millet for her Curried Sweet Potato and Millet Soup (p.72) I was astonished to find that it was so inexpensive and am looking forward to using it more.

Curried Sweet Potato and Millet Soup

This soup started out incredibly liquid but once the millet cooked it had turned into this wonderfully rich, creamy and filling soup. Since I’m still short a good source for lactose-free plain yogurt (come on Whole Foods, build faster!) I topped this soup with shredded cheese instead.

Southwest Turkey Stew with Cornmeal Dumplings

I converted her Southwest Turkey Stew with Cornmeal DumplingsÂ (p.115) into a crock-pot meal. Just put everything for the soup in together and let it go 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, them mix up the dumpling batter and drop it on about 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat (switch up to high if you had it on low, before). We also decided that next time we make this–in the slow cooker or not–we’ll leave out the optional chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, the stew was more than a little spicy between it and the fresh jalapeno!

Peppery Shrimp with Quinoa from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Peppery Shrimp with Quinoa–similar to fried rice but just different enough.

And I’m not the one one who has enjoyed cooking from her book, Todd took a stroll through the pages and found a couple recipes he wanted to try, like this Peppery Shrimp with Quinoa (p.126) and her Cuban-Style Hash with Fried Pantains (p.140).

Cuban-Style Hash with Fried Plantains from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Cuban-Style Hash with Fried Plantains–when you cut through the egg, the yolk flows down and creates a layer of flavor and richness with the spicy beef and rice below. So good!

Of course, when Fat Tuesday rolled around we just had to give her Jambalaya (p.107) a try.

Jambalaya from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Jambalaya: spicy rice studded with shrimp, chicken, and sausage.

Finally, another slow-cooked favorite of ours from this book was the Pork Pozole (p.146). Served with corn chips or warmed corn tortillas it was a messy, but delicious meal.

Pork Pozole from The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook

Pork Pozole topped with shredded cheese (because everything is better with cheese)

The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook is filled with 125 wonderful recipes, mouth-watering photographs, nutritional information for each recipe and plenty of tips for adding more whole grains to your diet, whether you’re gluten-free or not.

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I was provided a copy of The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook for purpose of review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own (except where noted when a friend expressed a thought or two about the food).

Review | Better Food For Dogs by Bastin, Ashton & Nixon

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image via Amazon.com

Honey, tonight we’re eating dog food!

And you know what? It wasn’t half bad.

Let me back up a second before you think I’ve completely lost my mind.

When I picked up Better Food for Dogs (with the oh-so-adorable wrinkly bulldog puppy on its cover), I was expecting a few lists of things dogs should never eat and a lot of recipes for treats, “muttloaf” and things of that nature. What I found was a book full of information that every dog owner can use, including many “Doc’s Doctrine” sidebars from Dr. Grant Nixon, D.V.M., theÂ veterinarianÂ that contributed to the book along with David Bastin and Jennifer Ashton–former dog bakery owners and dog-lovers themselves.

The recipes come only after a rather thorough examination of what the proper diet can do for dogs. The authors purport that does benefit from varying diets just as humans do and that it’s difficult for them to receive all the nutrition they need from a steady diet of only one sort of food. They even take on the topics of vegan diets for dogs as well as the raw diet trend–neither of which they are highly in favor of (the first as it’s not realistic for canines, the second for concerns of food safety).

While there are a dozen of yummy-sounding treats at the end of the book, the bulk of the recipes are for the everyday food for dogs, their two meals a day, and are divided between the Basic Recipe–a combination of beef, chicken, turkey, or lamb for the protein and either rice, macaroni, or potatoes for the carbohydrate, along with a veggie blend–in quantities enough for 4 servings at a time, and single-serving Gourmet Recipes. All of this is them broken down into suitable amounts for the different sizes of dogs out there–everything from 5 lb teacup breeds to 150 lb behemoths in 5-lb increments. And then there are charts for the additional needs of bonemeal (for calcium) as well as the other nutritional supplements needed (again, by size of dog).

The Gourmet recipes range from breakfast fare (Cottage Cheese, Fruit and Toast; Oatmeal, Yogurt and Fruit; even a Breakfast Burrito) to dinner options (Stir-Fried Ginger Beef with Greens; Salmon and Dill Pasta; Tomato and Chicken Rotini) and total 20 in all. Not each size of dog gets a version of each recipe, but it’s simple work to size Â up or down by finding Â the recipe you want in another size that can be easily doubled or halved to meet the proper calorie count. It’s a whole lot easier than making a small dog coat fit a medium dog!

Still, it sounds like a lot of work even cooking every other night on top of cooking for yourself or your family. How tough really would it be?

And that’s when I decided to serve Todd and I dog food for a couple of nights.

We started with one of the basic recipes: Chicken and Rice

Chicken and Rice from Better Food for Dogs

Chicken and Rice for dogs

And that’s when I determined that cooking for your dog is not as out of the question as it might seem. In fact, if you approach it the right way, it’s downright easy!

The basic recipe deals with a protein that easily be bought in quantities and cooked ahead: cubed chicken and ground beef being the most accessible. Package it up in the right quantities and keep it in the freezer until needed–you could do up to a month at a time depending on the size of your dog and the size of your storage space. Put your rice cooker to work to make up enough rice to get your through a week and buzz up a batch of the fruit & vegetable mix and fridge it. After that it’s a quick reheat, stir, and add in nutrients.

And, like I said, it’s pretty tasty. The vegetable mixture is pureed, so it’s a little different than using steamed, chopped veggies in your average one-pot meal, but other than that it’s totally normal food.

For our gourmet selection we went with the Salmon and Dill Pasta

Salmon and Dill Pasta from Better Food For Dogs

Salmon and Dill Pasta–yes, this is dog food!

Tomato, zucchini, spinach, garlic and dill with chunks of tender salmon and pasta make for a good supper no matter how you slice it, and since none of the veggies in this version are pureed, it’s not much different than any other meal we might make.

Now, obviously, we don’t have dogs ourselves but have owned them in the past and hope to in the future when we have enough time to devote to them. Still, I know many people who do–my own mother, for instance–and I would not hesitate to recommend this book to her.

Will we cook for our future furry friends? Hard to say, but at least it’s a discussion we’d be up to having now.

After all, some people consider their dogs akin to children. Would we want children to eat nothing but fortified cereals for every meal? So it’s a questions worth asking: don’t your canine companions deserve a bit more than kibble?

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I received a copy of Better Food for Dogs for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.

Review | Savory Pies by Greg Henry

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image via Amazon.com

Pies have always had their fans, but it’s a food usually offered as an alternative to cakey goods. One of the main best selling points is the ratio of filling to crust you get in a pie that far outweighs the filling and frosting ratio in a similar cake. But that’s all desserts–what about pie as your meal?

Probably the first thing you think of when considering a main-dish or savory pie is quiche, that brunch staple, or else a chicken pot pie might come to mind. I admit an old episode of Emeril and his crawfish cheesecake is also lurking in the back of my head, so I was more than a little curious to see what inspiration there might lie in Greg Henry’s Savory Pies: Delicious Recipes for Seasoned Meats, Vegetables and Cheeses Baked in Perfectly Flaky Pie Crusts.

I was not disappointed.

The first thing to notice is that this is not just a book of pie fillings. Henry goes beyond the simple single- or double-crust pies with fluted edges into tarts, turnovers, pizzas, and pastelles. Pretty much anything that could be put into or under a crust or covering was considered fair game. There are sections for meat & seafood pies, hand pies, vegetarian options, appetizers, and, of course, a set of pie crust recipes to carry you through.

On New Year’s Day we got our cabbage quotient in with his Sweet Sausage Cabbage Pie with Dill and Feta (p.59). Another night found us feasting on a Sausage and Red Pepper Polenta Cobbler (p.93), a cast iron skillet concoction with fluffy cornmeal dumplings covering its surface. Seeing as we’re fans of breakfast for dinner, the Irish Breakfast Pie (p. 101) with it’s cheeky eggs poking out of the pierced top crust was a must-try for us, and very filling with it’s layers of thinly-sliced potatoes. About the only thing that could have improved that pie would have been some grated cheese in between the potato layers.

Strata of bacon, potatoes, and eggs in the Irish Breakfast Pie

His Arichoke Clafouti (p.125) was akin to eating a slice of warm artichoke dip with a barely-there crust of breadcrumbs. And “The Oggie” Steak and Stilton Pasty recipe (p.156) sounded so good with it’s steak, potatoes, turnips, and cheese that even though I didn’t feel like making so many individual hand pies that night, it was just as good in a store-bought gluten free pie crust.

It could certainly be a main dish, but we served this Artichoke Clafouti as a side dish to lemon-pepper tilapia for a nice, light supper.

As for the pie crust recipes, they are simple and easy to follow and I was quite surprised at how tasty his Gluten-Free Pie Pastry recipe (p.20) really was, especially as this book was being tried-out when I was early into my low-FODMAP diagnostic diet phase. And one of the best parts of gluten-free* pie crusts? You simply cannot overwork the dough as there’s no gluten there to toughen up on you! It also didn’t hurt that I’d received a Cuisinart for Christmas and am overjoyed at how quickly a pie crust comes together in that thing!

The filling for this Steak and Stilton pie was amazing!

And for those who consider savory pies a little to low-brow for an elegant supper, there are also wine pairings for each recipe, written by Grant Henry, “with an eye toward easy-to-find wines, staying away from wines that would require selling a major organ to purchase them.” Now that’s my kind of wine pairing!

When considering whether a cookbook is a hit or miss with me, it’s not just about what I’ve already made from the book but how many recipes I still have flagged that I want to make as I’m writing up my review. Based on the number of sticky notes fanning out from the book’s pages, Savory Pies definitely falls into the hit category. In fact, as soon as I find a good gluten-free puff pastry dough recipe, many more delicious things will be made from this book.

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I was provided a copy of Savory Pies for the purpose of review. All opinions and experiences expressed above are my own.

*For the record, gluten poses no problem on a low-FODMAP diet as gluten is a protein and FODMAPs are particular carbohydrates. Sources of gluten like wheat, barley, and rye, however, do also contain the problematic-for-some FODMAPs and starting with GF products or recipes can be a good start. Thus ends the FODMAP disclaimer.

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book reviews

Review | The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller

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Review | Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris

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Review | The Complete Gluten-Free Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson

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Review | Better Food For Dogs by Bastin, Ashton & Nixon

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Review | Savory Pies by Greg Henry

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