Well Fed Network

Posted by Faith Kramer on Paper Palate.

How do you choose a new cookbook to buy?  For me, sometimes it is pure impulse. I walk by a store display and see something about the cover or title that just grabs me. Once I open the book, I know what I’m looking for – recipes that read like they will taste delicious, instructions and techniques that are clear and helpful, and attractive food photos that make me start to drool.

Well, purchasing The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger (who is host of the Healthy Appetite show on Food Network), published by Taunton Press, was definitely one of those impulsive decisions.  I was shopping at my local discount store and the title caught my eye. I picked up the book and I was hooked.

The book’s premise is good-for-you recipes that you’ll want to eat and that will be satisfying. The Food You Crave is packed with helpful how-to-eat-right hints, appealing photos, and recipes for every meal and course. Some are favorites Krieger reworks to make healthier (such as muffins, deviled eggs, crispy chicken fingers, and banana cream pie), others start from fresh produce and other ingredients and reflect modern tastes and food trends (miso-glazed black cod, Thai beef salad, and grilled bananas with chai syrup). The recipes and directions are clear and provide nutrition information including the amount of calories, fats, protein, carbs, fiber, cholesterol, sodium, and what vitamins and minerals each dish provides. There are options for every meal from breakfast to dessert and recipes that range from comfort food and easy dinners to company dinners.

This is a sprightly, lively cookbook, not the usual diet dirge.

The book’s opening chapter and sidebars scattered about the book feature tips on such topics as the healthy use of dairy and cheese, pantry suggestions, Mediterranean-inspired eating, and lists of meal ideas such as “10 Grab and Go Breakfasts.” Krieger’s background as a registered dietitian comes through. There is no gimmicky science, just straightforward advice and information.

Krieger is a working mom and she is emphatic that her mostly from scratch cooking approach is doable and will often take less time than preparing many processed foods. The recipes I tried were flavorful without being overly fussy to make and the directions were clear enough even for a less-experienced cook. I liked her moderation-is-key approach, with no foods off-limits, just how often you eat them or how much you eat of them. 

While there are many vegetarian options in other chapters (including pastas, pizzas, sandwiches, soups, dips, salads, and more), unfortunately, there are none in the “main course” section. One of the most tempting-looking recipes in the book is vegetarian though, Grilled Portobello Panini, using the mushrooms as the “bread” and oozing gorgonzola cheese and sun-dried mushrooms.

I recently tried three recipes from the book.  All three were excellent and I’ll make all of them again, but in each case I felt like I needed to add a bit extra.

In the case of the Double Chocolate Pudding Pie, it was that I wanted a s’more-style marshmallow topping instead of the suggested whip cream decoration. I made a more radical change with the Miso Glaze. I used the glaze recipe as written, but instead of using it for grilled black cod, I used it on tofu-zucchini-mushroom kebabs. I also made the Snow Pea and Radish Salad, which I felt needed a sprinkle of sea salt to bring out the taste of the vegetables. More experienced cooks might want to tweak some of the other recipes to reflect their tastes, but all the recipes I read seemed like they would work just fine without adjustment. Occassionally I wished Krieger would have been a bit more detailed, for example, specifying seasoned or unseasoned rice vinegar, salted or unsalted butter, natural or Dutch-processed cocoa, but they are small quibbles and don’t really cause problems with her dishes.

Snow Pea, Scallion and Radish Salad

From Ellie Krieger’s The Food You Crave, Taunton Press

Serves 4

Note: The snow peas in my market were yellow and tired. I opted to use some sweet sugar snap peas. They needed to be microwaved a bit longer (mine took 2 minutes) and I wasn’t  able to cut them in exactly the diamond shape she recommends, but the salad looked nice with the peas cut on a slant and it tasted fresh with a nice bite from the radish and scallions (green onions).  I served this with an Indian-inspired meal, but it would also go well with grilled, roasted, or fried food or with an Asian dinner. I also scattered about a ¼ teaspoon of good fine-grained sea salt over it before giving the salad a final toss.

8 ounces snow peas, trimmed

1 tablespoon water

¼ cup rice vinegar (Krieger doesn’t specify, but I used unseasoned, since the seasoned style would add sugar and salt)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon walnut or canola oil (I used the canola)

2 scallions (white and green parts), sliced thin

4 radishes, trimmed and cut into thin sticks

Place the snow peas in a microwave-safe bowl with the water. Cover and microwave for a minute. Drain and cool. Cut the snow peas on the diagonal into ½-inch diamond shapes. Discard the small ends.

Combine the vinegar, sugar, and oil in a small bowl, whisking together.  Put the snow peas, scallions and radishes in a serving bowl. Toss the salad with the dressing. Serve.

(Photo of The Food You Crave book jacket from Taunton Press)