book reviews

Review: Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by Erica Kerwien

May 20, 2013

I received a copy of Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet for purpose of review. All opinions expressed below are my own. Once upon a time (though I should hasten to add, this is no fairytale) a mother was faced with a sick child and very few answers. Eventually the doctors diagnosed Emily Kerwien’s son with Crohn’s Disease, but it was far from a simple answer. Searching around for anything to help her son live a better life, the Specific Carbohydrate Diet was suggested and Kerien threw herself into learning about an eating plan to eliminates many combative carbohydrates from the diets of those with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease, chronicling her progress on ComfyBelly.com. I was given the opportunity to take a look at Kerwien’s book, Cooking for the Specific Carbohyrdate Diet, to satisfy my curiosity about another diet out there with the aim to make life easier for those with imperfect digestive systems, having recently switch to a Low-FODMAP diet for similar reasons. While the subtitle mentions that the recipes are sugar-free, it should be noted that this talks to refined cane sugars only. Honey is used whenever additional sweetness is required, and the substitution guide in the back of the [...]

Review | The Newlywed Cookbook by Robin Miller

April 8, 2013

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 to 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 the in-laws 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 [...]

Review | Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris

March 25, 2013

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 Kitchen and, of course, try out a few recipes in the process. Morris, 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 [...]

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

March 4, 2013

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 [...]

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

February 18, 2013

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., the veterinarian 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 [...]

Review | Savory Pies by Greg Henry

February 11, 2013

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 [...]

Beans, Lentils & Tofu–Oh My!

December 27, 2012

On their own or with other heavy-hitters, beans, lentils, and tofu can make quite the filling meal. While they are the perfect comfort-food base for the cooler months, they also work well in Spring and Summer. Because they are common sources of vegetable protein, you might expect 250 Best Beans, Lentils and Tofu Recipes: Healthy, Wholesome Foods would be all-vegetarian all the time, but there are plenty of recipes throughout the book that combine the headliners with meat, poultry, fish and seafood. I mean, with 250 recipes you’ve got to figure the match-ups will be pretty varied. Even though Todd’s not the biggest fan of tofu, I figured this would be a prime time to try out some new tofu material on him and see how we fared. The first try wasn’t as successful as I’d hoped. I don’t think it was the tofu’s fault, though. I’ve made one other dish in semi-recent memory, a buckwheat polenta, and remembered it having an odd taste to it. Granted, I chalked it up to the anchovy sauce and didn’t think about it until we sat down to the Cantonese Noodles (p.219) and it all came back to me. It also doesn’t help [...]

Nibble on This: When I MET Food

December 24, 2012

They say you can’t judge a book by it’s cover–which is why, perhaps, the presence of money on one side of the scale and a burger on the other, in front of the author, didn’t really register when I first picked up When I Met Food: Living the American Restaurant Dream by Kathy Sidell. And without knowing much about Ms. Sidell beforehand, a title like How I MET Food made me think this would be your average food memoir. And I just eat up (if you’ll pardon the phrase), a good food memoir. So imagine my consternation as the early chapters flew through her early years with more mention of her family’s status in Boston society than food experiences. They were there, of course, but they weren’t expounded upon like you might expect. Or at least how I expected. From this life of privilege Sidell went not into food, first, but into film, producing commercials and movies, all while starting a family. As a reader I wanted to know more about these milestones in her pre-restaurant life but she flew through them with far more tell than show than tell–something even beginning writers are cautioned against and surprising from an English [...]

More Soups Than You Can Shake a Ladle At

December 20, 2012

Though why you’d want to shake a ladle at anything, much less soup, escapes me. Soup is one of those feel-good dishes that can be a meal on its own, a side to a salad or sandwich, or the first course of a larger meal. Soups can be hot, cold, or room temperature. While often savory, they can also be sweet; or sometimes both! Soups are also easily portable with a good insulated container and a tight lid, which makes them great for packing lunches or dining al fresco. Soups are also a healing food. A way to show someone you care. There’s little that can replace a favorite relative’s recipe for Chicken Noodle or Creamy Tomato, but sometimes we need a new idea or 20, don’t you agree? In 300 Sensational Soups by Carla Snyder and Meredith Deeds, you’re bound to find some inspiration to easily fill any gaps in your menu. Potato soup is one of the standbys for many cooks–it’s warm, filling, and has a great texture when pureed. We tried their twist on the original, a Potato Tarragon Soup (p.72), and were happily surprised by the addition of the bright-tasting herb. As filling as it can [...]

How Many Ways Do You Grill Your Cheese?

December 17, 2012

A grilled cheese sandwich is pretty far up there in my book as a great comfort food. Toasty, butter bread; gooey, molten cheese; with maybe some brown mustard or a slice of ham tucked inside for variation. Perfect for a quick supper, an accompaniment to soup, or a warming snack on a cold winter day. You can change up your bread (white, wheat, rye, potato), you can change up your cheese (provolone, cheddar, gouda, swiss) but I’ll bet that’s as far as many of go as far as rethinking the humble grilled cheese sandwich. So when I heard about 150 Best Grilled Cheese Sandwiches by Alison Lewis, I was intrigued. Lewis expands upon the idea of, at it’s simplest, 2* slices of bread and a slice of cheese. Bread is not limited to sliced–tortillas, pitas, and bagels are all fair game–and cheeses are ranked primarily by meltability, though flavor does come into play, of course. and it’s not just for lunch or dinner, anymore! The grilled cheeses in this book will take you from breakfast to dessert, offer flavor combinations with meat, fish, seafood, and poultry, as well as more veggie-centric ones. Just take a look as some of these [...]

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