Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food To Nourish Every Day

Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food To Nourish Every Day by Hetty McKinnon      Hardback Book:  288 pages        

I like vegetables, I just don't eat vegetables as often as I should.   It is so much easier to pick up a can of V8 and wham - 2 servings of vegetables right there.  That has pretty much become my go-to for veggies.   But I would like to have a better relationship with vegetables and find some tasty recipes for fixing them in unique ways that will fool me into eating more for a much healthier lifestyle/nutrition.    When I saw this cookbook had vegetarian comfort food I was intrigued.  Reading through the recipes and ingredients as well as the stories told with each and the cultural shares by the various recipe donors for the first time I can remember got my mouth watering for vegetable dishes, but, honestly mostly the desserts.  But Hetty McKinnon has some very tasty sounding and looking foods to choose from here.  I like the sound of her BLEAT salad.  Or, broccoli, lettuce, egg, avacado and tomato salad.   It looks delicious and right about now I would tear it up if it were sitting in front of me.   Sweet and Sour Cauliflower with Ramen Noodles (love Ramen Noodles, too), Grilled Peach Salad with Mozzarella, Basil and Honey - doesn't that sound good?  Yum!  Roasted Chestnuts which I found out I like a lot - there is a lot of good nut meat in a chestnut and cremini mushroom soup - love it!   Broccoli Soup with Cheesy Macaroni - what?  Hadn't thought of it before, but, I love broccoli and cheddar soup and certainly I am a mac and cheese fan.   Who knew I was on my way to vegan already?    Roasted garlic and potato soup - a favorite add almonds or almonds rolled in butter and sugar for a sweet twist - mmmm,   I am a big soup fan.   A bowl of hearty soup, Italian bread and butter and I am happy.   The coconut soup with asian greens and rice noodles sounds good.   I like coconut and I like soup sounds like a winner.  I like cauliflower and cheddar soup and there is a recipe in here for Cauliflower Soup with smoky eggplant and pomegranate.   All things I like.   This vegan thing may be easier than I thought.   There is even a recipe for sweet potato mac and chese which also sounds sweet and cheesy which equals GOOD.  There are variations on baked potatoes listed and a baked tomato cobbler with buttermilk parmesan biscuits - I'm like Pavlov's dog here.  She includes a recipe for one of my all-time favorite things - eggplant parmesan.    I'm interested in trying the 5 spice cauliflower "steaks" with mushroom "XO" sauce - sounds good then we come to the sweets/desserts.  Pear tarts, fruit crumbles, bavarian apple torte shades of the Strassenfest and my Austrian friend, Liz who makes the best Christmas cookies and apple streudel!   There is even a recipe for Sweet Potato pie though I admit I am so partial to Patti LaBelle's sweet potato pie it is hard to think of making one when hers are like my Mom's.    Not to mention the mousse like chocolate cherry semifreddo (half-cold) which must be like a blackforest cake flavor and between the golden syrup dumplings and the hello!  Self-saucing chocolate orange pudding - I have been missing out not paying more attention to my fruit and vegetable intake.   This cookbook rocks!  Yes, highly recommended to all of us who love to eat and really want to get our veggies in. 

 - Shirley J

Mary Poppins In The Kitchen

Mary Poppins In The Kitchen by P.L. Travers, 79 pages

This is a combination cookbook and story.  Mr. and Mrs. Banks have planned a trip.  Ellen is already away because she is ill and Mrs. Brill has received a telegram that she must go help her niece whose children are sick with the measles.  Mary Poppins, of course, is more than capable in the kitchen and off the Banks go leaving Mary Poppins and he children to manage.   They cook something different every day, usually with the help of someone we've met in a previous book, like Mrs. Corry and her daughters and Admiral Boom.  At the end of the book are all of the recipes of everything they made and a few things they didn't.  It's cute but probably only something that fans of Mary Poppins would enjoy.

Good and Cheap: Eat Well On $4/Day

Good and Cheap: Eat Well On $4/Day by Leanne Brown
190 Pages

"A perfect and irresistible idea: A cookbook filled with delicious, healthful recipes created for everyone on a tight budget--and a cookbook with a strong charitable component: With every copy of Good and Cheap purchased, a second copy will be given to a person or family in need. While studying food policy as a master's candidate at NYU, Leanne Brown asked a simple yet critical question: How well can a person eat on the $4 a day given by SNAP, the U.S. government's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program informally known as food stamps? The answer is surprisingly well: Broiled Tilapia with Lime, Spicy Pulled Pork, Green Chile and Cheddar Quesadillas, Vegetable Jambalaya, Beet and Chickpea Salad--even desserts like Coconut Chocolate Cookies and Peach Coffee Cake. In addition to creating nutritious recipes that maximize every ingredient and use economical cooking methods, Ms. Brown gives tips on shopping; on creating pantry basics; on mastering certain staples--pizza dough, flour tortillas--and saucy extras that make everything taste better, like spice oil and tzatziki; and how to make fundamentally smart, healthful food choices."

While some of the recipes were interesting, nothing really caught my eye.