Not only do I passionately collect cookbooks, the first section I head for at the library is the cookbook aisle. I’m obsessed with recipes, cooking, and everything remotely connected to food.
Could you tell?
The wonderful thing about checking cookbooks out at the library is you get to take them for a “test drive” and see if they warrant a trip to Amazon. With some cookbooks, I only find a couple of recipes that interest me, so I simply jot them down on a recipe card. However, other cookbooks, such as Ellie Krieger’s cookbooks (each and every one!), send me to Amazon.com faster than payday sends me to the store. With speed that breaks the sound barrier.
The most recent cookbook to pass the “test drive” was Ellie Krieger’s Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy. I realized there wasn’t enough ink in the house to record all of the recipes I’d want to make in this particular cookbook, so I put my pen away and told Ellie’s lovely face I’d see her on Amazon.
Soon.
The first recipe I made from this cookbook was the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. Like all results from an Ellie Krieger recipe, the hummus was phenomenal.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 larger roasted red pepper, drained and rinsed if jarred
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
One 15 oz can chickpeas, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 teaspoon for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons water
Finely chop 1 tablespoon of the roasted red pepper and reserve for a garnish. Coarsely chop the remaining roasted red pepper.
Using the broad side of a knife blade, mash together the garlic and the 1/2 teaspoon salt to form a paste. Place the garlic paste, chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the oil, the cumin, the water, and the roasted red pepper into a food processor and process until smooth. Season with additional salt to taste.
Place the hummus into a serving bowl and garnish with the reserved red pepper. Drizzle the remaining 1 teaspoon oil over the top. Hummus will keep for about 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I’ve got nothing but love for Ellie Krieger and nothing but love for USA Today. I’ve been a loyal reader for YEARS – remember when it was bigger? It took a while to get accustomed to the smaller version but now I can’t imagine it being larger. Now it’d probably feel like a giant’s newspaper!
The fact that USA Today and Ellie Krieger are teaming up to help readers cook and eat healthier meals has hands sweaty and my mouth watering. What a dynamic duo! Learn more about Ellie Krieger’s new column in USA Today here. I’ll be clipping and saving each recipe for my collection – I have the first one, of course: Garlic-Basic Shrimp and it sounds delicious. Click the link to see the recipe online.
Below is information that was sent to me about Ellie Krieger’s new cookbook, Comfort Food Fix. Can’t wait to get my hands on this one, it sounds as wonderful as the rest of her cookbooks.
Ellie Krieger, New York Times Bestselling Author and Host of “Healthy Appetite” Offers Healthy Versions of Classic American Comfort Food Dishes
You don’t often hear a Registered Dietitian say nothing is ever “off limits,” but Ellie Krieger believes just that. With a philosophy of “usually-sometimes-rarely”, Krieger is all about incorporating your favorite foods into a healthy lifestyle. To this end, Ellie has created Comfort Food Fix: Feel Good Favorites Made Healthy (Wiley Hardcover; $29.99), a collection of healthy versions of comfort food classics. Here Ellie provides 150 soul-satisfying recipes including hearty favorites like meatloaf, lasagna, chicken pot pie, crab cakes, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and more — all without the calories and saturated fat.
Ellie has every meal covered: There are recipes for breakfast, brunch and baked goods; snacks and starters; soups and sandwiches; meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetarian main dishes; sides and salads; and of course desserts. Each recipe contains complete nutrition information and calorie counts along with a side-by-side comparison of Ellie’s healthy version of the recipe versus a typical version of the recipe. You’ll be amazed at how simple substitutions can dramatically reduce both the caloric content of these recipes as well their saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol counts, while increasing healthy nutrients and antioxidants – all without sacrificing flavor and the comfort food experience that we’ve all come to expect from these classic dishes.
Everyone loves fried chicken – Ellie’s version, “Honey-Crisp Oven-Fried Chicken”, is lower in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than a traditional version of fried chicken – but with the same crisp golden perfection that is sure to satisfy any fried chicken craving. Using skinless chicken thighs, low-fat buttermilk, corn flakes for crunch, honey, tons of spicy flavor, and baking the chicken rather than frying, Ellie reduces the calorie intake of this classic from 560 to 330 calories.
How does she do it? Ellie breaks down her “make healthy” strategy into “15 Fix Factors,” many of which she applies in her “Honey-Crisp Oven-Fried Chicken” recipe, including:
Get Creamy (Nearly) Creamlessly – Use low-fat milk thickened with flour or cornstarch, along with evaporated milk for cream sauces, soups, and puddings; reduced-fat sour cream also ups the cream factor with less fat and no artificial ingredients
Un-Fry – Lightly bread, toss or spray with oil, and then bake to achieve that craveable crispness
Oil Well – Use antioxidant-rich extra-virgin olive oil or a neutral tasting canola oil for stir fries and baking
Sweeten Smartly – Use unrefined sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and molasses; these give your blood sugar a gentler rise, but use them sparingly
Repro-Portion – Measure out servings and keep an eye on portions; most of us have grown accustomed to much bigger servings of food than we need
With full nutrition information for every recipe and gorgeous full-color photos that are sure to whet any appetite, Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy will have you eating healthier versions of your favorite comfort food dishes without any of the guilt.
More Ellie Krieger Cookbooks:
ABOUT ELLIE KRIEGER:
Host of the Food Network’s hit show “Healthy Appetite,” now on the Cooking Channel, Ellie’s warmth and charisma have made her the leading go-to nutritionist, with a lifestyle emphasis, in the media today. Krieger’s success can be attributed to her unique way of offering real life advice without any of the gimmicks and crash diets that permeate the media today. She reaches people with her message that it is possible for anyone, given the tools and knowledge, to live life to the maximum by keeping a healthy balance and nurturing a richly satisfying and sumptuous, attainable lifestyle. Ellie’s 2005 book Small Changes Big Results was a how-to on easy-to-live-with habit changes that yield optimal results. Ellie’s second book, The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life, was an immediate New York Times bestseller, peaking at #2 on that list. In addition to being named to Amazon’s Customer Bestseller List for 2008, The Food You Crave won the 2009 IACP Cookbook award and the esteemed 2009 James Beard Foundation Award for “Best Cookbook with a Healthy Focus.” Her last book, So Easy: Luscious Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week, also became an instant New York Times bestseller.
I gotta tell you, I LOVE Ellie Krieger recipes. They’re always delicious, always fun to prepare, and always healthy. How could you possibly ask for more? The following recipe is from A Bullseye View and, by all appearances, Ellie Krieger has waxed brilliant again.
Apparently it’s how she rolls.
Cooking spray 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total) 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4 ounce) 1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs 1/8 teaspoon salt Freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with oil.
3. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick.
4. Place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula, serve immediately and snack away!
At a time when we’re all counting calories, this beautiful snack is especially welcome. I’m hooked on fried pickles, and these look like a healthier alternative.
Love tea? You'll want to check out the Crazy Tea Chick. The Crazy Tea Chick happens to be my daughter - the crazy doesn't fall far from the tree. It also doesn't wander far from caffeine.
