Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
Are you looking to improve your diet by eating more plant-based foods and decreasing your consumption of meat? If so, I have the perfect book for you! It’s Three Veg and Meat: More Veg, Less Meat; Flip the Balance on Your Plate by Olivia Andrews …
When I think of Paris, I think of sidewalk cafés, pastry-store displays of colorful macarons, and chefs in white toques preparing sumptuous multi-course feasts. Indeed, the Paris food scene includes all that and more, according to The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris by Helen Massy …
How about a cookbook full of delicious and nutritious recipes for any time of day? Meet The Everything® Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook: 300 Fresh and Simple Recipes for Better Living by Peter Minaki (Adams Media, December 2019)!
* Complimentary book received for review. This post may contain affiliate links.
As you can tell from the title, this book is part of Adams Media’s well-known “Everything®” series, which includes not only cookbooks but, well, everything—from investing, health, how-to, and DIY to education, games, puzzles, and more. There are now over 600 Everything® books! The Everything® Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook certainly lives up to its name, with a wealth of information and recipes that will have you preparing and enjoying tasty, wholesome Mediterranean-style dishes in no time.
The Mediterranean diet is no fad. As Minaki says in the book’s Introduction, “Although the Mediterranean diet has been enjoyed for centuries, within the last sixty years it has been the subject of much interest by dietitians, medical professionals, and consumers.” In describing this diet, he says, “There are regional differences… but all share an essential common trait: a focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish….Another factor that characterizes this diet is the use of oils, nuts, and seeds.” It also emphasizes fresh, seasonal foods, sourced locally if possible. Sounds good to me!
Honestly, most of the recipes in The Everything® Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook sound good to me. True to the title, “everything” is exactly what you’ll find in this book, starting with breakfast and ending with dessert, including anything you can imagine in between.
Here’s a chapter listing, with a couple of sample recipes from each:
• Breakfast: Mediterranean Omelet; Baklava Oatmeal
• Appetizers and Dips: Baked Feta; Eggplant Caponata
• Soups and Stews: Gazpacho; Classic Minestrone
• Salads and Dressings: Grapefruit and Pomegranate Salad; Kalamata Olive Dressing
• Pasta and Rice: Linguine Carbonara; Risotto and Greens
• Vegetable Main Dishes: Ratatouille; Slow-Cooked White Beans
• Beef, Pork, and Lamb: Braciola; Grilled Lamb Chops
• Poultry: Chicken Souvlaki; Turkey Breast Piccata
• Fish and Seafood: Spinach-Stuffed Sole; Shrimp Saganaki
• Sides, Sauces, and Accompaniments: Sautéed Artichoke Hearts; Romesco Sauce
• Sweets, Desserts, and Beverages: Apricot and Walnut Tart; Greek Summer Sangria
Most of the recipes can be prepared in under 45 minutes, and the ones that can be made ahead or in a slow cooker are clearly marked. The step-by-step recipes are easy to follow and include a per-serving nutritional breakdown. Additionally, the sidebars sprinkled throughout the book provide bonus bits of information like how to make croutons or clean a cast-iron pan, or details about ingredients. It all adds up to one extremely useful cookbook.
If you have a foodie on your gift list, do consider The Everything® Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook for them. They’ll turn to this book for fresh takes on familiar recipes as well as inspiration for trying new things, too.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win a copy of The Everything Healthy Mediterranean Cookbook thanks to Adams Media (an imprint of Simon & Schuster publishing).
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on January 11th, 2020 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, we may or may not make a small commission which helps to support this website. Thank you!!!
Successfully cooking for one person involves a lot more than just downsizing a standard recipe, and there’s a brand-new cookbook to help. The Ultimate Cooking for One Cookbook: 175 Super Easy Recipes Made Just for You by Joanie Zisk (Adams Media, December 2019) not only …
Astrology—whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, you probably know what your zodiac sign is, and even the signs of the significant people in your life. Now there’s a brand-new cookbook to help you tailor your menu to suit your sign, or that of your …
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the opening of his restaurant tavola (yes, “tavola” with a lowercase “t”), Chef Michael Keaveny has written a book sharing his most popular recipes along with his music and wine selections to accompany them. The book, “tavola: 10 Greatest Hits—Music and Food,” is a fascinating glimpse into the workings of a successful restaurant and the people who make it happen.
* Complimentary book received for review. This post may contain affiliate links.
In keeping with the tenth anniversary theme, 10 recipes are featured in “tavola,” each preceded by the story of its creation, with a sidebar called Tasting Notes describing a companion song. Some include a suggested wine pairing, as well. All 10 recipes are favorites of the restaurant’s customers.
Without further ado, let me present the “10 greatest hits” from the book:
• Cozze ai ferri (skillet-roasted mussels, garlic butter, parsley, baguette)
• Burrata antipasto (buffalo milk cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes)
• Capellini gamberi Raucci (sautéed shrimp, tomatoes, capers, white wine, lemon, garlic, gorgonzola fonduta)
• Linguine alla carbonara (fresh pasta, sausage, pancetta, egg, onion, pecorino Romano)
• Pappardelle alla ragu (fresh pasta with braised pork, red wine, San Marzano tomatoes)
• Melanzane alla Parmigiana (breaded eggplant, San Marzano tomatoes, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, basil)
• Capesante ai ferri (pan-roasted sea scallops, beet-leek risotto, white truffle oil)
• Pesce spada alla griglia (grilled swordfish, tomato-olive relish, roasted fennel, aged balsamic)
• Petto d’anatra con polenta (pan-roasted duck breast over polenta with cherry agrodolce and pink peppercorns)
• Cotoletta di maiale alla Milanese (pork, sautéed baby arugula, heirloom tomatoes, capers, Meyer lemon)
In addition to the top 10, Keaveny also includes the recipe for a cocktail from the restaurant’s cicchetti bar, as well as several recipes for staples like marinara sauce and fresh pasta. Just as many fine meals end with dessert, “tavola” ends with the recipe for a particularly luscious-sounding Tiramisu.
In the book’s introduction, Keaveny writes, “We opened tavola on July 16, 2009…with one goal in mind: Provide a warm, friendly experience, with minimal technology or pretension, because human connection is what really matters.” From what I’ve read in “tavola: 10 Greatest Hits—Music and Food,” Keaveny’s artful melding of food, music, drinks, and ambiance has combined to make his goal a reality, which we can all share through his book.
If I am ever in Charlottesville, Virginia, I am going to have dinner at tavola, and I am going to order the Melanzane alla Parmigiana, Keaveny’s version of eggplant Parmesan. Alternatively, I can seek out the necessary ingredients and make it myself in my own kitchen, perhaps even while listening to Nick Lowe’s “Til the Real Thing Comes Along,” the Tasting Notes song suggestion for this recipe.
This book would make a lovely gift for the Italian cook on your list. If they live near or are traveling to Charlottesville, you could even combine it with a gift certificate to tavola restaurant, available at their website. For more information, visit tavola on Facebook. You can purchase the tavola cookbook HERE.
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
Giveaway: One lucky winner is going to win the tavola cookbook by Chef Michael Keaveny. Good Luck!
Giveaway Details: This giveaway is open to residents of the US ONLY age 18 and over. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering. This giveaway will close on December 20th, 2019 at 11:59 pm EST time. No purchase necessary to enter or win.
Disclaimer: A. Bailey received a complimentary product for review purposes & feature on The Classy Chics blog. No monetary compensation was received. A. Bailey’s thoughts, opinions and words are 100% her own. Your thoughts may differ. Please read the blog’s terms of service policy before entering any giveaways. The Classy Chics are NOT responsible for prize fulfillment or shipping of any items won from this blog. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through an affiliate link, we may or may not make a small commission which helps to support this website. Thank you!!!
Let me begin by saying outright that I love this cookbook! Deep Flavors: A Celebration of Recipes for Foodies in a Kosher Style by Kenneth M. Horwitz (Inspire on Purpose, October 2019) is unique and refreshing, with a diverse selection of recipes and a wealth …
If you’re reading this review, chances are that either you or someone you know is on a ketogenic diet. Since a keystone of this diet is eliminating carbohydrates, bread-loving keto dieters can find themselves feeling deprived. Thankfully, there’s a new book to remedy that, called …