Susie Fishbein

I got this cookbook back in late October, but I wanted to wait until I had a chance to try out a few of the recipes before reviewing it. I have no need to keep Kosher but that certainly won’t stop me from trying out a great cookbook.
The cookbook has a terrific layout. My favorite thing: there is a picture for every recipe. The pictures are big – full page and clear, not overly styled. They look like things you’d be pleased to put on the dinner table.

One thing that disappointed me, especially for a healthy cookbook: there is no nutritional information provided. My father is a diabetic and I often check the carbs and sugars on holiday recipes and I always check the fat content of things I make for myself. While I don’t always rely on it, that information is always good to have.

Now, I should warn you that I’ve never met a recipe I couldn’t alter just a teensy, tiny bit. I tend to use recipes as a guideline and I am never afraid to try a cooking method or ingredient that I think will work better. So I’ll tell you up front that I…adjusted these recipes. They still came out great and, adjustments or not, I’m sure they would work for others.

The first recipe I tried was the Rib Eye Portobello Steaks. It’s a great, simple recipe – thickly sliced mushrooms, well-seasoned steak and a side of diced tomatoes. I love portobello mushrooms and I will be using this method for roasting them and serving them as side dishes with other meals. The cooking method is generally light (I used a lot less olive oil than the mushrooms called for), but it still uses basic ingredients; I am always suspicious of recipes that depend too much on fat-free, reduced calorie items to keep the calorie count down.

Another recipe I tried was the Marrakesh Carrot Salad – North African spices on nice, healthy carrots. Again, I modified the cooking method and the recipe. The recipe called for boiling the carrots, but I’ve always read that boiling leaches out a lot of vitamins, so I steamed them in the microwave. I also cut back a bit on the olive oil. That’s something I found myself doing a lot with these recipes. I cut down on the olive oil, I changed the cooking methods…lamb patties sound great, but why fry them in oil? There are healthier cooking methods you could use.

The third recipe I tried, I actually used for my Thanksgiving turkey. I roasted a turkey breast with cranberry-pineapple glaze based on the Glazed Turkey Roast with Cranberry Chutney. The flavor of the turkey was fabulous and the pan drippings were sweet and savory. Really a hit.

Overall, I like the cookbook and I have turned out some good meals with it. As I said earlier, I adjusted ingredients and changed cooking methods, but I would do that with any cookbook. There are some great recipes here with a definite emphasis on healthy ingredients and cooking.

Susie Fishbein has put out a series of cookbooks for cooks who want to turn out great Kosher food. You can find more information on her cookbooks here. My copy was an Advanced Reader Copy. Buy your copy at Amazon.com.… (more)

I should probably start by saying I'm not Jewish. I can't attest to the "Jewishness" of this kosher cookbook. My knowledge of kosher laws extends to "no pork" and "no meat and dairy togethah". That is all.
But.
But, I like to cook, and I like to be able to cook for all of my friends, and if I'm eating something, I don't care if it's kosher, vegetarian, vegan -- or magical, for that matter -- it just has to taste good. So to all of the other non-Jews out there (Gentiles?) who are wondering why the hell you should spend your time reading this review or picking up this cookbook, let me tell you -- because it's awesome.

This is a really well put-together cookbook with a good diverse mix of recipes (both in content and difficulty). There is a full-color picture of ever single recipe, and I can't stress enough how impressive and important that is. My mouth watered flipping through this book. I tabbed a lot of recipes as to-make, and that's always a good sign when in the market for a cookbook.

The goal of the book, it seems, is to appeal to a younger set, and on that, I think it's fairly successful. I mean, it still may not be the most usable fora college kid in a dorm with only a hot-plate, but the recipes offered are easy to follow, there's a great variety in terms of skill and taste, and there is a section in the back devoted to party planning and bringing it all together. I ♥ this, and I love when cookbooks have this, even if I don't actually need help planning a party or hostessing. Reading through it just gets you in the mood for a little shindig.

The recipe I ended up making was a recipe for scones. It was a pretty standard scone recipe, other than that it had an egg wash rather than a cream wash, which I guess isn't that out of the ordinary. I made it for my bookclub's discussion of Soulless (and another member made treacle tart!) Along with the tea and cocoa I brought, it was kinda perfect, and the scones turned out just as scones should (mine were blueberry). I will be making them again, and trying more of the recipes in this book.

[Note: I received a copy of this for review.]… (more)

I was interested in Kosher by Design Lightens Up as, though I'm not Jewish, I've long been intrigued by kosher cooking. However, I did not hold out much hope for it because I don't cook light. We don't do diet anything in this house, we make full fat meals and desserts and simply eat smaller portions. But I have to say I was truly impressed with Kosher by Design Lightens Up.

I was immediately drawn in by the large, lovely photographs. I love to see what a dish should l
ook like upon completion and every recipe boasts a photograph. After flipping through the photos I decided on a handful of recipes to try over the following weeks. Let me tell you, none of them disappointed. I was pleased with each and every dish and dessert. My favorites would have to be the Garlic Burgers and Green Tea-Applesauce Cake. Of course with over 140 recipes I'm still cooking my way through, who knows what new favorite may present itself next?

What does Kosher by Design Lightens Up have to offer? How about Tex-Mex Turkey Meatballs, Miso Glazed Cod, Peasant Soup or Fudge Brownie Torte? Or perhaps Chummos Canapes, Mile-High Chinese Chicken Salad, Veal Marsala, Spicy Fries and Apple-Rum Croustade. Doesn't sound light does it? It doesn't taste light either!… (more)