Book Review: A MODERN WAY TO EAT by Anna Jones



I have to be honest, I was really uninterested in reviewing A Modern Way to Eat by Anna Jones. The problem was the cover.  It's like a third grade book report cover.  When I think about the cover, all I remember is blond girl with a blue shirt.  I don't think, wow, I bet that's a great looking cookbook!

If you look Janet Fletcher's Yogurt, that is a beautiful cover that makes you want to see what's inside.  Maybe they were going for a more minimalistic cover, but then do it right, like Food52's Genius Recipes.  That's minimal, but beautiful. And the title, I don't know why but for me it has a weirdly condescending, Gwenyth Paltrow kind of tone to it...not appealing.  Eventually, curiosity got the better of me and I decided to see what it was about, and I'm glad I did.

We have been trying to cut down significantly on the amount of meat we eat.  Unfortunately, most vegetarian recipe books either contain a lot of obscure ingredients I would never bother buying, or it's mostly salads or side dishes served in large portions under the guise of being an entree.  I remained hesitant until I saw that the author worked with Jamie Oliver, whom I love.  If he's going cosign to the recipes on this book, then I'm in.

Plus it helps that her food looks amazing.  I think I'll surprise my two maniacs with these Banana, Blueberry and Pecan Pancakes this weekend...



While the outside of the book is blah, the inside is beautiful.  All of the recipes have easy to find ingredients.  I like that everything seems so fresh and light, but I believe they'd be filling.  I haven't tried the recipes yet, but once my veggies start growing this season, I intend to go through all the recipes in this book.  Although, since I'm not growing Portobello mushrooms I guess there's no reason to wait to make these The Really Hungry Burger this weekend too...

WOULD I BUY IT?  Absolutely.  Please, don't let the boring cover discourage you from buying this book.  The recipes in here are original, interesting and not like the recipes I've seen in other vegetarian cookbooks.  They don't appear complicated to make nor do they involve bizarre, speciality store ingredients.  Whether you're vegetarian or simply need inspiration for Meatless Monday, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of A Modern Way to Eat.

Check out a list of recipe reviews from this book at Be Vegantastic!

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Book Review: YOGURT by JANET FLETCHER

 

I make yogurt.  Every week, a gallon of milk goes on the stove and I turn out six wide mouth pint and a half size mason jars of yogurt.  We go through them, but usually it's just smoothies or yogurt with fruit.  That's why I was excited by the opportunity to review Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner by Janet Fletcher.

 

The beginning is great for people that don't know how to make yogurt.  It lays out the steps easily, and since she uses a method much like my own, I can bet that you'll get positive results.  I like that she spoke about the use of whey and gave troubleshooting tips.  I recently made a batch of grainy yogurt, and thanks to Ms. Fletcher, now I know it's because I heated the milk up too fast.

 

 

I like that her recipes are easy to follow and have easily accessible ingredients.  I'm glad the breakfast section was brief, I mean really, that's not overly complicated.  I like that she took the time to include recipes for flat bread and how to cook chick peas.  I really like that the majority of recipes involve not cooking the yogurt for extended periods or at high heat.  One of the main points of eating yogurt is the probiotic benefits, which you lose by over cooking.  While the savory dishes look great, I am honestly most interested in making the Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce.

 

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  Yes.  Nice, heavy weighted paper.  Beautiful pictures.  This book is well written, easy to read with simple, but delicious looking recipes.  This is a great book for anyone looking to make homemade yogurt, expand their horizons and try savory yogurt recipes and make healthy recipes using fresh ingredients.

 

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.

Garden Tour - April 16, 2015

Many things have sprouted in our garden.

The thyme went from gray to green overnight.

 

 

The tarragon is back.

 

 

And so is the oregano.

 

 

Our first asparagus of the season!

 

I don't normally grow beets, but we're trying them this year. 

 

These are shelling peas.  The sugar snap peas are also coming up, but I

forgot to take a picture.  The seedlings looks the same, so whatever...

Remember when the kale looked like this?

 

 

I only pulled off three or four of the super dried out leaves.

The rest of the sad, pale, yellow green leaves are turning a beautiful

dark green almost like magic.  So cool!

 

The weird thing is, they are growing leaves from the stem.

 

I learned last year we did not have a cabbage moth problem, we had a

Silverleaf Whitefly problem.  I am not so sure what the best way to manage them are,

but I will get back to you with what I find out.



Book Review: FOOD52 GENIUS RECIPES

 

 

Let me just say, that I don't even have to test any recipes in Food52 Genius Recipes to say it is a book worth buying.  How is that possible?  While I own a lot of cookbooks, and I use the ones I have, I also spend a lot of time on the internet trying to find new ideas.  During those searches, I have come across Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, Marion Cunningham's Yeast Raised Waffles and The Judy Bird, also known as a Dry-Brined Turkey.  These are all recipes I have used, continue to use and have recommended.

 

There are quite a few things I really like about this book.  First, it's beautiful; everything from it's cover, to the pictures, to the nice thick paper it's printed on.  Second, these recipes don't require you to pick up a million weird, random and obscure ingredients nor do they require any difficult techniques.  These recipes are good for people that are only good at making toast to people that bake their own bread with grain they grew and flour they ground themselves.  Finally, since it is a compilation of so many of the innovative recipes I have found online, I can now throw out my printed copies of these recipes and simply use this book instead.

 

I was surprised that I haven't heard of some of these recipes sooner.  I am flabbergasted at Kenny Shopsin's idea of making crepes out of flour tortillas!  Flour tortillas!  Craziness.  If I hadn't been feeding my family five tons of Korean food in the last few weeks, I would be making Yotam Ottolenghi's Black Pepper Tofu tonight.  I think they need a break from Asian food...  Now that strawberry season is rearing it's beautiful, bright, red head, I will absolutely try River Cafe's Strawberry Lemon Sorbet.  Who would have thought that a simple mix of strawberries, sugar, lemon juice and a whole lemon...you read that right, a whole lemon, pith and all...would make a scrumptious looking sorbet?

 

WOULD I BUY IT?  Yes.  Absolutely, yes.

 

 I received a free copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.  There was no obligation to give a positive review, and if you read my blog, you know I'm a tell-it-like it is kind of girl.  I mean what I say and say what I mean, that holds true for my review.