My Go-To Cookbook Has a Sequel
photo by smcgee
I’m not one of those people who has a stockpile of cookbooks with flour-and-butter gunked pages. Though I’m cooking more meals at home now than ever before, I still have a simple palate and short attention span. And, really, too many meals I find in cookbooks are high in fat and calories. So as much as I’d love to make this Brown Butter Pound Cake from Gourmet (R.I.P.), I’d never cook something so unhealthy—mainly because I’d eat the entire thing in a day. No joke.
Anyhow, there’s one cookbook I constantly turn to for quick, noncomplicated, healthy meals that are delicious: Everyday Food’s Great Food Fast: 250 Recipes for Easy, Delicious Meals All Year Long. (The pint-size magazine is also super.)
Well, now Everyday Food—from no other than Martha herself, though I doubt she has a hand in this less-fussy book—has a new cookbook, Fresh Flavor Fast: 250 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Any Time of Day
I don’t have the book yet (I agree, that woulda been nice), but here’s a sample of some recipes: Jam-Filled French Toast, Spaghetti Puttanesca, Goat Cheese Crostini, and Gingered Blackberry and Plum Shortcakes. I’m drooling, especially over the last one.
In the mean time, check out this recipe from Great Food Fast. (Hear that? I take no responsibility for the deliciousness that ensues. I totally cribbed it from a cookbook.)
Almond-Apricot Chicken with Mint Pesto
Serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes
Total time: 50 minutes
Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 ounces goat cheese
4 dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (3 tablespoons)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mint Pesto
3 cups lightly packed fresh mint
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt
Chicken
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut a slit in one side of each chicken breast to create a pocket about 4 inches long.
- In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup almonds with the goat cheese and apricots. Stuff each breast with 1/4 of the mixture. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- On a plate, combine breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup almonds. Dip each breast into egg, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden, 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven; bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve hot with pesto on the side.
Mint Pesto
- In a food processor, combine mint and almonds; process until finely chopped.
- With motor running, gradually pour oil through the feed tube. Season with salt. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.
Question for you: What’s your go-to cookbook—and why?
16 comments
I love cookbooks but I never follow a recipe. Right now my go-to cookbook is So Easy by Ellie Krieger. I go to this one for inspiration when I just need to shake things up!
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Tracey Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 10:08 am
Joanna, You know, I’ve seen that book and wondered how it was. Good to hear it’s worth trying.
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I love cookbooks but I rarely ever use them!! haha! But I do love the Whole Foods Cookbook because it breaks down all the recipes nutritional content and I think that is important! Plus all the recipes are awesome…I mean hello? Whole Foods…um…yeah!
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I LOVE Everyday Food cookbooks! I have a stock pile of them in my kitchen cabinet. I never throw them away. I have their older cookbook, I can’t wait to get their new one!
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This recipe sounds good.. I should make it for the hubby
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Looks interesting Tracey!
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Jam Filled French Toast? What an amazing idea. This book looks like a must-have to me too.
Martha really know her stuff!
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I am one of those people that has stacks of cookbooks with flecks of food on every page. Thus, this post makes me tempted to check out the two cookbooks, and add two more to my collection. I too love reading cooking mags, but can rarely make the recipes in them because they’re loaded with butter (take Paula Dean on the FoodNetwork for example.)
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Tracey Reply:
February 16th, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Food Fitness Fresh Air: Don’t even get me started on Paula Deen. That woman cooks some disgusting food. Ick!
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I’m so fussy with recipes – they have to be easy, fast, healthy-ish with not too many ingredients, or I just don’t bother!
This book looks good – will look out for it, for sure.
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Love your posts!! I have several cookbooks – wouldn’t know where to begin – Kelly from My Healthy Passion recently sent me hers – so yeah tell her I’m “plugging” it – haha
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I have seen some from the “Eat Clean w/ Tosca Reno” one though – and I love that she actually has a balance of carbs – yes, she eats rice and beans and oatmeal ! It’s not like Atkins or something which I suspected since she is part of more of a bodybuilding mag so to speak.
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i love martha! and i am SUCH a sucker for cookbooks as you might have caught in my last post lol. i adore them. hope you cook up lots of yummy things, i know you will!
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Thanks for sharing – I haven’t tried this cookbook, and I got tired of Rachel Ray a long time ago.
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Tracey Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 11:51 am
Melinda, thanks for visiting my blog! I’m not a huge fan of Rachel Ray either. I’ve never cooked her food, but the personality grates on me.
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Hi Tracey! Thanks so much for your comments on my blog
I have never heard or tried this cookbook, but I will have to check it out because the recipe looks delicious! It’s always nice to read good chicken recipes because I tend to get so repetitive with making chicken!
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Tracey Reply:
February 19th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Hi Lara, thanks for visiting my blog!
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