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Rainbow Kitchen

Feed Your Mind First

By Allison St. Claire
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The Chopped Cookbook wants you to find new and tasty ways of looking at your groceries, with challenges sprinkled throughout, plus a ton of things to do with that one vegetable left in your crisper at the end of the week.

 

While there are gazillions of grilling books for summer fare, The Taste of America is neither a recipe book nor a how-to book – except how to enjoy uniquely American foods many of which you can relish ready to eat, or delicious in your own cooked creation.

Almost anywhere you look, listen or watch these days, there are lists of great summer reading. I decided to join the crowd and share some of my favorite food books. So curl up while you’re waiting for the grill to heat up or in front of the cooling device of your choice, and peruse a page or 100. I hesitate to include “at the beach” reading since most of today’s cookbooks approach or almost exceed the standard coffee table tome. But I especially love those since they usually include a lot of history, geography, culture, food sources, exquisite photography – and of course, recipes!

Let’s eat American on the Fourth of July – or any time of the year. While there are gazillions of grilling books for summer fare, The Taste of America is neither a recipe book nor a how-to book – except how to enjoy uniquely American foods many of which you can relish ready to eat, or delicious in your own cooked creation.

Food writer Colman Andrews has compiled this mouth-watering celebration of 250 of the USA’s most exceptional food products. From hot dogs to boiled peanuts, from California spot prawns to Meyer lemons, from maple syrup to root beer and Whoopie Pies, he offers full and fascinating details on how the product is made, its unique history and flavor, and includes a complete directory of the producers, many of whom offer their products online. (Phaidon Press, 2013)

Where your mind goes, your mouth is sure to follow. (Hmm, if that isn’t already the most important tenet of food advertisers, it’s something very similar.) Think about the average TV ad for a fast food outlet or restaurant or popular snack  – Doritos or grilled shrimp or steak marinades and rubs were probably nowhere near your conscious thought – but suddenly you’re salivating and possible running to the kitchen or hopping in your car to get some. Or feeling horribly deprived that none of those goodies are in your immediate environment, you dive for some handy ice cream or candy or salty snack to try to satiate that overwhelming craving.

Since this mind factor is so prevalent and strong, I almost always mention or review a health-oriented recipe book in this column. (A reminder that I never recommend “diet” books – diets simply don’t work except to sell books. Or an eating regime worked for the author and might for a few others, but chances are slim – pun intended –  that it will for you.)  Instead, focus on what’s healthy with a particular food or cooking method, and preparing and enjoying the results will be satisfying and gratifying. Given that, the newly published The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther, is a gem.

Here’s the basis for McGruther’s work: The traditional foods movement is a fad-free approach to cooking and eating that emphasizes nutrient-dense, real food, and values quality, environment, and community over the convenience of processed, additive-laden products that are the norm on grocery store shelves. Instead, she features bone broths, fermented vegetables, grass-fed meats, wholesome fats, dairy (preferably raw) and kombuchas (fermented strong sweet tea). Contains 160 recipes and extensive lists of resources for real food advocacy groups, and obtaining products that may not be readily available at a standard grocery store.  (Ten Speed Press, 2014)

Pick What’s Popular from Your Pantry. You may have seen Chopped, one of the longest running shows on the Food Network. Contestants are presented with a few wildly disparate ingredients – much like you may find lurking in your refrigerator or back of the cupboard – and asked to create something delicious from them. Now, given that you’ve been moving to buying more and more healthy ingredients, your results may be just as wacky but good for you as well. The Chopped Cookbook wants you to find new and tasty ways of looking at your groceries, with challenges sprinkled throughout, plus a ton of things to do with that one vegetable left in your crisper at the end of the week. As they note: “Use this book to help you look at familiar ingredients in new ways – and most important, to have fun while getting a delicious dinner on the table." (Penquin Random House, 2014)


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Allison St. Claire loves to dream about, study, grow, play with, prepare and ultimately enjoy eating great food.

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