Its a Non-fiction Saturday two-fer!

5 stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

If you’re inclined to throw a dinner party, you probably do what most folks do: you make a few sides and maybe a salad, ask someone to bring dessert, and put a hunk of meat in the middle of the table, like the roast beast in The Grinch. But what about vegetables? Living in a meat-centric world, most of us simply don’t know how to cobble together a series of vegetarian dishes that work together to create a perfect dinner party. Why? Because vegetarian cooking for dinner parties is not part of the American culinary lexicon, until now.

Here, critically-acclaimed, food writers (and omnivores) Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough take the reader by the hand and teach them not only how to make extraordinarily delicious and modern vegetarian and vegan dishes that everyone will love—everything from sweet pea samosas to warm vegan donuts, stews, braises, pastas, and more—they show readers how to actually build dinner parties starting with flavors, seasonality and availability, and even time and skill. Each recipe, which can certainly stand on its own, will be complemented by a wine or drink matching, and instructions for how to place the finished dish in the choreography of a 3-course dinner party. 

ABOUT THE AUTHORS -

BRUCE WEINSTEIN and MARK SCARBROUGH are the creators of the bestselling Ultimate Cookbook series and have most recently published Goat: Meat, Milk, Cheese (2011). They were nominated for a James Beard award in 2011. They live in Colebrook, CT.

Visit their website - HERE

MY REVIEW -
This book is wonderful!
I am not really into dinner parties, but this book wold be great for just about any get together - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Showers, Sunday Brunches etc. This takes yu from the beginning (napkins, lists, planning...) right through the dessert.

And the recipes! The recipes are simply to die for! Some of these recipes are just so yummy sounding. There are lots of new creative ideas. I am very excited to try some of these.

And... the moment we have all been waiting for... LOTS OF PICTURES! Yay! Two thumbs up. There isn't a picture of every recipe because there are tons of recipes, but thee are lots of beautiful full color photos.

I think if you are a vegetarian and if you ever plan a party or ever have company - this book is a must have! I am seriously thinking of getting this for the daughter and son-in-law for Christmas.

Here are a few great pics and a recipe -

And here is the recipe for this delicious looking salad!!! -

(you can click on it to make it bigger to read)

This book comes out in Sept.
You can pre-order your copy from Amazon - HERE

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3 stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

Greek yogurt has quickly become America's favorite health food, its tangy, luscious taste going far beyond a typical breakfast or simple snack. Thanks to its health benefits, this power food has become a staple. Greek yogurt's protein quantity builds muscles and regulates metabolism and the probiotics help maintain a healthy digestive tract and boost the immune system. Greek yogurt is also an excellent source of calcium and very low in sodium-and it's lactose-intolerant friendly, too! Why wouldn't you want it in every meal?

Now, in THE GREEK YOGURT KITCHEN, nutrition expert Toby Amidor shows readers how to cut back on fat and calories without compromising flavor. She shares how to use this most versatile and healthful ingredient in unexpected ways, making even the most bad-for-you foods healthier, tastier, and more satisfying.

Greek yogurt has quickly become one of America's favorite foods, its tangy, luscious taste going far beyond a typical breakfast or simple snack. Thanks to its health benefits, this power food has become a staple. Greek yogurt's protein quantity builds muscles and regulates metabolism and the probiotics help maintain a healthy digestive tract and boost the immune system. Greek yogurt is also an excellent source of calcium and very low in sodium-and it's lactose-intolerant friendly, too! Because it is strained, resulting in very low water content, the ingredient is thick, creamy, and indulgent. Why wouldn't you want it in every meal? 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in clinical nutrition and dietetics from New York University.  She is also a Certified Dietitian Nutritionist by the state of New York.

Toby is the founder of Toby Amidor Nutrition where she provides nutrition and food safety consulting services for various entities. She is a nutrition expert for FoodNetwork.com where she writes for their Healthy Eating Blog and helps develop content and analyze the nutrition information for recipes. Toby is also the nutrition advisor for Sears’ FitStudio where she oversees the nutrition content and contributes nutrition articles to the FitStudio community.
Visit her website - HERE

MY REVIEW -
This book was OK, but it was a little bit of a disappointment for me. It is a great cook book in general, but it was just nothing new for me. I love yogurt, I always have, so I was really excited about this book. So I was really excited about this and is was so un-exciting.
There are a lot of good recipes but most of it seams like the same ol' same ol' with yogurt added or substituting something for yogurt to make it healthier or low-fat. Which is good, don't get me wrong. I just don't think I need a whole cook book telling me how to do it. This book just didn't thrill me.

And... UGH! NO PICTURES!  None :-(  I have to admit, I personally, would never spend the money and buy a cook book without pictures. This is just a huge deal breaker with me.

This book did get a few great reviews on Amazon - it just didn't thrill me.

You can order a copy of this book from Amazon - HERE