Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!: Natural and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite "Forbidden" Foods [Hardcover]

Levana Kirschenbaum (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2007

Fifty million Americans are mostly or completely lactose intolerant. The majority assume that steering clear of dairy means giving up their favorite dishes. Respected caterer, baker, and restaurateur Levana Kirschenbaum sets out to change that perception with this collection of creative and luscious recipes, all significantly leaner than their dairy-rich counterparts and made with natural dairy substitutes such as soy, rice, oat, and almond milks. Enjoy delicious foods such as Avocado Cucumber Soup, Blueberry Scones, Salmon Tomato Quiche, Tofu Spinach Lasagna, and Chestnut Almond Pudding with Chocolate Sauce. With a wide selection of both vegetarian and meat meals, these recipes will surprise and delight both the casual cook and the five-star chef.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Trying to prepare a dairy-free mustard sauce is no mean feat; even trickier is concocting a convincing dairy-free crème caramel, tiramisu or yogurt fruit soup. But this imaginative and beautifully-photographed cookbook contains tricks for all these recipes and more, each written in a friendly, step-by-step manner. That Cold Yogurt Fruit Soup, for instance, is a perfect summer snack: a mixture of fresh kiwis, grapes, honeydew and apples, blended with soy milk and tofu, it's good on its own, but even better, as Kirschenbaum suggests, over a scoop of sorbet. Another soup, Crème of Watercress and Asparagus has a more complicated preparation, but turns out a lovely, subtle puree of fresh vegetables and herbs. Spinach Lasagna is slightly less appealing; it's hard not to miss the milky tang of fresh mozzarella, for which tofu cream cheese is no substitute. But the author, a New York-based kosher cooking teacher and restaurateur, more than makes up for lackluster lasagna with outrageously tasty desserts, including Pistachio Halva Mousse with Maple Sauce, which turns the Middle Eastern candy into a seductive, creamy pudding, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars full of crunchy puffed rice; they taste great with a few spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream, and Kirschenbaum, happily, provides a wonderful dairy-free recipe for that too.
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Review

"Levana Kirschenbaum's passionate approach and great attention to detail result in dairy-free recipes that work on every level--taste, texture, and visual appeal." -- Judith Fertig, co-author of The BBQ Queens' Big Book of Barbecue

"An absolute must have for every kitchen. Levana invites formerly forbidden foods back onto the table with elegance and flavor. . . . Not a single guest will believe they are completely dairy-free and natural." -- Alisa Fleming, founder, GoDairyFree.org

"Levana's rich international background adds so much color and flair to her recipes that you won't miss the dairy--they truly taste as good as they look!" -- Jennifer Abadi, author of A Fistful of Lentils

"Only Levana, whose intelligent hands and generous heart, could deliver such a culinary promise with so much expertise. Just wait till you try the cheesecake! It tells the whole story." -- Rozanne Gold, award-winning chef and author of the "1-2-3" cookbook series

With her recently released cookbook, "Levana Cooks Dairy Free," Kirschenbaum finds herself once again on the cutting edge of kosher cuisine. -- World Jewish Digest

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing (November 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602390835
• ISBN-13: 978-1602390836
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #946,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eating Tiramisu without guilt, January 28, 2008

By 

M. Van Ijzeren (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!: Natural and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite "Forbidden" Foods (Hardcover)

Levana's second cookbook is just as great as her first. I have both and use them all the time. Finally I know how to make light and healthy versions of Tiramisu, cheesecake and many other classic dairy dishes. Because of the wholesome ingredients that Levana uses, I eat her desserts without guilt. I am a vegetarian and thanks to Levana I now make a deliciously flavored onion soup without using a meaty broth, but by adding miso paste. I can recommend this cookbook to everyone who is looking for easy to make, delicious and healthy recipes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good cookbook, November 15, 2009

By 

ellyn - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!: Natural and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite "Forbidden" Foods (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful cookbook for those who avoid dairy products, either
for health reasons or for religious purposes. The meals are tasty enough for use by those who have no dietary restrictions. The recipes are relatively easy to follow and are very tasty. This is an attractive cookbook with excellent photos. The only negative is that some of the ingredients are difficult to find at a typical supermarket. One would have to find them at a health food store, health oriented supermarket, a kosher supermarket, or a middle eastern shop.

5.0 out of 5 stars Levana is amazing, October 31, 2010

By 

Coach "Alan" (Washington, DC area) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Levana Cooks Dairy-Free!: Natural and Delicious Recipes for Your Favorite "Forbidden" Foods (Hardcover)

There are some souls who were sent to this world to make life better for all of us. Levana Kirschenbaum is one of these people. Her entrees, side dishes, soups and especially her desserts are absolutely wonderful. She uses healthy ingredients and they are mouthwatering concoctions. If you don't believe me, try the cheesecake or the pecan coffee cake or the Praline chocolate log. Levana is with us at our table every Shabbat. You don't have to be Jewish to love her non-dairy recipes. And she uses spelt flour, tofu cream cheese and other high protein ingredients in addition to keeping things light. You will never feel full but you will crave another piece. Even our friends who are sick at the thought of eating anything with Tofu have requested recipes which use the Tofu cream cheese. Thank you, Levana, for making this a tastier world and bringing joy into our lives!