Customer Reviews

Mexican Light/Cocina Mexicana Ligera: Healthy Cuisine for Today's Cook/Para el Cocinero Actual (Great American Cooking Series)

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We accidently walked into Kris' restaurant for lunch a month ago, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. While reviewing the menu we were delighted to see the healthy, lighter fare. While waiting for the chicken salad (which was terrific) we perused a worn copy of her previous healthy eating cookbook which garnered our full attention. It was ripe with terrific, healthy, recipes, each with basic nutritional data for each, plus, alternate ingredients to make it more healthy. A bonus is the Spanish language version for each which is especially helpful when shopping at the local markets. Although we've only just begun to use the book, we find it to be one of our favorites.

"Mexican Light: Healthy Cuisine For Today's Cook" by Kris Rudolph (owner of the El Buen Café in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico), is a bi-lingual cookbook that features a compendium of fifty delicious recipes that are presented side-by-side on facing pages with Spanish on the left and English on the right The focus is on pre-Columbian Mexican cuisine that was low in fat and high in fiber and vitamins. Ranging from appetizers to after-dinner refreshers, each palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dish not only includes the ingredients and the preparation instructions, but the number of calories, amounts of total fat and saturated fat, grams of carbohydrates, and amount of fiber. Low-fat and low-carbohydrate alternatives 9as well as ways to vary the degree of spiciness) are also provided. From Chayote and Chile Poblano Soup; Green Salad with Jicama, Manco, and Cucumber; and Chicken with Tomatillo Cilantro Salsa; to Beef in Avocado Salsa; Cauliflower with Spicy Tomatoes; and Amaranth Water, "Mexican Light" is an ideal and highly recommended culinary resource for diet conscious kitchen cooks wanting their friends and family to eat healthy while eating Mexican.

One of my favorite Mexican cookbooks - recipes are easy, simple to follow. I love the grilled vegetable and goat cheese chile rellenos, as well as Veracruz-style fish with capers. All the great flavors of complicated and complex dishes, but without the fat and much simpler, quicker style of prep. Bright flavors and colors to celebrate this sunny cuisine.

Kris has written a wonderful cook book for Mexican food that is easy to fix with great results. I've been lucky enough to attend her cooking class twice in San Miguel and her recipies in the book have allowed me to bring the taste of her food home to my family. I highly recommend this to someone who wants to bring new, light dishes to the table that are healthy and bright.

I have never thought of Mexican food as "light" or particularly healthy. Therefore, I haven't normally prepared it for myself, family, or guests. BUT, I love mexican food and have always wished it could be an everyday meal in my home. Now it is. When I came upon this book, I hoped it would provide me with just what it claimed to provide - a delicious and healthy cuisine. Among my many cookbooks, there are only a few well used ones and only one favorite. This is it. The recipes are easy to follow, and I always have guests asking me to share recipes of dishes made from "Mexican Light". Thank you, Ms. Rudolph.

Absolutely love this cookbook. As a fan of Mexican food, I'd always found it hard to find healthy recipes. This book has solved the problem, with great tips and techniques resulting in healthy and tasty fare. I'm impressed that it's also bilingual.

MEXICAN LIGHT:
Healthy Cuisine for Today's Cook
By Kris Rudolph
Rudolph points out in Mexican Light that Pre-Columbian Mexican cuisine was not high in fat and low in fiber. In her book she brings her readers more into line with early cooking and offers her text in Spanish as well as English on opposite pages. Progressing through the book, the author expands on her views, covers basic Mexican ingredients, then goes on to assist with helpful information on the many chiles available to us.
Here are the ingredients in some of Rudolph's well-thought-out recipes designed to be delicious Mexican yet light for our health's sake.
* Roasted Garlic Soup with Spinach and Chicken: includes tomatoes and eggs
* Chicken Vegetable Consomme: contains broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, onion, lime juice and Serrano chiles
* Chunky Pico de Gallo: white onion, tomatoes, Serrano chiles, avocados, cilantro and lime juice.
* Roasted Cactus Salad: Nopales, tomatoes, onion, garlic, chile and lime.
* Green Salad with Jicama, Mango and Cumcumber: She uses toasted, slivered almonds in this salad.
* Vegetable and Goat Cheese Chiles Rellenos: calls for mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini, red onion, tomato corn and spices.
* Chicken Tinga: onion, garlic, tomato, oregano and chipotle chiles
* Pork Loin with Mango-Chipotle Salsa: roasts these together with green onions, lime juice and cilantro
* Cauliflower with Spicy Tomatoes: garlic, onion, jalapeno pepper, green olives, capers, lime juice and parsley
* Green Beans a la Mexicana: a simple concoction of garlic, olive oil, tomatoes and cilantro
* Vegetable-Stuffed Chayote: onion, red bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, cilantro, oregano and Manchego cheese
* Mango Mousse: calls for lime juice, nutmeg, cinnamon, whipping cream and vanilla
Mexican Light ends with Rudolph pulling it all together with some exciting dinner party menus. She also offers suggestions for which items can be prepared early and how early.

Review by Marty Martindale ©2006, Largo FL