Customer Reviews

Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe (Mollie Katzen's Classic Cooking)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café, is a beautifully produced book with original art by the author, and interesting mini-articles at the beginning of each section. (Katzen also has nice introductions and incidental notes within the articles that make them fun to read.) Many recipes include variations that make the book full of possible recipes and combinations. I especially liked the two introductory chapters about breakfast: "Make Room in your Life for Breakfast," which includes a short look at breakfast around the world, and "Breakfast for Metabolic Health," which discusses how breakfast contributes to our overall diet. The book contains over 300 recipes with sections on breakfast beverages, "Vegetables for Breakfast" and a delicious-looking chapter on "Potatoes, Beans, Tempeh & Hashes." Katzen states that most of the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and many take less than fifteen.

Unfortunately, there is no nutritional information with the recipes, and only 3 1/2 pages on menu planning at the back of the book. Sunlight Café is also obviously designed for lacto-ovo vegetarians as it relies heavily on dairy and eggs, and many recipes are not suitable for vegan substitutions, although Katzen says you can always substitute soy milk for cow's milk. While there are vegan recipes in the book, they're not labeled, so vegans get the not unpleasant chore of wandering through the chapters soaking in all the interesting tidbits while picking out what recipes to prepare.
--Reviewed by Amy O'Neill Houck

Mollie Katzen's self-named book `Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café' is a very welcome addition to the very small number of books available on breakfast. As I have just reviewed a classic, `The Breakfast Book' from the widely recognized author, Marion Cunningham, it seemed only appropriate that I tackle this new breakfast book by an equally honored writer who is best known for her books on vegetarian cooking co-authored with the Moosewood Collective.

Before I loose you in my usually long discourse, let me say that this book can do more good for your eating and health than just about any three other books put together. This opinion is based both on the quality of the book and the special position of it's subject.

Most people give less attention to breakfast than to either lunch or dinner. This means that breakfast is the one meal where the room for improvement is the greatest. It certainly has a higher potential for improvement than lunch, as most people eat lunch outside of the home. Even if they carry lunch from home, the range of foods, which can be made portable without special equipment, is smaller than what can be prepared and eaten in ones own kitchen.

This book is directed not only at a very wide range of good breakfast food, it is also directed at giving you the information you need to eat a nutritious breakfast with few or no `empty calories.

The book starts with a brief essay on how the body deals with carbohydrates, especially upon eating the first meal of the day, or, `breaking fast'. The long and the short of this story is that you are much better eating whole grains with protein and good fats rather than sugars and quickly digested starches. The remainder of the book is dedicated to making this option appealing.

The recipe chapters are:

Beverages: The straight skinny on coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and smoothies.
Fruit, including fruit salads, dried and roasted fruits, and crisp or cobbler.
Grains, Cereals, and Porridges, including an excellent tabular presentation of grain cooking characteristics.
Muffins, Biscuits, Breads, and Buns, including all the classics plus great stuff with bran and whole grains.
Eggs, Tofu, Scrambles, Quiches & Souffles, or Protein Central. Lots of basic methods.
Potatoes, Beans, Tempeh & Hashes. Lots of Potato recipes and unusual hashes.
(Other) Vegetables for Breakfast, especially tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach
Griddle Foods: Pancakes, Waffles, Blintzes, Crepes & French Toast

Yogurt and Cheese: Lactose central with (mostly) ricotta and other soft cheeses.
Puddings and Custards: Sweeten up your egg protein and vegetable goodness.
Condiments, Sauces, Toppings & Spreads with syrups, sauces, salsas Jams, Aioli, Ketchup, etc
Breakfast Bars, Coffee Cakes & Sweet Somethings: Home for lots of nuts, berries, and seeds
Menus, or how to really do a healthy pig out on Sunday morning

The book is laid out with lots of sidebars on tips and techniques which make it very easy to read and to find what you are looking for. Each chapter title page gives a complete table of recipes in the chapter. Almost (but not quite) as good as a complete list of recipes in the front of the book. Be sure to check the index when you are looking for a specific recipe. French toast, for example, appears in Griddle Foods and not Eggs or Breads and Potato Pancakes appears in griddle foods and not under potatoes.

The author wins me over completely when she quotes the line on omelets by Elizabeth David that says that the perfect omelet recipe is the way you make it. Another good quote describes an omelet as nothing more than eggs, butter, and body English. Of course, she goes on to give detailed instructions on how to make a good omelet and says it is not easy. Moral of the story, read and emulate her directions, but don't get too hung up on the result not looking like something done on the Food Network. Just keep practicing until you are happy with the result.

Not nearly enough has been written about the economics of home cooking versus prepared foods. Ms. Katzen's recipe for granola is probably an excellent place to start. A quick look at the health food aisles of my local megamart shows designer brand containers with less than a pound of food for prices that would make a beef fillet blush. Granola is a product that is almost completely foolproof to make from ingredients that individually are very, very cheap. And, I checked out those same health food aisles in the megamart and I found every single ingredient in bulk.

To repeat, Ms. Katzen's book is probably one of the very best places to start in improving what you eat. It is a very nice bonus that the list price of the book is significantly lower than the average cookbook and the artwork done by the author is truly delightful.

Very highly recommended. Easy for people with little cooking knowledge.

I never gave much thought to breakfast, but Mollie Katzen sure has! And she is her usual contagious self in this unusual new volume, as she shares hundreds of ideas and many, many simple recipes with healthy undertones and delicious overtones. And speaking of tone, hers is never dogmatic or preachy, just very informative (with interesting asides and anecdotes) and personal encouragement, helping us realize just how important it is to have something decent to eat as early in the day as possible, and sympathizing with how difficult that is for many of us. It would have been easy to write a breakfast/brunch book oriented specifically to leisurely weekend entertaining, and although this book covers that (a nice list of user-friendly menus appears in the back) it mostly focuses on the challenge of a good breakfast on busy weekdays. I've tried about 6 of the recipes, and they have all been delicious. Try the Chai Oatmeal and the Wild Rice & Quinoa Muffins with Dried Cranberries. I also loved the Breakfast Gingerbread and the Homemade Chocolate Chip Protein Bars. A winner all around, complete with lovely full-color art by the talented Ms. Katzen! A bargain at the price offered here (and even a bargain at full price)!

I bought this book, read it cover to cover--which is not something I typically do with cookbooks--and within the first three days of owning it had tried four of the recipes.

My breakfasts have been more varied and I've made a number of the dishes for use at other times of the day. I've also made items over the weekend for consumption during the weekday mornings. I think I've made more dishes based on this book in the short period I've owned it, than I have from most of my other cookbooks.

I've changed my techniques for making eggs and some other basics based on her recommendations too.

I was very inspired by this book and I think all of my recent cooking reflects it. I already had two other books by this author. I've been showing it to all of my friends and encouraging them to buy it too.

Mollie Katzen's books are in their own category, and they just seem to get better and better. Her latest, "Sunlight Café," in the opinion of this reviewer, is her best! She writes in a personal voice and her recipes are very much geared to the ordianry "non-foodie" peron, while inspiring to experienced cooks as well. In this latest work, she has shed new light (play on words intended) on the subject of breakfast, addressing not just more complex recipes for weekend brunches, but also (and mainly) nutirious and reasonably (and often very) convenient ideas for busy people running out the door on weekdays. Throughout, there is a spirit of optimism (which she talks about as symbolic of the morning meal) and encouragement. Some of the ideas are really quite surprising, like Gaxpacho as a morning drink, or delicious little nuggets made out of dates, peanut butter and flax seeds as a nutritionally dense, easy, freezable breakfast-snack. As someone who always liked the idea of breakfast without figuring out a good way to include it in my daily life, I feel that I am now equipped with inspiration and information to make a change. I am especially impressed by the large number of healthy muffin recipes, which I will now bake and keep in my freezer. Also, it bears mentioning that Mollie Katzen is an accomplished artist, and the gorgeous full-color illustrations in the book are all her handiwork.

I already love Mollie Katzen--her lovely artwork and ideas about eating, however unorthodox--always inspire me to try new things. Sometimes these experiments are a crashing failure--but the winners make it all worthwhile! This book in particular has piqued my interest. I have not used the recipes, but I am reading and rereading it. I picked it up partly based on my interest in all of Mollie Katzen's books and partly because I had initially opened it to the page with the recipe for Vanilla Ricotta Muffins. "Just like Italian Cream Cake"...I can't wait to try it. Her breakfast menu suggestions are also giving me new ideas for making my breakfasts, especially on weekdays, more interesting, healthy, and imbued with "soulful intention."

This is my favorite book EVER! I buy a lot of books, but this one is so good!!!! After trying recipes from this book, I bought every possible book from Mollie Katzen. The recipes are creative, simple, healthy and yummy. I tried each one of them, with 100% success rate. Mollie belongs to her own category, nobody tops Mollie.

I regularly make delicious meals from this absolutely terrific book. The recipes are well written and come out very well. There are interesting ideas for adding soy protein powder and other ways to increase protein content if you want. There is a great variety of recipes, sweet and savory. Eggs, tofu, beans, fruit, tomatoes, as well as muffins and breads. Sure, some are treats. But I am very happy to have the ability to make what I call "the best waffles in the world" when I want them. Breakfast doesn't get enough attention in cookbooks.

I love this book! It was given to me as a gift. I am not much of a cook, never even enjoyed it, until I read Mollie's book. Breakfast is my favorite meal and Mollie has amazing ideas of quick, simple, tasty ways to make breakfast fun and simple. Her drawings are beautiful. The woman has a million talents. Thanks Mollie! I have had a blast using your book.

This book is not only beautiful - it is FULL of recipes, useful information, 4 pages of brunch menu suggestions, and a lot of suggestions for varieties of the same recipe using different ingredients, i.e. pancakes 8 different ways using the same basic recipe.

If you are ever in a food rut, tired of eatting eggs and bacon, looking for healthier alternatives to start your families day - this is the book for you.

How about cobbler for breakfast, pg 39? So easy - I LOVE it made entirely with fresh organic strawberries! I mix all the dry ingredients and cut the strawberries without washing the night before. In the morning - I wash the berries, mix wet and dry ingredients pour over berries - (generously butter the casserole dish - yum) - 5 minutes total and pop into my preheated oven! My family wakes up to a delicious warm, gooie, healthy fruit breakfast....

This is one cookbook in my collection that is covered with my notes and food splatterings - well worth the space it takes in my house - it's a keeper!