Customer Reviews

Norene's Healthy Kitchen: Eat Your Way to Good Health with Over 600 Fast & Fabulous Recipes

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Oy! I just received this cookbook. I have 3 others by this author, and I use them regularly. Her recipes are simple and DELICIOUS. However, I was disappointed when I opened this new book and saw that, while it is full of her eater-pleasing recipes, all recipes are printed in a light red ink that provides little contrast with the white page. The print font for the recipes seems to be smaller than in her other books, too. In other words, I find it difficult to read the recipes. I certainly won't be able to read them at an arms-length distance, like when I'm combining ingredients and want to see what to do next. Much as I want this collection of recipes, I may return the book. How could a publishing company make such a poor choice of print color?

Well, if what I noted in my review title actually happened I'd be quite surprised because, after all, why would someone put a gun to my head in order to choose a cookbook???...
...but I digress...

In all seriousness, I have quite a large collection of cookbooks and I've been organizing and reflecting on which ones I should give away and which I should keep and what I like about the ones I'd consider a favorite. And I'd say if I had to pick the things I want wrapped up in one book if I only could have one book, I do believe this cookbook contains them.

Reasons why:

This is a very extensive cookbook. It has 600 recipes so it covers whatever mood, taste, or timeframe I have to cook so it's one of the most comprehensive books I have for healthy recipes.

These are fast, fabulous, and family-friendly...whether your favorite place is in the kitchen or you typically eat out daily, rarely cook, but have decided to get some healthier meals into your home periodically...I would expect you'd enjoy the book.

The directions are clear and easy-to-follow without any extensive or involved processes and you'll find loads of dishes even kids would love or that your honey would never know are "healthy". There are some truly gourmet tastes and depths of flavor as well and everything from good ol' American comfort foods to some more exotic gourmet dishes...yet the ingredients are never ones that are hard to locate.

Take for example: (and these are easy to adapt to keep the flavor but sub the meat if you don't eat meat)
Cranberry Brisket with Carmelized Onions
Barbecue Meat Loaf
Mighty Good Meatballs
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Chicken Marvelosa
Slow Cooker Chicken Stew
Rosemary Maple Chicken
Oven Fried Chicken
Grilled Moroccan Chicken Breasts
Sweet Potato Fries
loads of homemade light dressings
Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breasts
Apricot Glazed Salmon
Pecan Crusted Tilapia
Vegetarian Shepard's Pie
Winter Vegetable Stew
Mini Cheesecakes
Tiramisu
Chocolate Pudding

...you get the idea. Things that you don't associate with "diet food". That's a good thing.

The full nutritional information is on each page to back up, however, that these really are healthy recipes. And they are. That's important to me. I'm a weight loss coach.

One of my favorite things that makes this cookbook unique is that there are notes on the recipe pages for substitutions. For example, if it calls for white wine it may note you can use chicken broth. If you hate Splenda or are out of it, it notes a measurement of sugar you can use, or maple syrup, etc. Such notes and substitutions are on the right side of the recipe so the recipe page still reads easily and remains uncluttered.

The book has everything from soups to appetizers to salads to meats to meatless dishes to muffins to grains and vegetables and breads to desserts to sauces and marinades and even a section of Passover recipes! Don't let that last section seem daunting if you don't celebrate Passover...I found some excellent dishes therein. (Blueberry cheese pancakes and sweet potato mushroom lasagna for example-- both to die for)

There are are wonderful notes on the pages in addition to the recipes such as one that has bulgar as an ingredient in a recipe. For those who may be unfamiliar with that ingredient, the note describes how it tastes and that it's a nice alternative to rice and that it's delicious in pilafs, salads, with poultry, etc. This is almost like a combo of watching a cooking show and having the recipe written for you...

The author clearly spent so much time on this book and I appreciate that but someone who is still learning to cook will love it even more... In the foreward of the cookbook, for example, there are food storage tips, how long certain foods keep, how much Splenda to use instead of sugar in a recipe or visa versa, substitutions to make foods lighter, notes on health tips such as the glycemic index.

You'll even get notes of how to use a food processor if you want to for some recipes, or cook em on a grill.

So...with all that and with recipes that turn out so dang tasty each time, it gets my pick.

I try to balance out all my reviews with negatives and positives but I can't imagine anything I'd add to this one.

I mean heck, there is even a recipe for homemade cereal bars if you need a healthy breakfast on the run during the week and wanna make em ahead on the weekend, for example.

Though I probably have as many cookbooks on my bookshelf as a small-town library, many of which I mention in my reviews, some are unique with their clarity of instructions, wealth of good recipes, listing nutritional info, and--most importanty--tastes you crave or for which someone will want the recipe.

And for me, I'd say this sets the bar in my home...

I really loved this book. This is my kind of cooking. Easy to make, healthy and delicious. Since I liked her other books (especially Healthy Helpings) I pre ordered this book. I have already made some of the recipes and plan to use more soon. Each receipe has a cute short blurp about the recipe which is entertaining, and most have useful cooking tips.
The ingredients are common stuff that I usually have on hand and makes good use of the food processor and microwave, but their use is not essential. This book also has great info on the glycemic index, glycemic load, heart healthy cooking and lots of useful kitchen infomation. Which makes it a great gift for a beginner or more experienced cook. You will use it for everyday and entertaining and no one will think of it as low fat and healthy.

I have just added Norene's Gilletz's lastest book, Norene's healthy kitchen to my collection of cookbooks.

Once again Norene has produced a book that is well researched and beautifully written. All her recipes are simple enough for everyday cooking and delectable enough for entertaining.

I would recommend it to anyone who would like to eat healthy without compromising taste.

Norene's Healthy Ktichen: Eat Your Way to Good Health (Whitecap $29.95 US), by culinary expert Norene Gilletz, is a new Kosher cookbook on healthy cooking, released just in time for the High Holidays.

Many of you are familiar with and fans of Norene's seven other cookbooks including The Food Processor Bible, Healthy Helpings (MeaLeaniYumm) and MicroWays.

Healthier food choices don't always mean that we need to sacrifice flavor for nutrition and Norene proves that healthy cooking can be as nutritious as it is delicious in her latest cookbook. Packed with 600 fabulous recipes and color photographs throughout, the pages shine with her passion for healthy kosher meals from around the world.
Norene has been careful to ensure that her recipes' ingredients can be found at local supermarkets. Her friendly voice and culinary expertise make it easy for home cooks to integrate diverse, healthy dishes in their busy lives. You don't have to be health or diet conscious to enjoy her recipes but they are all compatible with the Weight Watchers and South Beach diets.

Favorite dishes include: Confetti Vegetable Strudel, Lox and Bagel Cheese Strata, Spanakopita roll-ups, Chimichurri Chicken, Luscious Lemon Berry Mousse and even one of my recipes, Vidalia Onion Salad.

I just got this book and have only made a few of the recipes but they have all been fantastic: user-friendly, quick, simple, and, most importantly, healthy without being tasteless or artificial. A great book with lots of useful info on health, nutrition, and cooking!

Its just fantastic to have a recipe book which caters for so many. I needed a book with recipes for healthy cooking; for a vegetarian in the family; a book with low G.I.ideas and recipes suitable for a weight watcher - oh and I forgot they had to be kosher. Well, Norene's new book certainly does that and more. So many recipe books only provide recipes with one option but Norene always comes up with variations. Thanks Norene.

I have a whole collection of cookbooks, but this one has quickly become one of my favorites. All the recipes I have tried have been fabulous. There is lots of helpful, fun information along with each recipe, and the instructions are easy to follow. I love that the recipes are healthy as well as delicious! I'd definitely recommend this cookbook!

I've made several of the recipes and want to try several more! I'm diabetic and she's got many dairy, gluten and sugar free recipes for those of us with restricted diets. Great cookbook! This is destined to be a dog-eared favorite!

Norene's Healthy Kitchen has made me feel like a wonderful cook!!! EVERYTHING I've tried from the book so far (and that's quite a few recipes already) has been extremely delicious and very easy to make. I love knowing that the recipes not only taste great but are very healthy, too. It gives me deep satisfaction to prepare these delicious and nutritious meals from my family, and, amazingly, my 4 and 6 year olds are eating what I'm cooking (the ultimate test!). I HIGHLY recommend this book and can't wait to keep cooking!!!