EatingWell Serves Two: 150 Healthy in a Hurry Suppers (Hardcover)

~ (Author), The Test Kitchen of EatingWell Magazine (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An introduction covering the most basic of basics and dishes such as Tex-Mex Taco Salad might send serious home chefs in search of another book, but this straightforward, convenience- and health-driven volume has more gourmet gusto than readers might expect. And Romanoff, recipe developer for EatingWell magazine, provides recipes that make enough dinner for two people and can be prepared "in 45 minutes or less (under 30 minutes, in some cases)." Each recipe includes information on active time and total time to complete the dish and nutrition data; many have make-ahead instructions. Especially tempting options include Lamb, Fig & Olive Stew; a dressed-up grilled cheese (Grilled Manchego with Spinach and Spicy Plum Chutney); Pomegranate Duck; Coffee Bean & Peppercorn Steak; and quick desserts like Balsamic Vinegar-Spiked Strawberries, and Roasted Grapes. A section on sides such as Quick Cheese Grits and Avocado-Corn Salsa and suggested menus for a variety of occasions—New Year's Eve, a "hot date," pizza night—make planning a healthy meal easy, even when time is limited. (Oct.)
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Product Description

A fusion of simplicity, healthy ingredients and just-right quantities, these delicious, exciting new recipes are designed for today's growing world of empty-nesters, couples without children and smaller households.

For millions of fast-paced, modern households, the old cookbook standard of "serves four" is increasingly outdated and a daily nuisance. With more than 77 million baby boomers adjusting to the Empty Nest Syndrome, and with their adult children setting up their own new homes, there is a mounting demand for quick, easy, healthy recipes yielding fewer servings.

But cooking for two people or even singles isn't as simple as cutting a recipe in half. In EatingWell Serves Two, the award-winning editors and recipe developers for America's leading food and nutrition magazine have created 150 dinner recipes from their hugely popular "Healthy in a Hurry" and "Serves Two" columns to meet the specific needs of smaller households.

More than a cookbook, EatingWell Serves Two provides a smart guide for how to shop in small quantities, how to store leftover ingredients, keep a well-stocked pantry and use easy cooking strategies that result in minimal waste while putting a healthy, delicious meal on the table in 45 minutes or less.

Filled with mouthwatering photography and tips on shopping, planning and simple cooking for two with healthy ingredients and without waste. Full-color throughout.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Countryman; illustrated edition edition (October 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881507237
• ISBN-13: 978-0881507232
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

181 of 181 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasty, tasty, and quick, November 13, 2006

By	Patricia Tryon (Longmont, CO United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Quite simply, this is the best "cooking for two" cookbook I have ever used. Most recipes call for "regular," i.e. non-exotic, ingredients and attention has been given to avoiding awkward leftovers: you know, 1/2 can of white beans that -- well, what are most of us going to do with THAT?

These go together quickly, too. Each recipe includes an estimate of time to table and, if anything, the estimates seem to run a little on the long side. Some cookbooks that promise 30 minute recipes are optimistic about how quickly some of us can chop. Here are recipes that really do go together in a scant 30 minutes, especially if both people are in the kitchen.

The Publisher's Weekly bit above mentions some of the more esoteric recipes. Interesting as those sound, more appealing to us have been chicken tacos and salt and pepper shrimp (Best. Shrimp. Ever. -- and incredibly fast and easy to make). A strength of this book is its imaginative ways with relatively ordinary ingredients and its helpful introduction to ingredients that I have not used before (chipotles [smoked jalapenos] in adobo sauce is one example that comes to mind). I am becoming a bolder, better cook because the information gives me courage to try new things and to use old ingredients differently.

The introduction provides an overview of how to shop when cooking for two, including specific suggestions for shopping for produce and meats. A concise section of very basic cooking instructions will help anyone new to or simply timid about approaching a stove. There are complete, accurate descriptions of methods and there is a brief but thorough section on outfitting a kitchen for the first time. The lavish photographs are beautiful, in themselves, but also impart information about how a particular dish should go together.

The back of the book has an easy to use section on sauces, side dishes and fast (really fast!) desserts for two. These things are, for me, particularly challenging because I am used to preparing larger quantities. I appreciate directions for scaling down sauces and preparation of grains. In addition to indexing recipes by name, recipes are also sorted by preparation time and a list is provided of "healthy weight" recipes.

Yes, this is a book about healthful eating and each recipe includes nutritional data. But the reason I like this book and recommend it so highly is that the recipes are exceptionally tasty, easy to prepare, and fast. It is a book we would have enjoyed as newlyweds. As empty-nesters, it's an absolute treasure.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Subtitle "In a Hurry" could be a bit misleading..., December 6, 2008

By	school marm "school marm" (Oregon) - See all my reviews

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This is a well-written book with very healthy recipes. The nutritional information is provided for each recipe, which to me is one of the marks of a good cookbook. The downside is that there are quite a few ingredients in most of the recipes, including some unusual ones, at least in my kitchen. This means that unless your pantry is really well stocked, you won't be able to make most of the meals without a trip to a really good grocery store. For example, do you regularly have miso in your pantry? Whole wheat orecchiette? Plum sauce? I have made some of the recipes for my husband and myself, and they always turn out wonderfully delicious, but I definitely needed to plan ahead for that trip to the store, and the dish wasn't prepared "in a hurry".

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this is a fabulous cookbook!, July 23, 2007

By	Sheepla (North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews

I have dozens of cookbooks and it takes something special for me to keep one on my kitchen counter. This one certainly qualifies. I've tried several of the recipes and all were delicious and it is so nice not to have a ton of leftovers. I love that the nutritional information and suggested sides and included for each recipe.

What really makes this book a winner for me are the Notes. Every time I read an instruction or ingredient I'm not quite sure about, there is a Note exactly on point, anticipating my question. In addition, the tips regarding shopping in small quantities are very valuable.

If you're looking for a cookbook with delicious recipes and smaller quantities, don't pass this one up!