Weekend Cooking: Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger

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When I'm looking for nutritious, fresh, and easy dinners, one of my go-to authors is Ellie Krieger. I've reviewed her Foods You Crave and So Easy, so I was surprise to see that I've not written about Weeknight Wonders.

The premise of Weeknight Wonders is prefectly summed up by its subtitle: "Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less." Who doesn't want that? From salads to desserts and grilled meats to hearty vegetarian, Krieger offers a bounty of delicious choices.

I really like the soothing pastel colors, easy-to-read fonts, and artful photographs, which make this a book a pleasure to look through. (Not every recipe has a photo.) But Weeknight Wonders is more than a pretty face: Krieger offers good advice for how to shave minutes off your dinner prep without sacrificing good nutrition. For example, some recipes call for canned beans or frozen veggies, but highly processed, chemical-laden ingredients are not welcome. Read the introduction for time-saving tips, pantry stocking, cooking techniques, and more.

The recipes themselves rely on common ingredients flavored by spices, sauces, and herbs. Most of the flavorings are products you probably already own, and in fact, the most "exotic" are things like Sriracha, tahini, and Old Bay seasoning.

Some of the dishes I've enjoyed are a falafel-inspired salad, Parmesan-crusted chicken, and grilled Napa cabbage. The Guinness and beef skillet is calling to me as is an orzo and shrimp dish.

Each recipe is accompanied by nutritional information, and Krieger often suggests go-with dishes to help round out your menu. The directions are carefully written to help you make the best use of your time, so you truly can get close to her target of 30 minutes from start to finish.

The only recipe I remembered to take photographs of is the Pizza "Strudel." You can find the recipe and a video of Krieger demonstrating how to make this dish over on the Today Show website. Krieger uses store-bought whole-grain pizza dough, but I've used homemade dough with good results. The original uses spinach, but I've substituted kale and other cooking greens with no problem. The strudel is good hot and cold and sure looks pretty on the cutting board.

If you need fresh ideas for dinners that are quick, nutritious, delicious, and stress-free, look no further than Weeknight Wonders by Ellie Krieger. I trust her recipes completely and love that they're easy to put together and pack a good flavor punch. I bet you'll find some new family favorites within its pages.

Published by Houghton Mifflin, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781118409497
Source: Bought (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)