5 comments about Enlitened Kosher Cooking.

1. Shalom! I come to you today in the name of peace among the nations of low-fat and low-carb by offering to the citizens on both sides of the dietary spectrum an honest and sincere accord that should please them both. It's a brand new recipe book written by Nechama Cohen called "EnLITEned Kosher Cooking."
   
   Cohen is a Jewish woman who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two decades ago just when she was beginning her journey as wife and mother. But instead of bemoaning this and shaking her fist at God for allowing something so devastating to make her bitter about her life, she turned her energy towards keeping a positive attitude, furthered her education by eventually studying nutrition and nursing, and never letting go of the hope for a happier, healthier and more productive life.
   
   Additionally, Cohen was so determined to help other people with diabetes that she started a support group for Jewish women suffering from Type 1 diabetes which eventually became what is known today as the largest Jewish diabetes organization in the world--The Jewish Diabetes Network [..]. She is the CEO of that incredible organization and plays a very active role in spreading good information about preventing diabetes, educating people on how to better manage their diabetes, and to bring it under control through smart choices in their diet and lifestyle choices.
   
   One of the things Cohen was most concerned about what the lack of clarity about what "healthy" living was supposed to look like. All the books on low-fat and low-carb have done is stir up debate in the world of weight loss, but what about converging the best ideas of both worlds by creating a recipe book that works for both diets? That's exactly what "EnLITEned Kosher Cooking" is all about.
   
   Rather than debating whether low-fat or low-carb is right, Cohen says people should have a positive attitude and educate themselves better about what is truly healthy for them. She is dedicated to this principle of self-awareness and taking back control of your life by implementing strategic changes to improve your weight and diseases such as diabetes. This includes looking at the good carbs and the healthy fats that are essential for anyone desiring better health.
   
   "EnLITEned Kosher Cooking" is a gargantuan 420-page book (it has to weigh at least 50 pounds!) and is stuffed with the most gorgeous pictures and easy-to-understand recipes you'll ever find in a cookbook. I REALLY enjoyed the labeling Cohen did for each recipe, describing them in the table of contents as "low carb," "reduced carb," "carb free," "low fat," "reduced fat," or "fat-free." These convenient labels will let you zero in on the kind of recipe YOU are interested in. And there are over 250 yummy ones to choose from, too!
   
   An extremely unique feature of "EnLITEned Kosher Cooking" is the fact that Cohen often gives alternative recipe instructions about how you can further lower the carbohydrates in a recipe if you are livin' la vida low-carb. I personally appreciated that aspect of this cookbook because some "other" authors simply would not have cared about the carbs. Cohen genuinely does and I credit her for understanding how important this is to so many of us watching our carb counts.
   
   The recipes are divided into soups, salads, dips, dressing & spreads, vegetables & side dishes, dairy, fish, meat & poultry, baking LITE, pies & desserts, snacks & beverages, and, of course, she includes special recipes for Passover celebrating her rich heritage. The Nutrition Facts are listed for every recipe, including calories, protein, carbs, fat, cholesterol, sodium, calcium and fiber. Additionally, she lists the fat, starch, and protein exchanges for each recipe as well.
   
   Before she gives you the recipes, Cohen explains why she believes in lifestyle change over dieting by explaining the reasons why carbohydrate-restriction in combination with lots of fiber, watching the glycemic index, and the right kinds of fats (like flaxseed, walnuts, and olive oil) will lead to better health management. She touches on the low-fat/low-carb debate and gives you her "bottom line" conclusion about it based on the evidence which may just surprise supporters of BOTH sides!
   
   As for avoiding sugar in her recipes (for obvious reasons since she is diabetic), Cohen breaks down all the latest and greatest sweeteners that people should use as part of their new healthy lifestyle and are featured in her recipes, including saccharine, ACE-K, aspartame, sucralose (Splenda), sugar alcohols, and stevia. These sweeteners are a must since sugar is NOT an option.
   
   Okay, enough with the preliminary information, what about the recipes themselves?! Oh my goodness, these are all so fantastic, I can hardly wait for you to try them. How about a quick sneak peek at a few, shall we?
   
   1. CREAMY PUMPKIN SOUP
   
   This vibrant orange recipe is perfect on a cold Winter's night to warm up your body without filling it up with unnecessary carbohydrates. A 2-cup serving has just 53 calories, 6g carbs, and 2.4g fat. Mmmm, great use for pumpkin, don't ya think?
   
   2. PORTABELLO MUSHROOM CAPS
   
   Exotic and flavorful portobello mushrooms make this recipe a favorite among low-fat or low-carb diners as a meal in itself. Each stuffed mushroom contains only 98 calories, 5.3g carbs, and 3.9g fat. It also contains 5.5g protein to help fill you up!
   
   3. HALIBUT STEAKS IN POUCHES
   
   If you like fish, then this light and easy recipe will make your mouth water. For low-carbers, instead of mashed potatoes, you can use mashed cauliflower instead. It contains 170 calories, 0.7g carbs, and 3.3g fat for each steak. Mouth-watering good!
   
   What more can I say about "EnLITEned Kosher Cooking" other than GO GET IT and pick up extra copies for your friends and family members who need to eat healthier. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy this amazing new book, but you will sense the gracious heart of Nechama Cohen as you cook up each and every recipe she so freely shares.
   
   Low-fat and low-carb advocates, prepare to be EnLITEned!



2. I bought this for a Jewish friend, but after looking at the recipes, I decided to keep it for myself. Not only are the recipes Kosher, but they are low carb, which is how I've been eating for almost 10 years. The recipes are exquisite, very gourmet and easy to prepare. This is probably the best low carb cookbook I have come across.



3. I absolutely love this cookbook! I get hungry just looking at the pictures and all the recipes I've tried so far taste delicious. I recommend it to anyone who loves great tasting, healthy food. Try the Strawberry Pie - its amazing!!



4. Expertly compiled by Nechama Cohen (Founder and CEO of The Jewish Diabetes Association), "Enlitened Kosher Cooking" is a beautifully illustrated with full color photography this outstanding culinary compendium of more than 250 superb recipes features sugar free dishes that are characterized by 'good-carb' and 'healthy-fat', making them ideal for diabetics and those who must be concerned with their weight. These thoroughly 'kitchen cook friendly' recipes are grouped into the usual categories of Soups, Salads, Vegetables & Side Dishes, Dairy, Fish, Meat & Poultry, Baking Lite, Pies & Desserts, Snacks & Beverages, and as is especially befitting the Jewish culinary traditions, Passover. From Orange and Fennel Salad; Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers; Tilapia with Vegetable Topping; and Tofu Chopped Liver; to Sweet-and-Sour Beef with Cashews; Cheese and Basil Scones; Strawberry Cream Pie; and Filled Cucumber Cups, "Enlitened Kosher Cooking" offers palate pleasing, appetite satisfying dishes that are appropriate as simple meal time favorites or for celebratory gourmet dining occasions. Enhanced with the addition of invaluable information about good carbs and healthy fats, realistic protio control, serving sizes, appendices to help the novice cook, and ways to avoid the 'hidden barriers' that can undermine weight loss efforts, "Enlitened Kosher Cooking" is an unqualified and enthusiastic recommendation for diabetic, family and community library cookbook collections.



5. author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family
   
   excerpted from The Orange County Register, Hanukkah 2006
   
   Nechama Cohen, founder and CEO of the Jewish Diabetes Association, slashes her way through the schmaltz (chicken fat) with "Enlitened Kosher Cooking" (Feldheim Publishers, $39.95), a lusciously photographed new cookbook with over 250 good-carb, healthy-fat, sugar-free recipes that nourish the soul without damaging the heart.
   
   "I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1985 and was presented with a real kitchen challenge," recalled Cohen, who spoke to me by phone from her home in Israel, "so I started `enlitening' recipes. After 20 years it was time to put them in writing!"
   
   But you needn't be diabetic or kosher or even Jewish to appreciate these healthful and elegant recipes that are short on deprivation and long on flavor. "Traditional Jewish cooking is known to be heavy," Cohen noted, "but lightening up these dishes is really doable. No matter what your ethnicity, you can live an enlightened lifestyle and be healthy and happy. "
   
   How do you lighten Jewish cooking? "We need to look at fat and carbs," said Cohen. And with her slimmed-down versions of our beloved holiday recipes, we can have our latkes and eat them too!
   
   Hanukkah (beginning tomorrow at sundown) presents a challenge, because this holiday is all about the oil. In 164 B.C.E. the land of Judea was occupied by Antiochus IV and the Syrian-Greeks, who had forbidden Jewish observances and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem, turning it into a Greek shrine for the sacrifice of pigs. Judah Maccabee and a tiny band of Jewish freedom fighters, against all odds, overthrew the enemy and cleansed the Temple. Only a small cruse of consecrated oil was found with which to light the eternal flame. Miraculously, this oil that should have lasted but a single day burned for eight, and we've been celebrating with a frying frenzy ever since.
   
   "With nonstick pans and cooking sprays and healthier oils - olive, canola, walnut, grapeseed - it's really easy to lighten these recipes," observed Cohen. Try crunchy cauliflower, cabbage and zucchini latkes, made with a minimum of oil, instead of potato.
   
   "Potato latkes are very difficult not to nibble on," Cohen admitted, "so I've got mine prepared before I start the others. I'll try to convince my family to try some potato-combo latkes before they try anything else. And I keep them in the oven on the lowest setting. The nice thing about latkes is if they dry up a bit, they just get crispier."
   
   As a diabetic, Cohen also had to cut down on sugar...fast! "I've learned to use other ingredients, so we don't need to load up on sugar or even sugar substitutes," she said. Take applesauce - that de rigueur dip for the Hanukkah latkes. "People think applesauce, big deal. But the herbal tea bags make this recipe unique. I found because of the flavor of the herbal tea, I needed much less sugar."
   
   Moderation is key, said Cohen. "I don't believe in the word `diet.' A diet is temporary. Long-term lifestyle changes need to be coupled with moderation so it can last."
   
   While many of the dessert recipes in the book call for sugar substitutes, non-diabetics can use sugar or even go fifty-fifty, advised Cohen, "but these recipes contain normal amounts of sugar, not two and three cups of sugar. Same thing with the fat. In standard cookbooks the amount of sugar and fat in the recipes is scary."
   
   A lesser-known Hanukkah tradition involves the eating of cheese. Judith, an unsung legendary heroine of the Apocrypha, was a beautiful Jewish widow. She dined with the enemy general Holofernes, plying him with cheese to make him thirsty for wine. When he fell into a drunken stupor, she beheaded him with his own sword. Because her bravery is said to have inspired the Maccabees, some communities remember Judith by eating cheese on this holiday. But how to work cheese into an "enlitened" Hanukkah table?
   
   No problem! Carb-free and low fat, Cohen's colorful Cheese Balls make an elegant appetizer or satisfying nibble just for yourself.
   
   Cohen's common sense approach to creating a healthy lifestyle means you enjoy the holiday, not just get through it. "Here in Israel the only difficulty with Hanukkah is the sufganiyot (jelly donuts) all over the place in every flavor you can think of," lamented Cohen. "You can smell them ten miles away. But every Jewish holiday is definitely livelier here and more intense than it is in the states. It's the nicest time to be in Israel."

5 comments about 1,000 Jewish Recipes.

1. Winner of the National Jewish Book Award 2000 (awarded March 2001). Ms Levy is a syndicated columnist with the LA Times and an experienced cookbook author. Her book contains new and classic Jewish recipes for life and nearly every holiday and Shabbat. It also includes 23 sample menus. Each recipe is tagged with either a (P)areve, (M)eat, or (D)airy tag. Chapters include those for Passover, Shavuot, the High Holidays, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Shabbat, and Appetizers, Salads, Soups, Dairy Specialties, Fish, Poultry, Meats, Vegetarian and Pareve Main Courses, Veg. Side Dishes, Noodle and Pasta dishes, Rice and Grain dishes, Breads, Desserts, and a section of basics, including flavorings, sauces, and 10 different types of stocks. Recipes among the 1,000 that I found most interesting including Persian Pear and Banana Haroset for Pesach; Farefl Stuffing with leeks and Carrots; Passover Turkey Schnitzel (incorrectly tagged as Pareve; it is meat); Onion Matza Brei; Spinach and Cottage Cheese Noodle Kugel; Macaroni and Cheese Kugel; Beet Salad with Apples and OJ; Gefilte Fish; Sea Bass with Saffron and Tomato Sauce; Turkey Tzimmes with Sweet Potatoes; Adi Levy's Kibbutz Honey Chicken (you partially roast it, then glaze it with soy and honey); a Meingue Topping; Sephardic Spinach Cakes; Queen Esther's Salad (lettuce, nuts and seeds to eat in the palace); Haman's Fingers; Alsatian Jewish Sauerkraut with Meat; Alsatian Kugelhopf cake; Mock Chopped Liver (one with cashews, one with lentils); Spicy Moroccan Fish Stew; Chicken with Olives; a Friday night Chicken with Cumin Tumeric and Pepper; two dafinas and eight cholents; Miami Style Sweet Potato Puree; at least six chopped liver recipes, 7 hummus, 7 knish, 6 matzo ball (one which is matzo and cholesterol free), 13 challah, 8 bagel, 4 pita, one dozen blintzes, and 5 potato salad recipes; and one for Egyptian Jewish Okra Salad. Now you can see why it won the award.



2. I am a former kosher food columnist and was somewhat disappointed in this large and expensive tome with the promising title. Faye Levy lives in Israel and this is really a comprehensive overview of the various Israeli styles of cooking, with a few French-style (she trained in France) and Ashkenazi recipes (from her family) thrown in. Most of the recipes don't sound either particularly exciting or easy to make and her prose is, well pretty prosaic, so it's not a good armchair book either.

   A better title would be 1000 Kosher Recipes, although it probably wouldn't sell as well. If you're a big fan of Israeli cuisine, you might find this book useful. If you're expecting more of the traditional East-European and American-Jewish fare, pass it up.




3. A very comprehensive and contemporary cookbook featuring traditional kosher cuisine and new classics. Includes all types of kosher cuisine (Sephardic, Ashkenazic, European, etc.). An excellent all around cookbook to have--our family cookbook "bible". I am not generally too fond of her cake recipes, but the "My Favorite Cheesecake" is fabulous! A must for the modern kosher cook!



4. This is a very large collection of Jewish recipes grouped by the holiday. I find this very helpful. Particularly helpful is the section on challah. She includes recipes and directions for three methods of bread making.There are personal tidbits about the recipes also. This is a must -have for any person who wants to make Jewish food. I am really thrilled to have it and the seller sent it quickly, right in time for the Jewish New Year! The book has no pictures.



5. If you're looking for something beyond the traditional recipes for potato kugel, plain challah, and brisket (although they're in there, too), this is a great cookbook. It's nice to see a broad representation of Jewish culture and heritage here, and will enable you to expand the repetoire of your Jewish kitchen! Absolutely recommended!

1 comments about The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook: Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens.

1. Although this is a great cookbook - it is identical to the 2002 Edition. The ONLY difference is the cover picture. Every other page is identical. I recommend this cookbook if you do not already own it!

5 comments about The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook.

1. In my library of over 100 cookbooks, many of them Jewish in content, this is the one I consult first before looking at any others. The recipes are truly wonderful, easy to follow and typical of the Jewish cookery I was brought up on. I have given copies of the book to my children and friends interested in the "real thing" and they all agree with me. The blintzes are outstanding and never let me down. It's the 1 book I couldn't be without to try "new old recipes".



2. We have used two of the recipes (Sauerkraut Soup and Bagels Jake) and both were failures (p.s. we are usually quite successful cooks). The bagel failure was especially bothersome since we tried several times. After checking online recipes, we finally found the problem: the recipe is wrong! Boiling bagels for 20 minutes is crazy!

   A Jewish cookbook that leads you astray on bagels??




3. The Jewish mother/family humor is dated and a little over the top, but it doesn't matter. The recipes are great. This is genuine, unmodernized Ashkenazi cooking, the way my grandma cooked. There's a great selection of recipes for every occasion--everyday, Shabbat, and holidays. No fancy ingredients, and the recipes are easy to follow.

   If you want to wallow in nostalgia, this is it.




4. I just received this book so I cannot really rate it yet. Since I have a question about the recipes already it won't get 5 stars. Some of the recipes call for can tomatoes(#2 or #2 1/2)I have no idea what these numbers mean. Recipes nowadays usually say the oz.size to use. As soon as I find out what this means, I will start using this cookbook and then be able to review it properly.



5. Thirty-six years ago, I attended a party where cheese blintzes were served. It was my first blintz, and I had never tasted anything so delicious. I asked the hostess about the recipe and she handed me the Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook. I went out and bought this paperback ($.95, I believe!). There is a Jewish Deli in Cincinnati, Izzy's, and my husband had always enjoyed their Lima Bean Soup. I called Izzy for the recipe, and he laughed me off the phone ... wouldn't share. Well, lo and behold, a recipe was right there in Molly Goldberg. I have made this soup ever since. Lima Bean Soup was the Thursday soup, and they have at last removed it from the menu. I guess this recipe is not modern enough. But it is certainly authentic.

4 comments about Classic Italian Jewish Cooking: Traditional Recipes and Menus.

1. I purchased this book for one of my co-workers who was engaged to be married. He is of an Italian background and his fiance's family is Jewish. They both love to cook. I was doing a search for Italian and Jewish cookbooks, seprately, not realizing that this book even exisited. The couple being married not only likes to cook, they enjoy more unusual and exotic tastes. This book had interesting recipes that came from a very specific region where there are Jewish and Italian people living in the same area, and therefore the book had delicious and quite different types of recipes that I had not seen before. In the week in which the couple returned from their honeymoon, my co-worker said they had already tried out several of the recipes and they thought that this book was one of the best and most thoughtful gifts they had received. Bon appetit and Mazaltov!



2. 
   I have given this book a prominent position on its bookshelf, along with some other well used cookbooks. This book is an impressive looking volume, an inch thick, and lovingly designed.
   
   The first 26 pages describe the author's life growing up in the Italian Jewish community before WWII--a culture that hardly exists anymore.
   
   As for the cuisine, it follows the mediterranean pattern, with, here and there, a strong suggestion of the middle east. Thus, anyone who enjoys mediterranean/ middle-eastern cuisine, will appreciate this book
   
   An added bonus, is a chapter on "Breads, Pizzas and Bagels". In this chapter, you will find 23 recipes, inclouding Sourdough Bread, and three recipes for Chollah--that's the rich egg bread that jewish people eat on the sabbath.
   
   The author of this review is not jewish, but what of that? Good food is good food, and the food described here would be hard to improve upon.



3. I've owned Classic Italian Jewish Cooking for over a year, and have made only a few recipes from it. I flip through it almost every week before I start cooking for the Sabbath, hoping to find something appealing. However, I don't find many of the recipes particularly enticing. Worse, what I have made has not turned out well. I'm an experienced cook, and I dubiously followed Machlin's instructions to add pap (bread soaked in water) to meat to make her meatballs with peppers. Wait, I thought- don't you normally add bread crumbs to meatballs? Yes, and for good reason- these completely fell apart, but they were delicious.
   
   That has been my experience with the recipes I've made from this book- the results are tasty, but unattractive and somewhat failed, despite scrupulous adherence to detail and execution. I really enjoyed Machlin's stories of Jewish life in Italy, and I want to like this book more. If the recipes were as accurate as the stories are compelling, maybe I would.



4. I bought this book used, and boy what a bargain! It came in pristine condition.
   
   I needed a Jewish-Italian cookbook, because although I love Italian food, I want to keep things kosher, and that means that most of the recipes in a regular Italian cookbook go to waste. I especially needed something for dairy antipasto that is not the same old same old that you usually see at Bar Mitzva's, etc.
   
   I've tried a few of the antipasto recipes, and every one is a winner. All of the other recipes also look tasty and something I would like to try. As far as Italian Jewish cooking, I may never need another cookbook... but it seems the author has written a second!
   
   It doesn't hurt that the author was born in 1926, making her the same age as my mom (may she rest in peace). She has wonderful stories to tell, and I feel her motherly presence through the pages.
   
   I am very, very glad I purchased this book.

No comments about Rogov's Guide to Israeli Wines, 2009.

5 comments about Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South.

1. Fascinating subject matter as I grew up in an area where Jews were a vocal and very assimilated minority. The author's extensive research came to the same conclusions in every chapter: it was hard to keep Kosher in the South and black household help did much of the cooking. As a Jewish woman I am proud of our reputation for a sense of humor and delicious cooking. There are very few recipes; even those were not particularly tempting or typical. The book's major flaws lie in the author's dry, labored, one-note writing style that had me laboring to stay awake.



2. This book is a wonderful compilation of Jewish history of the South and Jewish food of the South. Fascinating reading about the history and excellent eating. Enjoy!



3. Good book if your into a history lesson but I was looking for more receipies.



4. As a Deep South Jewish expatriate, I can't say enough about how thoroughly Marcie Cohen Ferris did her research. There is no doubt that she has covered the differences-and similarities-of the various southern states with great heart and accuracy! The sheer volume of names of those she got family information from is more than admirable. The book belongs in every Jewish household-northern and southern! And non-Jewish readers will get a wonderful picture of the influence food had in Southern Jewish homes-part of American culinary history.



5. This was a wonderful topic for a book -- how Southernness and Jewishness came together in the Jewish kitchen. Cohen Ferris, herself a Jewish woman from a small town in Arkansas, has done exhaustive research, no doubt a labor of love, and has perpetuated many people's memories.
   
   The problem with the book is that it is quite repetitious. Ferris Cohen correctly points out that the culture and history of Atlanta, New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta, and so on are all distinct from each other. Then, however, she spends much of her time recounting menus of long-ago occasions and concluding, over and over again, that the balance between kosher and non-kosher food and between European and American Southern delicacies was important and hard to navigate, because food is so important in daily life.
   
   It is not so much a question of Ferris Cohen's writing style but of the fact that she seemed compelled to put on paper all of the results of her painstaking interviews. Perhaps a more insightful historian could have made more of Ferris Cohen's material, but this book just seemed too long.

3 comments about Heirloom Cookbook: Recipes Handed Down by Jewish Mothers and Modern Recipes from Daughters an d Friends (Adult Interest).

1. This cookbook realy provides the best and most flavorable recipies. Their great for occations such as Passover, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving. You won't be dissappointed with the purchase of this book!
   
   P.S. The applesauce and the smoked salmon are very delicious!



2. Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/07)
   
   I vividly remember my first encounter with Jewish cuisine some 15 years ago. We were in Krakow, Poland, and everybody wanted to eat at the famous Ariel, where the crew of Schindler's List ate often while filming the movie. They offered a set menu, featuring Gefilte Fish, which I figured would be some kind of stuffed fish, so I was really looking forward to it. Well, for those of you familiar with the famous dish I certainly do not have to explain how very wrong I was. For those of you who are not - let's just say I did not finish it. I also did not finish the following two courses, but I did have some cottage-cheese based dessert. For many years after that ill-fated meal, I did not venture into the exploration of Jewish culinary delights, until I had the good luck to try some dishes cooked by my friends and served in a home setting. That was enough to wake me up to the fact that Jewish cuisine can be and actually is delectable when done right.
   
   The "Heirloom Cookbook," compiled and edited by Miriam Lerner Satz, presents over 450 recipes which, as the author puts it, are `recipes handed down by Jewish mothers and modern recipes from daughters and friends.' While quite a few are quite expected (the fateful Gefilte Fish, different kinds of Borscht, Chopped Liver, Matzo Balls, Blinis and more...), so many of them make one realize how diverse the Jewish cuisine really is and how many other cuisines have influenced it in the past. While Spanish, German, Russian and Polish influences were quite expected, I was amazed to find traces of Amish, Chinese, Danish, Greek, Italian, Mexican and other influences as well.
   
   The recipes are diverse and cover every course of a regular or festive meal. There are even a dozen beverage recipes included. The directions to prepare are simple and easy-to-follow and the couple that I tried turned out absolutely yummy. While I enjoyed the family background part, the division of recipes in five sections (Lerner and Satz Family Recipes, Recipes from Miriam Lerner Satz, Passover Recipes, Sephardic [Spanish Jewish] Cooking and Favorite Recipes from Friends) made it slightly difficult to find appropriate recipes for each course. That was partially offset by an absolutely wonderful Index section, which listed the recipes in alphabetical order as well as by category and by author.
   
   I've greatly enjoyed the family photos in the book, but missed photographs of the finished dishes. With the exception of three unidentified dishes on the front cover, there were no other photos of the food in the book. I have always found good pictorial material invaluable in a cookbook and great help in making the dishes look authentic. That was also my only semi-serious complaint about the "Heirloom Cookbook." I would highly recommend this book to anybody - Jewish or not - who enjoys good food and values family ties.



3. The book appeared to be a slick, professional cookbook, and I was excited to find more pragmatic and clearer recipes than those of my grandmothers. I instead found transcribed copies of recipes, oddly sorted by contributor rather than type of food. The instructions are far from complete, and I beg to differ when the book states: "The treasures found here, all 479 of them, truly reflect the Jewish home." Someone want to explain to me where chow mein,chili and M&M cookies fit in, and why they were necessary? Buy your pta/sisterhood cookbook instead.

1 comments about The Kosher Palette II: Coming Home, the Art and Simplicity of Kosher Cooking.

1. The first Kosher Palette is a great kosher cookbook, especially if you entertain a lot. The second one is also great, and I find that there are many more recipes in it that are suitable for weeknight cooking for the family. A lot of the recipes are quick and easy, everything I've made so far tastes great. My only "issue" is that this time they obviously had some corporate sponsorship, as they specify various brands of products in many of the recipes. Not a big deal, but it just gets on my nerves! Otherwise it's a really amazing cookbook.

5 comments about Food for the Soul: Traditional Jewish Wisdom for Healthy Eating.

1. This book simply rehashes most of the information about maintaining a healthy lifestyle that is heard on the news of on cooking shows that focus on healthy lifestyles. Having grown up in a home where my mother was a dietician, most of the first portion of the book was old news to me. The book, however, is very readable and informative for someone who lacks basic knowledge about healthy lifestyles. It will be easily understood my most readers. Toward the end of the narrative portion of the book, the author addresses specific concerns of her Jewish audience. The last part of the book consists of recipes which focus on the use of whole grains and fresh ingredients. Most of the recipes look tasty and should add a great deal of flavor to the diet without the high calorie counts of some other choices. It would have been nice to have photographs of most or at least some of the recipes. An extensive bibliography is included. [3.5 stars; LibraryThing Early Reviewers program copy]



2. Finally! A sensible book of nutritional information for people who keep Kosher or just eat Kosher food products.
   
   The author gives practical advice on eating healthier food in a way that makes it sound simple and easy-to-do. Not everyone's mother was a nutritionist and Chana Rubin writes for those of us brought up on frozen vegetables and too many fatty foods.
   
   The recipies are tasty and easy to follow.
   
   A real find for the Kosher eater.



3. Chana Rubin presents sound nutritional information in an easily-read format. She does not overwhelm the reader with too much information at one time. This makes it very simple to go back to reference that information later. As a nutritionist and a "Kosher-eater", I feel the Kosher world needs cookbooks that contain delicious and healthy recipes, which this book has in abundance. The recipes are very good, easily prepared, and contain healthful ingredients. Although geared toward the Kosher-eating community, the nutritonal information and recipes could be used by everyone. Nice addition to my Kosher cookbook library!
   Deborah Mendeloff, MS



4. Although not Jewish, I found this cookbook to be interesting and educational in covering many aspects of health and nutrition. The plus, for me, is the great recipes and the section on planning ahead. I live in a vacation area and have many drop-in guests. Not only can I be prepared but am able to offer foods healthier and more tasty than my guests have been eating in their travels to be here and still have time to visit.



5. This information-packed, soft-cover book provides nutrition basics and over 100 of Rubin's personal favorite recipes, while addressing nutrition and health from a Jewish perspective. No photographs or illustrations here, but much food for thought.
   
   Selected chapters open with quotations from the likes of Kook, the late Lubavitcher Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, the Bible or Rashi, with the occasional Chinese proverb thrown in. The 17 chapters have names like "Diet and Health," "Eating for Optimum Health," "Fat Facts" and "Childhood Obesity," with sub-headings, such as "Health in the Jewish tradition," "Food as a vehicle to holiness," "A healthy relationship with food," "Lifestyle changes that can help you lose weight," "Using the discipline of kashrut" and more.
   
   Rubin extols the advantages of a colorful diet, providing a food palette that details the benefits of each hue. Many chapters end with a succinct "bottom line" summary that I chose to read first, for a quick preview of what the chapter holds and her halakhic observations are fascinating, even to the non-observant reader.
   
   A recipe and menu section at the back of the book provide practical, easy-to-implement suggestions and some recipes offer sophisticated new twists to old favorites, like Doron's Banana Walnut Cupcakes contributed by chef Doron Degen who trained in Canada and now resides in Beersheba. His secret is to gently sauté the mashed bananas with cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa and some brown sugar before adding them to the batter.
   
   The only problem I had with the book was in locating recipes. I tried the recipe for granola - I'll never use packaged again - but had difficulty finding it a second time, because I didn't remember that, in the index, it's listed under "C" - for Chana's Granola.
   
   The aptly named "Food for the Soul," if properly digested, is a great hors d'oeuvre, before choosing recipes for your family from Rubin's or other cookbooks.
   
   By Gilah Kahn-Hoffman, The Jerusalem Report, September 15, 2008