Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events (Food Lovers' Series)

Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago: Best Local Specialties, Markets, Recipes, Restaurants & Events (Food Lovers' Series) Review

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The ultimate guide to Chicago's food scene provides the inside scoop on the best places to find, enjoy, and celebrate local culinary offerings. Written for residents and visitors alike to find producers and purveyors of tasty local specialties, as well as a rich array of other, indispensable food-related information including: food festivals and culinary events; specialty food shops; farmers’ markets and farm stands; trendy restaurants and time-tested iconic landmarks; and recipes using local ingredients and traditions.

Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle

Big Green Cookbook: Hundreds of Planet-Pleasing Recipes and Tips for a Luscious, Low-Carbon Lifestyle Review

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A “Green-Over” is an eco-friendly recipe makeover. In Big Green Cookbook, you’ll find hundreds of luscious, low-carbon recipes. But this bonus recipe provides a sneak peek at how Jackie Newgent, RD, creates her greener recipes. Beef Burritos is the delicious, but not-so-planet-pleasing “before” recipe; Big Green Burritos is the equally delicious, eco-friendlier Green-Over.

Amazon.com Exclusive: Big Green Burritos from the author of Big Green Cookbook Before Green-Over: Beef Burritos Makes 8 servings: 1 burrito each Ingredients 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2/3-inch cubes 1 cup chunky medium salsa 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon) 8 (8 to 9 inch) flour tortillas 2 cups cooked white rice 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce Directions 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook while stirring until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the salsa, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. 2. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low; cook until the beef mixture is tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. 3. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the mixture thickens to desired consistency, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Adjust seasonings, if necessary. 4. Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Cover with foil to keep warm. 5. Serve the beef, rice, cheese, and lettuce wrapped or rolled in the tortillas. Nutritional Information Per serving: 500 calories, 21g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 65mg cholesterol, 990mg sodium, 47g total carbohydrate, 3g dietary fiber, 28g protein After Green-Over: Organic Poultry-Pinto Bean Burritos with Farm-Fresh Veggies Makes 8 servings: 1 burrito each Ingredients 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 pound boneless organic chicken thigh with skin, cut meat and skin into 1/2-inch cubes 1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, finely diced 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 (15-ounce) can organic pinto beans, drained (do not rinse) 1 cup chunky hot salsa Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tablespoon) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 8 (8 to 9 inch) whole wheat or sprouted grain tortillas 4 ounces shredded locally-produced or organic sharp cheddar or Monterey jack cheese (optional) 1 medium zucchini, coarsely grated (about 1 cup) 4 cups mixed fresh baby greens Directions 1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken meat and skin and onion and cook while stirring until the chicken is fully cooked, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans, salsa, lime juice, and salt to taste; bring to a boil. 2. Cover and reduce the heat to medium; cook until the chicken is nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, cover, and turn off the heat. Let "lid cook" (cook covered while the burner is off) until the chicken us fully tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and let sit at least 3 minutes before serving. 3. Warm the tortillas according to package directions, only if necessary. Cover tortillas with a clean kitchen towel or cloth napkin to keep warm. 4. Serve the chicken mixture, cheese (if using), zucchini, and salad greens wrapped or rolled in the tortillas. Nutritional Information Per serving: 300 calories, 9g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 35mg cholesterol, 750mg sodium, 46g total carbohydrate, 7g dietary fiber, 18g protein

After Green-Over:“How-To” Highlights Choose poultry in place of beef; “green-size” the portion; and go organic when possible to help shrink your carbon footprint. Pile on the produce to help boost heartiness of petite-portioned meat or poultry. Select seasonal veggies to add interest, flavor, nutrition, eye appeal, and overall satisfaction. Opt for more flavorful ingredients, such as “hot” salsa, to create extra lusciousness without adding unnecessary ingredients. Go fresh when the option is available and seasonal, such as fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. Pick whole grain instead of “white” bread products; they’re less processed and more nutritious. Reduce the amount of cooking energy that’s required by choosing tender or moist ingredients and just-right amounts of fat. Plus, use “lid cooking” to help tenderize without using extra heat. Chop ingredients smaller for quicker cooking to save cooking energy and time. Choose cheese that’s more flavorful so less is required—and go local or organic when you do. Heat certain pre-cooked ingredients, like tortillas, only if necessary. To cover something to keep it warm, choose a reusable cover, like a towel or cloth napkin, before opting for something recyclable, like foil.

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint with Green Cuisine

"Going green" has spread to the kitchen! Big Green Cookbook is the first comprehensive, climate-conscious cookbook, ideal for both culinary novices and experienced cooks. Food and health expert Jackie Newgent reveals simple, practical, and sometimes even money-saving solutions for choosing and preparing food in planet-pleasing ways. It has never been easier to create everyday meals that maximize flavor while minimizing your environmental impact. Inside you'll find:

• A green kitchen checklist

• Over 200 delicious, easy-to-prepare, seasonal recipes that feature fresh, all-natural foods

• Guidelines for going organic and tips for buying locally

• Nutrition information and earth-friendly cooking tips with every recipe

• Clever, new techniques for low-carbon cooking

• An eco-friendly shopping guide and seasonal produce guide

"The Big Green Cookbook shows you how deliciously easy it can be to reduce your carbon 'food' print. It's the perfect tool for anyone who wants to eat well and treat the earth right."
—Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network's Healthy Appetite and author of The Food You Crave

"Big Green Cookbook is THE step-by-step guide for greening your kitchen and your cuisine. Packed with easy tips and fantastic recipes based on the best of the season, Jackie Newgent shows America how tasty green cuisine can be, and why it's so critical to our planet."
—Kate Geagan, MS, RD, author of Go Green Get Lean

Ani's Raw Food Asia: Easy East-West Fusion Recipes the Raw Food Way

Ani's Raw Food Asia: Easy East-West Fusion Recipes the Raw Food Way Review

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You've been to her kitchen, enjoyed her desserts, and mastered the essentials; now go with raw food goddess Ani Phyo back to her roots for the first ever Asian raw food cookbook. Along with recipes from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, and Hawaii and background information on traditional dishes, Ani's Raw Food Asia also offers essential tips on green living, well-being, longevity, fitness, beauty, and entertaining as inspired by a healthy Asian lifestyle.

Recipes include: Mixed Vegetable Skewers with Almond-Butter Sauce, Creamed Curry Saag, Vegetable Tempura with Orange Lemongrass Dipping Sauce, Marinated Shiitake Mushroom Dumplings, Corn Fritters with a Hot and Sour Cucumber Dipping Sauce, Dosas, Moo Shoo Vegetables, and more.

The Demeter Cookbook: Recipes Based on Biodynamic Ingredients from the Kitchen of the Lukas Klinik

The Demeter Cookbook: Recipes Based on Biodynamic Ingredients from the Kitchen of the Lukas Klinik Review

This "official" Demeter Cookbook presents more than 200 recipes developed and collected by the Swiss Chef Hermann Spindler. Included are tempting recipes for sauces, soups, hors d'oeuvres, salads, main dishes, puddings, and desserts. It also features special recipes for casseroles and gratins, vegetables, quark (curd cheese) dishes, grain dishes, doughs, savory and sweet pastries, muesli and drinks--interspersed with informative commentary on the value of spices.

Since its foundation by Rudolf Steiner in 1924, the international biodynamic agricultural movement has produced high-quality, premium organic food that is increasingly sought out and respected for its flavor, quality, and nutritional value. The Demeter® logo certifies that the product has been grown and processed using verified biodynamic methods.

Hermann Spindler has been head chef at the Lukas Clinic for many years, where his kitchen has gained an outstanding reputation. Alongside food preparation methods that conserve nutritional value, imaginative presentation of dishes, and freshly prepared meals, the special nature of the Lukas cuisine is based on the careful selection of Demeter foods, in-season and from local sources whenever possible.

The Demeter Cookbook collects a selection of Spindler's delicious lacto-vegetarian, wholefood recipes--based on the core principles of anthroposophic nutrition--all in an easy-to-use presentation.

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from Our Italian Kitchen

The Tuscan Sun Cookbook: Recipes from Our Italian Kitchen Review

“Tuscan food tastes like itself. Ingredients are left to shine. . . . So, if on your visit, I hand you an apron, your work will be easy. We’ll start with primo ingredients, a little flurry of activity, perhaps a glass of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and soon we’ll be carrying platters out the door. We’ll have as much fun setting the table as we have in the kitchen. Four double doors along the front of the house open to the outside—so handy for serving at a long table under the stars (or for cooling a scorched pan on the stone wall). Italian Philosophy 101: la casa aperta, the open house.”
—from the Introduction
 
In all of Frances Mayes’s bestselling memoirs about Tuscany, food plays a starring role. This cuisine transports, comforts, entices, and speaks to the friendly, genuine, and improvisational spirit of Tuscan life. Both cooking and eating in Tuscany are natural pleasures. In her first-ever cookbook, Frances and her husband, Ed, share recipes that they have enjoyed over the years as honorary Tuscans: dishes prepared in a simple, traditional kitchen using robust, honest ingredients.
           
A toast to the experiences they’ve had over two decades at Bramasole, their home in Cortona, Italy, this cookbook evokes days spent roaming the countryside for chestnuts, green almonds, blackberries, and porcini; dinner parties stretching into the wee hours,  and garden baskets tumbling over with bright red tomatoes.
           
Lose yourself in the transporting photography of the food, the people, and the place, as Frances’s lyrical introductions and headnotes put you by her side in the kitchen and raising a glass at the table. From Antipasti (starters) to Dolci (desserts), this cookbook is organized like a traditional Italian dinner.
           
The more than 150 tempting recipes include:
·         Fried Zucchini Flowers
·         Red Peppers Melted with Balsamic Vinegar
·         Potato Ravioli with Zucchini, Speck, and Pecorino
·         Risotto Primavera
·         Pizza with Caramelized Onions and Sausage
·         Cannellini Bean Soup with Pancetta
·         Little Veal Meatballs with Artichokes and Cherry Tomatoes
·         Chicken Under a Brick
·         Short Ribs, Tuscan-Style
·         Domenica’s Rosemary Potatoes
·         Folded Fruit Tart with Mascarpone
·         Strawberry Semifreddo
·         Steamed Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Sauce
 
Frances and Ed also share their tips on stocking your pantry, pairing wines with dishes, and choosing the best olive oil. Learn their time-tested methods for hand rolling pasta and techniques for coaxing the best out of seasonal ingredients with little effort.
           
Throw on another handful of pasta, pull up a chair, and languish in the rustic Italian way of life. 

The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion

The Vegan Table: 200 Unforgettable Recipes for Entertaining Every Guest at Every Occasion Review

"The Vegan Table leaves nothing to be desired—Colleen Patrick-Goudreau is the Martha Stewart of the movement!"—Rory Freedman, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Skinny Bitch

"It's delightful, it's delicious, it's a de-lovely book!"—Sarah Kramer, author of How It All Vegan (GoVegan.net)

"Within minutes of reading The Vegan Table, I was in my kitchen making one of Colleen's favorite recipes. My wife was amazed. This is a wonderful book that you will want to give to all your vegan and non-vegan friends!"—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, bestselling author of When Elephants Weep and The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food

Entertain in Style—Vegan Style

The Vegan Table is your one-stop source for creating the perfect meal for your friends and family. Whether you’re hosting an intimate gathering of friends or a large party with an open guest list, author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, crowned the “Vegan Martha Stewart” by VegNews magazine, will answer your every entertaining need.

Inside you’ll be treated to practically limitless recipe and menu ideas, making it easy to satisfy any and all palates and preferences. From romantic meals for two to formal dinners, casual gatherings, children’s parties, and holiday feasts, you can keep the party going through every occasion and season.

Recipes include:

—Pumpkin Curry

—Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke, and Pesto Sandwiches

—Creamy Macaroni and Cashew Cheese

—Elegantly Simple Stuffed Bell Peppers

—Pasta Primavera with Fresh Veggies and Herbs

—Tempeh and Eggplant Pot Pies

—African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

—Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Apples and Onions

—Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce

—South of the Border Pizza

—Tofu Spinach Lasagna

—Blackberry Pecan Crisp

—Flourless Chocolate Tart

—Red Velvet Cake with Buttercream Frosting

Celebrate the joy of plant-based cuisine with The Vegan Table, your ultimate at-home dining and entertaining guide.

The Whole Foods Market Cookbook: A Guide to Natural Foods with 350 Recipes

The Whole Foods Market Cookbook: A Guide to Natural Foods with 350 Recipes Review

Who else but Whole Foods Market could create a cookbook so fresh, so appealing, so full of valuable information, and so perfect for the way we are all cooking and eating today? Bursting with winning recipes, healthful cooking advice, cheerful guidance through the new language of natural foods, wine and cheese information, and a comprehensive glossary, this is a “thank goodness it’s here” kind of cookbook.

The world’s largest natural and organic supermarket has created 350 contemporary recipes that are destined to become new classics. Whole Foods Market presents the most popular dishes from their prepared foods section, combined with brand-new recipes that showcase the wide variety of delicious ingredients available today. Far from “crunchy granola” fare, sophisticated recipes include Shrimp and Scallop Chalupas, Hazelnut Crusted Pork Loin, Thai-Style Green Curry Chicken, Griddled Sesame and Garlic Tofu with Wilted Bok Choy, Honey Jalapeño Barbecue Sauce, and Maple Butterscotch Macadamia Blondies. From meat and fish to tofu and vegetables, kid-friendly dishes to one-pot meals, the choices are dazzling, and with more than 200 of the recipes either vegetarian or vegan, the options are diverse.

But the recipes are just the beginning. Steve Petusevsky and Whole Foods Market Team Members shed light on the confusing world of natural foods, presenting interesting, accessible information and all kinds of helpful cooking advice. The Whole Foods Market Cookbook is as welcoming and fun as a trip to one of their stores. Find out the answers to questions such as:

How do I cook quinoa?
What are the different kinds of tofu, and how do I know which to buy?
How should I stock a great natural foods pantry?
What are good alternatives to wheat pasta?
What does “organic” mean?

A glossary with more than 150 definitions provides a great reference for all of the terms and ingredients that have been edging their way into our vocabularies and kitchens. With recipe bonuses, tips from the team, variations, sidebars, and 30 menu suggestions, this is the natural foods guide that so many of us have been waiting for.