Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 Luscious, Healthy, and Easy to Prepare Recipes November 15, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a sumptuous, imaginative cookbook, while at the same time keeping nutritional values high on its list of priorities. I have never seen such healthy meals with such beautiful presentations, and so lusciously delicious to the taste.
Most of the recipes are very unique, and they will take your breath away as you read the ingredients, with their marvelous blend of flavors, and look at the wonderful photography. But wait until you try them! If you want to impress your friends or family with a fabulous meal, make them something from this book.
Another plus considering our busy lives is that the recipes are not complicated to prepare. All the recipes are relatively easy to make (some of them incredibly easy), and don't take long to get from kitchen to table. The ingredients are few compared to the long lists that accompany many gourmet recipes, and make no mistake, these meals may be healthy and simple, but they are also gourmet deluxe in taste and looks.
When you see "Kosher" on a book title, you might think "Jewish food," but these creations have the flavors of the world, with many delectable Asian, Italian, Mexican, and other international dishes, as well as Middle Eastern fare, and even a knock-your-socks-off burger.
My main interest in getting this book was for the soups, and they exceeded my expectations. Those on a budget will really appreciate these wonderful bowls of goodness. Some of them will cost you next to nothing, like the Peasant Soup, Cabbage Soup, and Velvety Roasted Vegetable Barley. Put them together with the incredible Honey Oat Challah, and you will be in gastronomical heaven.
The book has a superb layout, starting with Supermarket Savvy to descriptions of the healthy ingredients that are used in the recipes. It also lists the useful gadgets that will help you in the kitchen and has Ideas for Entertaining. The recipe chapters are: Appetizers; Soups; Salads; Poultry; Meat; Fish; Eggs, Pasta and Dairy; Side Dishes; Desserts. The photography by John Uher is terrific throughout, and also adding to the book with her expertise is Bonnie Taub-Dix, who is spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "Kosher by Design Lightens Up" is perfect for a Holiday or new house gift, and an absolute must for a new bride.
Susie Fishbein needs no introduction. She has consistently delighted us with her "Kosher by Design" series, and for my money she is The Ultimate Kitchen Diva. Thank you Ms. Fishbein, for this exciting, fabulous cookbook!
She definitely knows her audience November 21, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is my sixth Susie Fishbein cookbook. If that doesn't attest to the quality of her recipes, layouts, ideas, advice, and book quality, I don't know what else would.
Kosher chefs spend more time in the kitchen preparing elaborate family meals than your average American. Combine that with the constraints of finding quality kosher ingredients, the time limitations in that most of us lead busy lives today, the fact that you still want to provide eye-catching, yet delicious meals when entertaining guests, AND the fact that you want to provide a more healthy lifestyle for your family....well, that's a pretty big expectation to live up and Susie Fishbein delivers.
I was afraid that I was going to receive a cookbook full of salads and pictures of measly portions of sad-looking tofu. But Fishbein has taken managed to keep sight of her heimishe audience by providing savory recipes with fish, chicken, and beef dressed up with gourmet flavors in a healthy preparation. As it true with most of Fishbein's books, you'll find recipes for foods not often found at your neighborhood shabbos tables (polenta pie, miso or udon soup, or vietnamese summer rolls) but she provides plenty of helpful tips on where to find these more exotic ingredients with kosher supervision. Meanwhile, you'll still find pot roast, london broil, roast turkey, stir fry, lasagna, and dessert -- for those of your eaters who are wary of foreign or healthy foods.
I will warn you that many of her recipes are more elaborate, often with a dozen or so ingredients. But between this book and my Kosher by Design Short of Time cookbook, I've been able to find a nice balance and make a menu where the dishes are healthy, delicious, and not going to kill me right before shabbos.
Moreover, the book begins with a very helpful section on health food buzzwords (organic, GMOS, free-range), unhealthy ingredients to watch out for when reading the labels in the grocery store, and a brief understanding on some of the chemicals used in processing food. There is a brief page on kashrus for those unfamiliar with the practice (which makes me believe that this cookbook is being marketed beyond the frum world), review on the different types of flour, grains, sugars, and oils available, and best of all, there are cute little ingenious tips on how to reduce your caloric intake and small steps on how to change your lifestyle slowly to a more healthy one.
I love this cookbook and know that I'll integrate it among my favorites.
Fantastic recipes that your family will eat November 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When Kosher By Design Lightens Up by Susie Fishbein was delivered, I don't know who was more excited - me or Carl. We both enjoyed looking through it. The first few pages of the book explain how to keep a kosher kitchen and make healthy choices in your eating habits. There is a section with definitions and explanations of flours, sugars, oils, etc. The section on entertaining has some great ideas.
The reason you buy a cookbook is for the recipes, though, and this one has some great ones. I cooked the Cabbage Soup this weekend and the recipe is simple and easy to follow. The soup was delicious! There's a picture with every recipe, and the recipes use ingredients that are easy to find. The directions are clear and concise. The recipes in this book are for food that your family will eat - things like Italian Pot Roast, Enchiladas, Salmon Burgers, and Blueberry Pancakes just to name a few. There is an emphasis on making the dishes healthier. There are a lot of recipes that I want to try like the Greek Frittata Ring, Multigrain Pasta with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and Frozen Pumpkin Pie.
You can see some sample pages here. It's not necessary to be Jewish (I'm not) or keep a kosher kitchen (I don't) to enjoy this beautiful book. This is a great cookbook for beginners and pros alike.
TEN Star WOW November 14, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is not only a beautiful book, but there are so many recipes with easy to follow directions, an lovely photos, but the recipes actually turn out well, and there are recipes that should appeal to everyone. Unlike many cook books where 99% of the recipes are of no interest or a repeat of what is in another cook book. With the holidays coming up I think this is one cook book that would appeal to a variety of interests.
Light, Lean and Delicious November 15, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
Fishbein, Susie. "Kosher By Design Lightens Up", Mesorah Publications, 2008.
Light, Lean and Delicious
Amos Lassen
Susie Fishbein's "By Design" series of cookbooks have really caught on and I suspect not just because of the wonderful recipes but also from the way the books are published. They are beautifully photographed and the lay outs are amazing.
The sixth book in the series contains more than 145 new recipes of food dishes that are light and this is interesting in that traditional Jewish cooking has been regarded as heavy and fatty. Instead of the traditional Eastern European dishes, we have recipes for "nouveau cuisine" which gives the book an international flair. There are recipes for Argentinean Bison Steak, Korean Beef Kim Chee Skewers, Chicken Tikki Marsala and Thai Chicken Soup to name just a few.
Here is a way to lighten up with beautiful dishes which are healthy, appetizing in appearance and 100% kosher.
Ms. Fishbein shows us how kosher cooking has changed in the last ten years and combining light fare with traditional kosher cooking gives us an entire new way to enjoy kosher food. Susie Fishbein also gives us ideas for entertaining as well as healthy approaches to everything we love to eat. I, personally, love the tips she gives us for shopping as well as the fact that she provides us with a nutritional glossary. This is a book for all of us but kosher cooks will relish it for its new ideas.
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