{"id":5493,"date":"2017-04-26T12:39:53","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T12:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/?p=5493"},"modified":"2017-05-24T13:21:34","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T13:21:34","slug":"spring-and-summer-cookbook-blockbusters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/spring-summer-2017\/spring-and-summer-cookbook-blockbusters\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Cookbook Blockbusters"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Carolyn Worthington<\/p><\/p>\n

Looking for healthy and new recipes for the spring and summer? Here are two fabulous new cookbooks with many recipes to add to your repetoire. All are not only made with fresh ingredients but are easy to make. Enjoy!<\/em><\/h5>\n

Fresh<\/em><\/h3>\n

I<\/span>t\u2019s not often when you try new recipe for dinner hoping it\u2019s healthy but good, too, and your athletic son, says, \u201cWow, I could have this every night of the week.\u201d Phew!<\/p>\n

This is what I heard when I tested Donal Skehan\u2019s \u201cSticky Sesame and Sriracha Chicken with Chopped Salad<\/em>,\u201d recipe\u00a0from his new book, Fresh,\u00a0<\/em>recently.<\/p>\n

As a Francophile cook, I learned the basics from the works of the classical chefs from Jacques Pepin, Escoffier and those who were passionate about the French way, like Julia Child and James Beard. Sriracha and kale were not in my wheelhouse.<\/p>\n

In the ever evolving world of food and recipes, however, I\u2019ve evolved and added Fusion, Mexican, Spanish and health food nut influences, to my batterie de la cuisine. I embraced kale \u2013 tip toeing in with kale chips mind you and now serve kale salads on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

So, what could be new?<\/h4>\n

Along comes young Donal Skehan of Irish descent to knock your socks off with creative combinations you hadn\u2019t thought of before that are not only delicious, look outrageous but are healthy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Who is Donal Skehan?<\/h4>\n

Donal Skehan is an award-winning Irish food writer and TV star. He has published five cookbooks and hosts Star Kids<\/em> on the Food Network, Kitchen Hero<\/em> on RTE One, Junior MasterChef<\/em> on BBC One, Mitt Kok<\/em> (in Swedish) on TV4 in Sweden, Grandma\u2019s Boy<\/em> on Fox International, and Follow Donal<\/em> on Food Network (UK). He recently appeared on Rachel Ray<\/em>, The Today Show<\/em> and Steve Harvey<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s only 30 and has made a big splash on the food scene \u2026 a rising star to watch.<\/p>\n

His new book Fresh<\/em>, trust me, is NOT just another \u201chealthy recipe\u201d cookbook. You will definitely want to add some of these recipes as keepers in your menu rotation.<\/p>\n

The catalyst behind this book was his own personal health situation. In spite of his youth, his long hours of working even through weekends, juggling many projects and traveling took its toll. Over-extending does not age discriminate.<\/p>\n

According to Skehan, the \u201cserious kick in the butt for a change in my approach to both life and food, came only recently, when I found myself barely able to stand up while filming a television show in Vietnam. Despite our guide\u2019s kind offer to visit a local miracle man and a medicinal sauna, I wound up in a Vietnamese hospital, pumped full of drugs. A week later, still feeling dreadful and now on my second round of antibiotics, I headed home to perform a string of twenty theater dates for a live-cooking tour in Ireland. I hit absolute exhaustion, a big fat concrete wall; I never knew I could be that tired and feel so awful. After this complete collapse, I vowed never to get to that place again.”<\/p>\n

These health issues inspired Skehan to write Fresh<\/em>, chockful of interesting ways with seasonal fruits and vegetables, grains and a secondary emphasis on high-quality meat and seafood. Beautifully photographed by Skehan, you will enjoy flipping through the pages to see which recipe to try next.<\/p>\n

Some of our favorites are:<\/h4>\n

[awesome-gallery id=5763]\nPost-Workout Omelet<\/a><\/strong>, with a filling of a lovely combination of saut\u00e9ed rainbow chard, cherry tomatoes, salty feta cheese, flavored with garlic.<\/p>\n

Roasted Sweet Potato 4 Ways<\/a>,<\/strong> ideas for how to make the nutritious sweet potato your next \u201cfast\u201d food.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And, finally, our absolute favorite, Sticky Sesame and Sriracha Chicken with Chopped Salad<\/strong><\/a>, which uses chicken thighs, cut into small pieces, browned in a wok, and tossed with sriracha sauce, ginger, lime, honey, soy sauce and sesame oil \u2026 all served on a salad of sliced cabbage, kale (there it is again!), red and green peppers, toasted cashews and sesame seeds.<\/p>\n

Wow!<\/p>\n

Reprinted with permission from <\/em>Fresh<\/a>, \u00a92017 by Donal Skehan, Sterling Epicure. Photography by Donal Skehan. Hardcover.<\/em><\/h5>\n

<\/h3>\n

Grill Fire: 100+ Recipes & Techniques for Mastering the Flame<\/em><\/h3>\n

\"\"Lex Taylor is a self-proclaimed dreamer who waxes poetically in his new book Grill Fire<\/em> of how it must have been in days gone by. “\u2026 when we lived with nature and survived\u2014if we actually did\u2014on horse sense and sheer intuition!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m drawn to grilling because to grill is to be human in a timeless continuum,\u201d Taylor says in his introduction. \u201cCooking meat over fire can be traced back to when ancient protohumans first grabbed a fistful of smoldering beast from a bushfire and thought, \u2018What could possibly go wrong?\u2019”<\/p>\n

Taylor is a grill master. He is a judge on Beat Bobby Flay and is the winner of Esquire\u2019s TV show The Next Great Burger<\/em>. His being a world-traveler to many continents is apparent in his globally influenced dishes in the book, like Japanese Kobe slices served with umami tare sauces, Mexican rotisserie chicken, and cr\u00e8me br\u00fbl\u00e9e pork chops.<\/p>\n

His goal for the cookbook is to \u201cshare many of the wonderful grilling techniques I\u2019ve learned and the flavors I have experienced in my travels, while keeping, for the most part, a steady eye on American staples, whether it\u2019s a simple hamburger or an exquisitely but simply grilled steak.\u201d<\/p>\n

The book is more than just recipes. First of all, he is funny, making the book a good read, too. His tome on the burger will make you smile \u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cThe amount of stuff people try to shove into a single burger does injustice to its portability and ergonomics. And then there is the bacon bandage. Yes the bun may suck, the meat may be dry, and the cheese might not be melted properly, but wait! The addition of bacon somehow atones for these reckless, carnal sins.\u201d<\/p>\n

How true!<\/p>\n

Taylor reviews the basics of grilling from direct to indirect, fuel, tools, and types of grills (He\u2019s not into gas grilling \u2026 but all of the recipes can be made on one. \u201cTo be honest, I have never used a gas grill. Not even once\u2026\u201d Taylor jokes, \u201cI can\u2019t help but always think I will blow myself up, which ultimately makes these grills much less convenient for me.)\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the unique and great bits of advice Taylor gives is how to tell when the fire is ready using a \u201chand test.\u201d He describes how far you should hold your hand from the grill to know whether it is high, medium or low temperature. The book has a helpful chart.<\/p>\n

Following are several recipes from Grill Fire<\/em> that caught our eye and Lex Taylor’s thoughts on each one \u2026\n[awesome-gallery id=5766]<\/p>\n

Herb-Blazed Arctic Char<\/a><\/h4>\n

“Cooking char on the shoreline in Pang, we are hundreds of miles above the treeline. Old pallets, washed ashore from various deliveries, are the only available source of wood, but once they burn down to coals, they provide a good base on which to layer flavorful heather moss from the surrounding hills. Stones can be used to keep the fish off the fire and protect it from the wind.”<\/p>\n

Candied Chicken Pops<\/a><\/h4>\n

“If someone were to approach me to make a movie about food, it would be a riff on Jiro Dreams of Sushi<\/em> and would be called Lex\u2019s Dreams of Candied Meats<\/em>! It doesn\u2019t roll off the tongue so well, but who gives a shit.<\/p>\n

“The sad, weird truth is that I do dream of candied meats. I do so for several reasons: (1) Sweet, crunchy, glazed meats are the greatest things to eat. (2) They pair nicely with fresh greens, such as butterhead lettuce, crispy Romaine, and the like.<\/p>\n

“The balance\u00a0between sweet and heavy, and meaty and light, and crispy and refreshing adds a crucial dynamic to any grill. I think vegetables are awesome to accompany a grill, especially when they\u2019re raw. (3) Sweet glazed meats are filling, and a little goes a long way. (4) They are hard to do right, which makes obsessing over them particularly rewarding.”<\/p>\n

\"\"Whole Duck with Honey and Cantaloupe<\/a><\/h4>\n

“Half the reason I love to grill duck is that I get to trim it beforehand and gather a nice collection of duck fat, which will make a grand appearance at some unsuspecting future meal and just blow it up. The other reason is because, well, it\u2019s duck, and duck is tasty as hell. If you have a lengthy bacon resume, those skills will translate rather nicely to duck. Both are very fatty and have a nice skin that can get super crunchy. For a spectacular effect, pair your crispy-skinned grilled duck with something cool and luscious like cantaloupe.”<\/p>\n

Reprinted with permission from <\/em>Grill Fire \u00a92017 by Lex Taylor, Sterling Epicure. Photography by Bill Milne.<\/em><\/p>\n

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