I got this cookbook back in late October, but I wanted to wait until I had a chance to try out a few of the recipes before reviewing it. I have no need to keep Kosher but that certainly won’t stop me from trying out a great cookbook.
The cookbook has a terrific layout. My favorite thing: there is a picture for every recipe. The pictures are big – full page and clear, not overly styled. They look like things you’d be pleased to put on the dinner table.

One thing that disappointed me, especially for a healthy cookbook: there is no nutritional information provided. My father is a diabetic and I often check the carbs and sugars on holiday recipes and I always check the fat content of things I make for myself. While I don’t always rely on it, that information is always good to have.

Now, I should warn you that I’ve never met a recipe I couldn’t alter just a teensy, tiny bit. I tend to use recipes as a guideline and I am never afraid to try a cooking method or ingredient that I think will work better. So I’ll tell you up front that I…adjusted these recipes. They still came out great and, adjustments or not, I’m sure they would work for others.

The first recipe I tried was the Rib Eye Portobello Steaks. It’s a great, simple recipe – thickly sliced mushrooms, well-seasoned steak and a side of diced tomatoes. I love portobello mushrooms and I will be using this method for roasting them and serving them as side dishes with other meals. The cooking method is generally light (I used a lot less olive oil than the mushrooms called for), but it still uses basic ingredients; I am always suspicious of recipes that depend too much on fat-free, reduced calorie items to keep the calorie count down.

Another recipe I tried was the Marrakesh Carrot Salad – North African spices on nice, healthy carrots. Again, I modified the cooking method and the recipe. The recipe called for boiling the carrots, but I’ve always read that boiling leaches out a lot of vitamins, so I steamed them in the microwave. I also cut back a bit on the olive oil. That’s something I found myself doing a lot with these recipes. I cut down on the olive oil, I changed the cooking methods…lamb patties sound great, but why fry them in oil? There are healthier cooking methods you could use.

The third recipe I tried, I actually used for my Thanksgiving turkey. I roasted a turkey breast with cranberry-pineapple glaze based on the Glazed Turkey Roast with Cranberry Chutney. The flavor of the turkey was fabulous and the pan drippings were sweet and savory. Really a hit.

Overall, I like the cookbook and I have turned out some good meals with it. As I said earlier, I adjusted ingredients and changed cooking methods, but I would do that with any cookbook. There are some great recipes here with a definite emphasis on healthy ingredients and cooking.

Susie Fishbein has put out a series of cookbooks for cooks who want to turn out great Kosher food. You can find more information on her cookbooks here. My copy was an Advanced Reader Copy. Buy your copy at Amazon.com.

I was interested in Kosher by Design Lightens Up as, though I'm not Jewish, I've long been intrigued by kosher cooking. However, I did not hold out much hope for it because I don't cook light. We don't do diet anything in this house, we make full fat meals and desserts and simply eat smaller portions. But I have to say I was truly impressed with Kosher by Design Lightens Up.

I was immediately drawn in by the large, lovely photographs. I love to see what a dish should l
ook like upon completion and every recipe boasts a photograph. After flipping through the photos I decided on a handful of recipes to try over the following weeks. Let me tell you, none of them disappointed. I was pleased with each and every dish and dessert. My favorites would have to be the Garlic Burgers and Green Tea-Applesauce Cake. Of course with over 140 recipes I'm still cooking my way through, who knows what new favorite may present itself next?

What does Kosher by Design Lightens Up have to offer? How about Tex-Mex Turkey Meatballs, Miso Glazed Cod, Peasant Soup or Fudge Brownie Torte? Or perhaps Chummos Canapes, Mile-High Chinese Chicken Salad, Veal Marsala, Spicy Fries and Apple-Rum Croustade. Doesn't sound light does it? It doesn't taste light either! ( )

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 ( )

In her beautiful new cookbook, Susie Fishbein has created a wonderful array of new, healthful recipes. There are sections that define current terms that can be confusing, such as Organic, Free Range and All-Natural. The sections defining the different types of flour, sugars, grains and oils are particularly helpful for those trying to make healthier choices. (That should be all of us, right?)

The recipes are easy and flavorful. I have made several dishes and particularly enjoyed the Kale, Sausage & White Bean Soup, the Wheat Germ Crusted Chicken Cutlets and the Chicken Skewers with Ponzu Dipping Sauce. Yum. You will find a dish for every occasion here. There are sixteen lovely appetizers that would be a great addition to any holiday party. The twenty-three desserts include twists on holiday favorites that I can't wait to try, like Frozen Pumpkin Pie. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor, try something new and healthy this holiday season! ( )

This is a great cook book, one of the best I have ever read/used. I love the fact that the author took the time to outline many great ideas and tips for cooking healthy meals. She includes foods that most people may not have heard of like farro, barley, millet and spelt. She also cautions moderation even with foods that are considered healthy(who knew that one cup of olive oil has 2,000 calories?). But most importantly about this cook book is that it contains delicious, healthy and easy to make recipes

I made the Mexican Turkey Albondigas soup and I only realized that I was eating the plate when I felt some ceramic pieces in my mouth. It was delicious and best of all I did not feel heavy after eating it. I also made the Zuccini Lentil soup, the Healthy Unfried Chicken and the Summer Harvest Quinoa. All delicious, all amazing. Another thing that I really like about this is that the author includes a generous offering for vegans and vegetarians. This is important to me as I have a friend who is an ethical vegan and I now have receipes that I can make for her when she visits rather than just offering her salad and chips. The vegan/vegetarian offerings include Vegetarian Pate Bundles, Asparagus Radicchio, Vegetarian Chili, Roasted Pepper Crostinis and Chummos Canapes.

I am yet to make any of the desserts but they all look beyond yummy. Offerings include Peanut Butter Pizza, Baklava Bites, Crispy Cream Bars and Green Tea Applesauce cake just to name a few.

Another gigantic plus for me is that each recipe has a picture of what the meal is supposed to look like. This may not be important to some but to me, that is a major factor. Another biggie for me is that this book is visually stunning. The pictures are beautiful and make you want to eat the page on which its printed. This is a wonderful addition to any kitchen. ( )