Features
Make Every Meal Count … Without Stressing Out
Food Network personality and bestselling author
Giada De Laurentiis is back with her biggest book ever!
Food Network star and bestselling cookbook author Giada De Laurentiis is happiest when she’s in the kitchen, and although she will always have a weakness for the traditional Italian foods she grew up with, these days her approach to food – and life – is all about balancing indulgences with clean eating and keeping things easy. Picking up where Feel Good Food left off, Happy Cooking: Make Every Meal Count … Without Stressing Out (Pam Krauss Books; November 3, 2015; $35.00; Hardcover) shares how the celebrity chef fuels her busy life with nearly 200 recipes and helpful advice on everything from hosting a potluck or holiday meal to what to pack along for lunch every day.
Drawing on the time-saving tips and healthy eating strategies that keep her functioning at the highest possible level in her roles as working mom, restaurateur, and TV personality, here Giada uses budget-friendly ingredients for dishes that can be prepared on the fly, addressing the needs of everyday cooks who want to inject their weeknight meals with more flavor and healthful ingredients. Sample recipes featured in the book include:
• BREAKFAST: Eggs Cacio e Pepe, Ricotta Toast with Strawberries, Fluffy Lemon Buttermilk and Mascarpone Pancakes
• SNACKS & SMALL PLATES: Roasted Mushroom and Kale Pizzette, Margarita Chicken Wings, Hot Italian Sausage-Stuffed Dates with Lemon-Basil Crema
• SALADS & SEASONS: Shaved Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese Vinaigrette and Walnuts, Pomegranate Brussels Sprouts Salad, Orzo Salad with Fresh Citrus and Red Onion
• SOUPS & STEWS: Italian White Bean, Pancetta, and Tortellini Soup, Slow-Cooker Beef and Kabocha Squash Stew, Make-Ahead Cioppino
• PASTAS & RISOTTOS: Orecchiette with Cauliflower and Bread Crumbs, Short-Rib Lasagna, Lighter Macaroni and Cheese
• EATING CLEAN: Dairy-Free Risotto with Mushrooms and Peas, Matcha Chicken Tenders with Soy Citrus, Seared Cod with Tangerine and Arugula
• WEEKNIGHT WARRIORS: Stuffed Chicken Parmesan, Pan-Seared Salmon Burgers with Fennel Slaw, Skirt Steak with Pistachio Gremolata
• VEGETABLES & SIDES: Smoky Candied Carrots, Smashed Root Vegetables, Caesar-Roasted Broccoli
• WEEKENDS & HOLIDAYS: Sunday Pot Roast, Champagne and Caviar Linguine, Turkey Breast “Porchetta”
• TREATS & SWEETS: Key Lime Panna Cotta, Espresso-Peanut Butter Brownies, Lemon Ricotta Cookies with Lemon Glaze
Readers will be inspired to try new ingredients and techniques, and to create a wholesome balance between peak nutrition – and the occasional decadent indulgence. Speaking of decadent indulgence, here’s a delictably decadent fall recipe featured in the book for Spiced Apple Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. Serve with hot cider for the perfect afternoon pick-me-up.
Spiced Apple Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
SERVES 10 TO 12
Butter, for greasing the pan
All-purpose flour, for dusting
CAKE
3 medium green apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and diced into ¼- to ½-inch pieces
1½ cups pure maple syrup
3 large eggs, at room temperature
¾ cup light brown sugar
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
ICING
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the cake:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Liberally butter and flour a 10-inch fluted tube or Bundt pan. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the apples, maple syrup, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
In batches, mix the dry ingredients into the apple mixture. Stir in the walnuts.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes until a cake tester or skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
For the icing:
In a food processor, combine the confectioners’ sugar, cream, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla.
Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable.
Spoon the icing over the cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before slicing.
# # #
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
GIADA DE LAURENTIIS is the Emmy Award-winning star of Food Network’s Everyday Italian, Giada at Home, Giada in Italy, and Giada’s Holiday Handbook; a judge on Food Network Star; a contributing correspondent for NBC’s Today show; and the author of seven New York Times bestselling books. She attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and worked at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago restaurant before starting her own catering company, GDL Foods. Born in Rome, she grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives with her daughter, Jade.
Want to meet Giada? Giada will be on book tour from Tuesday, November 3 until Tuesday, November 17. Check out the full tour schedule to see if she’s coming to a city near you, and get your tickets today, before they sell out!
Related Posts: