At some point in our lives, most of us will face a very steep challenge: how do we change how and what we eat. Our decades old culinary wardrobe of sugar, salt, and fat needs to be, not cleaned, but discarded.
For those who have attempted a serious transition food wise, you know that this “steep challenge” can often seem formidable if not impossible.
We may be motivated to change for medical reasons or the urging of a spouse. I know about that situation. Motivation may be one thing. Getting the change put into action and made permanent is another matter. I know about that, too.
A basic barrier we face is that the “healthy” foods we encounter just may be better for us but at a stark price: too often one of those dishes is surely something we don’t want to eat. Terrible taste. Ugly colors. Textures that remind you of that paste you used in the first grade, and an aroma that reminds you of chemistry from high school. Under those circumstances, that necessary change we need now has a steepness of 90°. It cannot be done.
Author Diana Kennedy faced this challenge herself, has conquered it, and now in A Change of Appetite shows us a path to much heathier eating, a path we can all take and all enjoy.
This is her tenth book and Diana is an accomplished, skilled food writer. Her recent books include Salt Sugar Smoke: How to Preserve: Fruit, Vegetables, Meat and Fish. Her broad culinary interests mean that she truly loves and understands food. So even more than the normal person facing these changes, sacrifice was not something she relished. In fact, she has found an avenue that makes those concerns about “giving up” an issue we don’t have to confront. With her recipes, you will feel you are “gaining up.”
Enjoying all the foods that we do, and the sugar in them, Diana determine to find recipes using two principals. First, the food had to be accidentally healthy: first and foremost delicious and just happening to be healthy. Second, she is pursuing “considered eating” where reduction or substitution replaces total elimination. For example, we actually need to eat some fat. So, what fats are the healthy ones and how much of them should we be consuming.
With this more reasonable, less extreme philosophy, Diana has created dishes for the four seasons. Her dishes reflect her own rich food journeys and education:
- Love of simplicity: displayed in her book Pure Simple Cooking
- Cost concern: extending her consideration in Plenty to have good food with even just a modest budget
- Benefits from multi-cultural cuisines: first displayed in her book Crazy Water Pickled Lemons: Enchanting Dishes from the Middle East, Mediterranean and North Africa
Here are representative recipes that A Change of Appetite offers for the four seasons:
Spring:
- Persian Saffron and Mint and Chicken with Spring Couscous
- Beet, Radish and Goat Cheese Salad
- Artichoke and Ricotta Salad with Honeyed Preserved Lemon Dressing
- Teriyaki Salmon with Pickled Vegetables and Sesame Seeds
- Grapefruit and Mint Sorbet
Summer:
- Burmese Melon and Ginger Salad
- Macedonian Grilled Vegetable Salad
- Salmon Grilled in Newspaper with Dill and Cucumber Sauce
- Skewered Chicken with Lime, Chile, and Mint Salad and Radish Sprouts
Fall:
- Carrot, Cabbage and Apple Salad with Caraway
- Grilled Eggplants with Dates, Walnuts and Yogurt Salad
- Burmese Chile Fish with Hot-and-Sour Salad
- Scallops with Anchovy and Caper Dressing
- Chicken and Pumpkin with Soy and Star Anise
Winter:
- Beet and Carrot Fritters with Dill and Yogurt Sauce
- Kale, Salmon and Barley Soup with Buttermilk
- Spiced Quail with Blood Orange and Date Salad
- Seared Tuna with Avocado and Wasabi Puree
As you can see, there is manifest diversity here. Vegetables and proteins. Some simple recipes, some with 20+ ingredients. Some readily prepared, and some taking an afternoon of cooking indulgence. Whatever your mood and preference, your budget for ingredients and time, there something for you to make in this book. Starting this weekend.
And, most importantly, by using spices and techniques from around the world, you have dishes here that enrich your set of personal recipes. There’s no sacrifice in food quality here: the tastes,visual appeal, aromas and textures are excellent.
There’s that saying that you “can’t get something for nothing.” Well, not all sayings apply all the time. Thanks to A Change in Appetite, you can have better tasting and distinctive food that is also healthier for you. Look for a copy of A Change of Appetite and see if change is not happily on the agenda for you. No more 90°.