Book Review: The Eat Right Healthy and Fast Cookbook by Jim Romanoff

When I first received this book, I loved it. I thought, this could be a cookbook that I’m really going to use and not just read and put aside! Six weeks passed, and for once my prediction turned out to be correct.

Since “Healthy in a Hurry” Day arrived in the mail, each week’s meal plan has featured at least two recipes from this book. The “Healthy in a Hurry” concept is great for modern moms struggling to prepare healthy meals with little time to pass in that short period between the end of the workday and 6:30 pm soccer practice (or whatever. be). As the book’s subtitle says, the recipes are appropriate for quick and easy daily dinners. There’s not much here you’d like to serve for special occasions, but the book features a nearly endless variety of tasty weekday meals that can be prepared in minutes.

Author Jim Romanoff, editor of EatingWell magazine, draws inspiration from a wide variety of culinary traditions. Meals are inspired by Southwestern, Thai, Japanese, Korean, Middle Eastern, Italian, Indian, Greek and North African cuisine. About two-thirds of the 150 recipes are accompanied by beautiful, full-color photographs. Each recipe provides nutrition, preparation and cook time information, as well as indicating whether the recipe is high in fiber, low in carbohydrates, or appropriate for a “healthy weight” lifestyle. “Nutritional bonuses” are provided for recipes that contain 15% or more of the Daily Value for specific nutrients such as vitamin A, folic acid, or iron.

“Healthy in a hurry” includes more than recipes. The book is divided into helpful sections that can be helpful in meal planning, such as stocking your pantry, seasonal menu suggestions, and vegetarian meals. Three sections provide ideas, not strictly recipes, for sauces, sides, and desserts “in a hurry.” Special indexes help you select recipes for meals of 30 minutes or less for children of healthy weight.

Some of the recipes we have enjoyed include: Pork and Potato Adobo Packets, Vietnamese Style Veal Broth and Noodles, Grilled Eggplant Panini, Turkey with Cranberry Sauce, Chipotle Steak Tacos with Pineapple Sauce and Medallions of veal with tangerine.

Just a few of the delicious recipes I have yet to try are: Korean-style Steak and Lettuce Wraps, Spiced Peach Pork Chops, Grilled Filet Mignon with Vegetable Kabobs, Green Shrimp Enchiladas, Turkey and Onion Quesadillas Balsamic and shrimp and Jambalaya express sausage.

In my extensive selection of cookbooks there are a few books that I return to repeatedly for great recipes for Sunday dinner or special occasions. Others I love to read, dreaming of recipes that are time consuming and contain expensive or exotic ingredients that I would love to try … one day. But there are very few that I use regularly for my weeknight dinners. “Healthy in a hurry” has proven to be one of them and as such I highly recommend it as a valuable addition to anyone’s collection.