Notes about Recipes in this book

• Whole-wheat pearl couscous salad with smoked paprika

  • eliza on October 05, 2015

    This recipe is available food network website.

• Breakfast bulgur wheat with poached mixed berries

  • southerncooker on February 13, 2019

    I used Bob's Red Mill Red Bulgur for this dish. I don't like sweet oatmeal but do enjoy savoury so didn't know if I'd like sweetened bulgur or not. I was intrigued that Giada says she makes this when she can't decide if she wants sweet or savoury for breakfast. There is very little sweetener in the poached berries, agave is used which I had on hand. I just used strawberries and blackberries since I didn't have the blueberries and raspberries too. The drizzle of EVOO on top of the cooked bulgur was a nice addition. I love this.

• Egg, kale, and tomato breakfast wraps with hummus

  • southerncooker on February 17, 2019

    Delicious. I used the Everyday Humus from The Weeknight Mediterranean Cookbook

• Pork tenderloin with honey-mustard sauce

  • julesamomof2 on July 06, 2022

    We love honey mustard anything and this was very good and easy. 30 minutes is way too long so I took mine out after ten, sliced it, and then simmered it in the sauce. Served with the citrus slaw from the same book for a light dinner.

  • mharriman on January 20, 2019

    This was quite good. I questioned the 30 minute baking time at 400 degrees, so I checked it at 15 minutes and the loin was 165-170 degrees, depending on where I stuck the thermometer. I think the 30 minutes at 400 degrees time/temp is a misprint. I Served with steamed broccoli and a light cheese sauce and the two were really nice together.

• Chicken, mango, and black beans with lime-almond dressing

  • julesamomof2 on July 13, 2022

    Delicious and different chicken salad. The dressing is so good. I don't care for mint as I find it usually overpowers everything, but in this case it blends perfectly.

  • mharriman on February 26, 2022

    Delicious. My husband and I both loved this as a dinner entree with an asparagus soup side. I could have eaten a double portion and had to restrain myself. I served the dressing on the side rather than mix it in the salad ingredients as directed. Very easy to put together. Will definitely repeat. The salad will be especially welcome on a warm or hot summer day.

• Whole roasted chicken with vegetable Bolognese

  • julesamomof2 on June 19, 2022

    The chicken preparation was simple but turned out very moist. Bolognese was nice too, save for some rubbery pieces of rehydrated mushrooms. I did use about 1/3-1/2 of the mascarpone and that was plenty. Delicious served over steamed broccolini.

• Sliced pork tenderloin with citrus slaw

  • julesamomof2 on July 06, 2022

    I just made the slaw and it could have used some additional crunch. Maybe some toasted sliced almonds to top it next time. Otherwise, very nice.

• Soba noodle salad

  • julesamomof2 on June 19, 2022

    This was really good for a lunch option- heavy on the veg and light on the noodles and I liked the almond butter dressing with a nice hit of wasabi. Would make again. Much better than typical peanut butter versions and the sugar rush that comes with that.

• Turkey, kale, and brown rice soup

  • julesamomof2 on February 01, 2019

    There's a lot going on in this soup but the flavors aren't muddy at all; it's actually rather light which was surprising to me given the variety of ingredients. I added more chicken stock then called for as I like things on the brothy side.

• Quinoa, roasted eggplant, and apple salad with cumin vinaigrette

  • meaghan1986 on February 08, 2014

    Amazing! The cinnamon and cloves make this dish good for any christmas dinner.

• Green pea, lettuce, and fennel soup

  • mharriman on January 25, 2018

    What a delightful soup! My husband and I really like fennel, so this soup was a hit with us. I’ve never seen a recipe that uses lettuce, and certainly not a whole head. This soup had a light, refreshing texture even though mine came out thicker and darker than the photo and description. I thinned it with water a little but didn’t want to take away the flavors so kept most of the thickness which was fine for a winter evening. For summer, I’d probably thin it with more water. A tweak - I used two fennel bulbs to make one cup (not one bulb as in directions) This was quick to put together after a busy day, making it even better. Served with a small crab cake to round out meal.

• Farfalle with chicken, cremini mushrooms, and Swiss chard

  • mharriman on October 26, 2020

    I’ve made this dish several times and always change up the measurements because, as written, the sauce is very thin and watery and ingredient measurements don’t seem accurate as written. 2 oz of Farfalle = 1 serving, so 1lb (what’s called for) should equal 8 servings but the recipe is for 6 people. The photo shows pasta in a creamy mascarpone sauce but the cheese amount in the recipe is only 1/3 cup coupled with 1 1/4 cup of chicken broth, making the sauce very watery with only a hint of cheese flavor. My 4/5 rating is for my modified recipe for 4 people: 1 cup mascarpone, 8-9 oz Farfalle, pasta, 12 oz cooked, diced chicken breast, 3/4 cup broth, 10 oz Swiss chard, 12 oz mushrooms, 1/4 cup white wine and two minced shallots. This is a recipe where ingredients and amounts can be easily adjusted to your taste preferences.

• Stuffed bell peppers

  • mharriman on May 27, 2021

    I make this for dinner several times a year and it’s a reliable great tasting Vegetarian meal. The olives and capers add a lot of flavor to the tomatoes, tofu, and other vegetables. I’ve never found Japanese eggplants in my area supermarket but lately I’ve been using St. David’s hydroponic eggplants, which are smaller than globes and taste better to us. I use an entire jar of marinara sauce and two smaller sized eggplants which makes more sauce than will usually fit in six bell pepper halves. The leftover sauce is a great topping over spaghetti for lunch. I use the recipe that’s in my cookbook.

• Shrimp and avocado salad

  • mharriman on June 15, 2018

    Excellent. My husband and I loved this. Great for a lighter dinner on a warm summer evening.

• Beet and marinated goat cheese salad

  • mharriman on February 23, 2021

    Delicious. We loved the combination of all the ingredients. This salad is easy to put together once you have roasted the beets and the green beans. This works better as an arranged salad than a tossed one ( tried both ways over two nights). Tossing all ingredients ( except goat cheese) causes beets to tinge everything else in red and their flavor takes over all the other ingredients.

• Strawberry and spinach smoothie with yogurt

  • mharriman on April 20, 2021

    Delicious. I really like the frostiness of this smoothie. The addition of 1 1/2 cups ice cubes modifies the texture from totally creamy to icy. This would be particularly refreshing on a hot summer day and I’ve noted that in my cookbook.

• Updated Waldorf salad with apple vinaigrette

  • mharriman on September 10, 2018

    My husband and I loved this updated Waldorf salad. I reduced all the ingredients except the whole apple for the two of us. Delicious! Served with the pea, fennel, and lettuce soup from the same cookbook. The salad and soup complemented each other well. Salad dressing makes twice as much as needed (even when reduced for two servings).

• Grilled salmon and pineapple with avocado dressing

  • mharriman on June 10, 2018

    My husband’s and my favorite Giada salmon recipe. It includes quite a few steps ( chopping & blending ingredients for avocado dressing, chopping herbs & mixing oil for salmon basting mixture, chopping whole pineapple into rounds) but once the prep is done, this is quick cooking and a snap. I like to grill it on my stovetop grill pan. Tonight I served it with sautéed shredded zucchini with grated nutmeg. The salmon, pineapple, avocado combination makes for a wonderful summer meal on a humid day.

  • CJI on August 13, 2014

    Easy to prepare. Delicious!

• Grilled scallops with orange-scented quinoa

  • mharriman on January 03, 2018

    A favorite- Easy and delicious. I like to grill the scallops on my stovetop using a LeCrueset skinny grill pan. I found out a while back the scallops don’t need skewering. As long as I prep ingredients and make the dressing and quinoa ahead of grilling the scallops, this meal is a snap. Served with steamed asparagus as a side.

• Baked salmon with arugula salsa verde

  • mharriman on March 29, 2018

    My husband loved this recipe; I liked it. The salsa verde called for so much olive oil that it separated from the greens and ran down and over the plate once served from the pan. I would reduce the olive oil in half next time. With the suggested quinoa, the salmon and greens and quinoa made for a full meal. I put my dinner salad aside for lunch. One upside of this dish is that it’s baked, so you have 10-12 minutes to do other things ( I cut up strawberries for dessert) while it’s in the oven. The downside is the number of ingredients you need in addition to the salmon: lemons, capers, fresh herbs and lettuce including chives, Italian Parsley, and arugula. Since my herb garden isn’t ready yet, this was a pricey meal.

• Spiced pumpkin-raisin cookies

  • mharriman on November 18, 2017

    These were delicious. I added an egg and substituted honey for the maple syrup since I was out of the syrup. I baked for 17 minutes and they were just right. These are chewy and satisfying.

  • msimfam on February 05, 2016

    Made these with Gluten free flour with xanthan gum already in the flour. Very Good. And easy.

• Salmon with basil and chive tzatziki

  • mharriman on September 30, 2017

    I like to make this recipe during the summer months when I can use fresh basil and chives from our herb garden. I used up the last of the chives and our bounty of basil in last night's meal. A treat! The leftover tzaziki is great as a spread the next day. I always buy the tarragon as it doesn't grow in our northern Virginia garden. I like Gilda's fresh, California take on food, but Her recipes remind me that most of the year her produce ingredients are easily and inexpensively found in California-- but not as easily available or inexpensive on East coast. So, Giada is often my May- September recipe gal.

• Broiled sole with mustard-chive sauce

  • mharriman on April 05, 2023

    I tweaked the recipe a bit by using cod fillets and baking them at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. The sauce makes a solid accompaniment for a healthy, satisfying, and reasonably quick weeknight entree. I served It with steamed asparagus and a spinach and strawberry salad.

• Salmon with lemon, capers, and rosemary

  • mharriman on November 21, 2017

    Easy to make and pretty tasty. I used skin on wild coho fillets (called for skinless) and cooked a bit too long, so it burned a little on bottom, but was still moist. We liked the lemon and rosemary combination.

• Artichoke soup with fresh mint

  • adelina on January 31, 2016

    Quick dinner out of the freezer! Used frozen spinach since had no fresh. I also added a can of canellini beans, 5 cloves of garlic and some parmesan at the end.

• Spinach, ginger, and apple smoothie

  • Frogcake on September 03, 2019

    This bright green smoothie is delicious and refreshing! I made this for my son when he was recovering from dental surgery. You can replace the apple with a nice ripe peach, unpeeled. I also added a scant tablespoon of honey. I used my Breville blender as I don’t have a Vitamix. Note to self: don’t omit the fresh ginger!

• Blueberry banana muffins

  • Coastalgal on March 23, 2019

    I used whole wheat flour rather than brown rice. Also substituted canola oil rather than grape seed oil. I would cut back a bit on the maple syrup. Very moist and delicious especially warm

• Detox broth

  • Shelmar on September 05, 2019

    Basic, good detox day; reserves made an acceptable soup.

• Halibut with artichoke and olive caponata

  • mpo on July 29, 2022

    This was a very nice dish. I should have saved this for company this weekend! Enjoyed leftover caponata on crackers.