Notes about Recipes in this book

• Mediterranean chopped salad

  • GiselleMarie on September 30, 2020

    A decent, basic salad but nothing special. Still, it gets points for simplicity.

• Shaved Brussels sprout salad with hazelnuts and dried apricots

  • Jane on August 10, 2017

    To enjoy this salad you would have to like raw sprouts, as they are the dominant flavor. I do like them and enjoyed the combination of the crisp slaw-like sprouts with sweet dried apricots, crunchy hazelnuts and the orange/mustard dressing. This is a reasonably quick salad to make in bulk (my photo is a double-recipe) if you use the slicing blade on your processor. I don't think I'd make it in quantity if I was thin-slicing the sprouts by hand.

  • jay.moe on September 28, 2023

    This was quick and easy to put together while the main dish cooked. I substituted slice almonds for hazelnuts. The flavor of the acids went well with the brussels sprouts and the sliced apricots. The salad had time to sit in the dressing for 10-15 minutes which helped the brussels sprouts soften up. It was a nice side dish, but nothing spectacular.

• Sweet and savory carrot salad with oranges and dates

  • GiselleMarie on July 23, 2020

    This is only okay. I’ll double the salt and turmeric next time for more flavor.

• Indian-style cucumber salad

  • swegener on March 08, 2015

    I used lemon zest instead of juice, so it was less runny.

• Chicory salad with green apple, cranberries, and blue cheese

  • mharriman on May 18, 2022

    My husband and I really liked this salad. It was satisfying without being heavy. We both love blue cheese dressing and liked that the ingredients included crumbled blue cheese with a lighter oil and vinegar dressing. I had to substitute green leaf lettuce for the chicory leaves. I’ve never come across that lettuce where I live. No rating since my salad diverged from the intended chicory lettuce flavor. Salad paired well with suggested soup: cashew-carrot in same book.

• Tuscan kale salad

  • mharriman on May 20, 2022

    Very good. I made the full amount of dressing but didn’t use it all because my kale bunch was less than 3/4 pound. The roasted pine nuts and raisins add a nice bump in flavor and the honey in the dressing helped offset the bitterness of the kale.

• Black and red salad with walnuts and goat cheese

  • GiselleMarie on September 30, 2020

    I used leftover roasted beets (Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, pp. 558-559), which worked well in this recipe. Quartered hard cooked eggs placed around the edges of the platter brightened the salad’s appearance.

• Creamy asparagus soup

  • mharriman on May 29, 2024

    Adding the herbs de Provence in the leek mixture and the dollop of sour cream to garnish the cooked soup elevated the flavor a couple notches. We enjoyed this at the end of a busy day after sightseeing downstate. It was easy to put together and took less than 40 minutes from start to finish. Served with shrimp cocktails and spicy cocktail sauce which created a nice contrasting experience.

• Pasta fagioli with zucchini

  • southerncooker on March 02, 2022

    I used regular elbow pasta instead of wheat and omitted the parsley. It was filling, quick, easy, and delicious.

• Savory carrot-cashew soup

  • mharriman on May 18, 2022

    Delicious. I’m not a fan of very thick soups and this does make a thick soup. I thinned it out a bit after pureeing by adding 1/4 cup of chicken broth; that created the consistency I prefer. Otherwise, I followed the ingredients and instructions as written. The topping makes a very appealing presentation, especially next to the contrasting green salad in the same cookbook. Crostini was a nice bread pairing.

• Open-face Mediterranean salmon sandwiches

  • wkhull on April 07, 2024

    I thought this sandwich was tasty, though my partner thought it kind of bland. Salmon cooked beautifully as instructed. It's a very drippy affair. Good weeknight fare, but nothing I would immortalize into our arsenal.

• Pacific Rim salmon burgers

  • mharriman on June 09, 2022

    My Husband liked this better than other salmon burger recipes I’ve made. We both liked the moistness of the burger and the grated ginger root as well as the other Asian ingredients. After skinning my Alaskan coho salmon fillet, I had 5/8 of a pound and went with that for two people. I halved most ingredients but not the ginger, which I kept the same and glad I did so. After chopping and prepping all the ingredients, the cooking took less than 10 minutes. My salmon mixture was thick, quite moist, so I put the two rounds in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm them up a bit and then I used a non-stick pan instead of grill pan. They kept together, browned nicely, and flipped easily at 4 minutes on each side.

• Chipotle beef-stuffed portobello mushrooms

  • julesamomof2 on March 01, 2022

    We liked this for a low carb, different type of weeknight dinner. Very easy and we would repeat once in a while. Kind of a riff on zucchini boats, which we also like, but with portobello mushrooms.

  • southerncooker on March 10, 2022

    This was good but my mushrooms would only hold a half cup of filling. I think the extra filling will be good by itself though. I omitted the cilantro since hubby and son aren't big fans.

  • Devons on November 03, 2024

    We really liked this a lot. I used turkey instead of ground beef, did not tell husband and he couldn't tell lol. Didn't have tomato sauce, used couple tablespoons tomato paste. Like southerncooker says, each mushroom holds about 1/2 C filling.

• Guinness and beef skillet stew

  • southerncooker on March 18, 2022

    I made a double recipe. I left out the potatoes since we were having this with colcannon. It was a bit on the soupy side, but maybe I shouldn't have doubled all the liquids.

• Filet mignon with zucchini and parsley-caper sauce

  • mharriman on May 27, 2022

    This one was a miss for us. We thought the sauce was too vinegary and sharp. My husband said it might have been better if served on the side but I just plain didn’t care for it no matter how served.

• Lamb kabobs with pomegranate sauce

  • mharriman on June 03, 2022

    This dish wasn’t smooth sailing for me. On my stove-top grill pan and 9 inch skillet, the lamb and the sauce needed less time to cook. My lamb was well done with the time given, and I wish I’d stopped much earlier after turning them over. The too lengthy grilling time may have been because of the way my lamb loin was sliced- not thick. If I use this style meat again, I’ll cut the cook time in half. My sauce boiled down to less than one cup in about 8 minutes. Even with those issues, the final result was okay, but on my stove, I’ll need to keep a better watch. It didn’t help that I was also cooking and watching couscous and steaming asparagus on the other burners.

• Grilled lamb patties with herb sauce

  • mharriman on April 21, 2024

    These were a delicious take on ground lamb and they had a kick of flavor. They were easy to pan grill on my stovetop Lodge grill pan. Changes: I made four larger round-shaped patties instead of eight smaller oblong ones.

• Parmesan-crusted chicken breasts

  • mharriman on May 20, 2022

    Instead of using butter in the traditional French version (Escoffier) this reduced calorie version uses Dijon mustard (not listed in EYB ingredients) to adhere the grated cheese and is pan sautéed in cooking spray. My breasts stuck to the bottom of the pan and I lost some of the cooked cheese topping, but was otherwise very good and easy to make. Next time, I’ll spray both sides of the breasts before putting them in the pan.

• Apricot-teryiaki chicken thighs

  • jay.moe on January 26, 2022

    Substituted sweet chili sauce for the chili flakes since some of the family doesn't care for spicy food. Only used half the sauce for the marinade and saved the rest to brush on the chicken toward the end of the cooking time. Baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes and then basted the thighs with the reserved marinade and cooked at 350 degrees for an additional 15 minutes. Served the chicken with brown rice with scallions and broccoli. A family member thought the extra sauce would be good on the rice. The next time I make this, I will try it on the grill with boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

• Provençal chicken and white bean stew

  • Aggie92 on January 04, 2015

    Not a repeat unless some changes are made. Cooking times are too little for the vegetables to get soft. I really don't want half cooked carrots and celery in a stew. Not enough herbs, maybe double them. Definitely needs something briny to give the stew something interesting to chew on, like capers or Kalamata olives. Lastly, too much broth. The stew was too soupy.

• Lemon-tarragon chicken with squash ribbons

  • julesamomof2 on March 01, 2022

    Need to use thin cuts of chicken (or pound) or the squash will be done long before the chicken. I also would have liked more - even double- the squash ribbons. All in all a solid weeknight dinner.

  • mharriman on January 17, 2023

    I wish I’d read julesamonof2’s note before making this recipe. I second all of the comments. This Recipe produces a spa-like subtle-flavored entree. I will repeat with all of the modifications mentioned in the previous note.

• Chicken Florentine roll-ups

  • julesamomof2 on March 07, 2024

    Delicious and easy for a weeknight. Left out the sun dried tomatoes and didn't miss them. I had extra spinach, goat cheese, and parm so I baked them together for a little extra filling to go along side the chicken. Served with the suggested thyme-orzo pilaf and they went well together.

• Chicken paprikash

  • Aggie92 on January 07, 2015

    Surprisingly good for a weeknight paprikash. Although I really don't know how this is supposed to be done in 30 minutes unless you prep the vegetables and trim/cut the chicken earlier in the day. Only made a few small changes, added 1 tablespoon of dry vermouth to the chicken broth and cut the cayenne pepper in half. Even with only 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne it had a nice, slightly spicy taste. Also increased the simmering time 30 minutes, so I could cook egg noodles and make salads.

• Orange-sesame chicken stir-fry with snow peas

  • Aggie92 on January 08, 2015

    Yummy! And quick too. The orange sauce was so good, I wanted to lick the pan. Made a few small changes, cut the amount of sesame seeds in half and used a 1 pound bag of frozen edamame-mixed vegetable stir-fry blend instead of the snow peas. Served over short-grain brown rice. Will definitely make again. This is a real winner for a quick weeknight meal.

  • hsteel on November 05, 2015

    I made this last night with some chicken I had already cooked in the freezer, as well as orange juice I already had frozen. I suspect that I didn't have enough orange juice in the sauce - didn't taste at all of orange. But that's my fault. I'll try again with the requisite two oranges!

  • mharriman on January 30, 2023

    Excellent. Both my husband and I loved this. I followed the directions, for four people, as written and the results were superb. Served with brown jasmine rice and a Korean cucumber salad. Will repeat.

  • SenseiHeidi on June 25, 2023

    This stir fry was easy and the sauce was a perfect texture. The whole family liked it.

  • hbakke on July 19, 2023

    Delicious! I thinly sliced the orange peel after cooking and mixed it in for additional orange flavor. I used less-than-perfect sugar snap peas and would have preferred the specified snow peas. I would make this again.

• Taco pizzas

  • mharriman on May 18, 2022

    This was a fun entree but the flavor was pretty much one note. It made all the difference in working through the cooking steps to make the suggested side salad first (p.28), then assemble all the spices, measuring cups and spoons, measure out the chicken broth,tomato sauce, pinto beans and corn, grate the cheese, and chop, mince the scallions and garlic.

• Wok-charred lettuce and spinach noodle stir-fry with shrimp

  • mharriman on November 04, 2023

    I liked the Straightforward recipe directions. After prepping the ingredients, cooking the individual parts was easy. This was a very interesting and flavorful stir fry. The charred romaine and wilted baby spinach combined with the spinach noodles and jumbo shrimp resulted in a healthy, lighter dish, which we were in the mood for. Served with a Korean cucumber salad.

• Orzo with shrimp, peas, herbs, and feta

  • mharriman on June 07, 2022

    Although the directions guide you to prep each ingredient/ pans as you go, there are 10 ingredients, so I prepped everything ahead of time and was glad I did. Cooking itself was easy and straightforward. We liked this and husband says he’d like to have it again. Changed:I halved the oil, shrimp, orzo, and mint for two people but left the basil leaves, lemon juice, zest, feta, onion, peas, and garlic the same to add some flavor.

  • Devons on November 03, 2024

    Excellent, would make again. Changed prep a bit to make it faster, easier. In a skillet, cooked onion, shrimp, peas, lemon zest. Used TJ frozen brown rice, cooked up a bag and added 2/3 of the bag to the shrimp skillet. Then added remaining herbs and feta. Voila.

• Cod with miso-ginger broth

  • GiselleMarie on October 02, 2021

    I’ve sworn off buying new ingredients until I finish most of the vast collection of sauces, spices, and condiments I’ve accumulated in my refrigerator and pantry. This recipe, however, looked so simple and quick that I couldn’t stop myself from making a trip to HMart for white miso and fresh cod fillets. The flavors in this dish are so well balanced that it’s just delicious, with no particular flavor outshining the others. Excellent! I had Napa cabbage already, so I used that in place of the spinach, adding it to the broth when I placed the fish in the pan.

  • mharriman on May 24, 2022

    Two of us enjoyed this light almost spa-like cod recipe. Cooked it as instructed with listed ingredients except I added 1/3 cup cooked jasmine white rice to each of our bowls. Makes for a satisfying meal when you’re not overly hungry or, in my case, recovering from a stomach bug.

• Hawaiian mahi lettuce wraps

  • wkhull on March 10, 2025

    Very simple with nice sauce. I ended up making a salad instead since it would be a little too drippy for a lettuce wrap. If making it wrap style, would recommend using tortillas with the lettuce.

• Pasta with sardines and broccoli rabe

  • wkhull on March 07, 2023

    The sardines I used were very fishy (and I usually love sardines). That combined with the bitterness of the broccoli rabe, made this dish unpleasant. I did not rate this recipe because I questioned the quality of the sardines. As with most pasta dishes the stuff to pasta ratio was too low. I'd recommend halving the requested amount of pasta.

• Salmon with savory rhubarb sauce

  • mharriman on May 16, 2022

    After prepping all of the sauce ingredients, the cooking of the sauce and salmon was fast and easy. Rhubarb isn’t my favorite vegetable but I really liked it as the main ingredient in this sauce and it made for a very interesting, unusual, and tasty salmon entree. Served with broccoli and pearl couscous.

• Honey-mustard glazed salmon with endive and green apple

  • mharriman on October 01, 2022

    We loved the honey mustard topping on the salmon but found the endive salad very bitter. If I were to make the entire recipe again, I’d substitute a different lettuce green for the endive. As promised, speedy and easy recipe.

• Salmon wrapped in collard greens with walnut-yogurt-dill sauce

  • mharriman on May 28, 2022

    Good! The collard green leaves wrapped around the salmon fillets acted like parchment paper and sealed in the juices and flavor of the fillets. I cooked mine on the stovetop with a Loge grill pan and they were done after 5 minutes on each side. We liked the sauce on top of the fillets as well. Served with rice and beans and a spinach salad. Quick/Easy as described.

• Trout with artichoke caponata

  • Aggie92 on June 03, 2016

    Used cod loins instead of trout fillets. Did not make any changes to this lovely sauce, except to use a 12 oz. bag of frozen artichokes. The more artichokes the better in by book. Even my artichoke indifferent husband liked the sauce and wants to eat the leftovers tonight with flounder fillets. This recipe is definitely a winner in the quick and easy weeknight dinner category.

• Zucchini, spinach, and corn sauté

  • jay.moe on September 17, 2023

    This made a nice side dish although it could use a burst of flavor from some fresh, chopped herbs. Made per the recipe instructions, it is a simple sautéed vegetable dish with onion, garlic, salt and pepper. I feel any vegetables could be added to this such as grape tomatoes, asparagus, or other quick cooking vegetables.

• Parsley potatoes

  • GiselleMarie on September 25, 2020

    These are good and very easy. I have another recipe for parsley potatoes that I like better but I was cooking dinner at a rather late hour tonight and didn’t want the extra work and ingredients of my usual recipe. Ellie calls for only 1/4 teaspoon of salt. The dish could have used more—and pepper too! But really, a good basic preparation.

  • julesamomof2 on March 01, 2022

    These potatoes made a nice side dish and I appreciated steaming them vs. roasting in oil, although it took way way longer than specified to reach doneness. I also have found most of Ellie's recipes are very light on the seasoning which I'm sure is good for sodium reduction, but that said it's easy to just salt to taste. I did add just a smidge of butter to the finished dish as it needed a little something else for flavor.

  • mharriman on January 17, 2023

    This recipe produces light-tasting potato side dish. We liked it but when paired with the recommended tarragon chicken, the entire meal lacked zip. It felt like a spa meal- fine if that's the goal. My red potatoes, cut in quarters, baked to our liking in 14 minutes.

• Mulled cider sweet potatoes

  • GiselleMarie on June 03, 2023

    I had half of a large butternut squash that I used instead of sweet potatoes. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. The honey makes it a little too sweet for my taste, but I like this recipe’s use of everyday ingredients and the ease of preparation.

• Two-minute mango-coconut sorbet

  • southerncooker on March 23, 2022

    Quick, easy, and delicious. I made one serving. I'll be making this again.