Fresh Food Fast – Meals In Under An Hour

Do you love fresh delicious meals but don’t think you have the time to make them? Do you want to expand your vegetarian cooking while saving money? Then Fresh Food Fastis for you. If you haven’t eaten out of this cookbook you are in for a treat.

I first saw this cookbook on the old high school music stand that my friend Tina puts by the stove when she cooks. I must have eaten half a dozen fast, easy and cheap recipes out of it before I finally picked it up.

I like Fresh Food Fastbecause in addition to the fantastic recipes it is laid out in a really useful manner. After the introduction, tips for using the book, pantry instructions, equipment and pressure cooker sections the recipes are divided seasonally. The book is almost 300-pages long and you can buy it for about 25 bucks.

Each season has 12 complete meals and there is a dessert section at the back of each season section. At the beginning of each meal there is a Market List that includes fresh produce, dairy, pantry ingredients. Then you have the list of equipment needed, the game plan to create the meal and speed tips.

There are informative sidebars scattered through out the book as well and the pictures are delicious. This cookbook is the trifecta of cooking… it saves you time, money and calories.

I found this Amazon Review summed up the power of the book nicely:

“This book has changed my life- seriously! My kids and husband are now convinced that I am a good cook, and we can all sit down to a delicious vegetarian dinner every night of the week! The recipes are easy to prepare, and once you start using them, you will have most of what you need on hand to create almost anything in the book for that season! It’s really terrific; I can’t recommend it highly enough!!”

Below is my current favorite recipe from the winter section of Fresh Food Fast. This salad is served with Provençal Garlic and Herb Broth. I asked Tina what our meal had cost. She did a quick calculation and said the meal cost about 8 dollars for 4 people. Not bad.

Warm White Bean Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Smoked Mozzarella

This is a true winter salad – warm and savory. The smoked mozzarella really adds another layer of flavor, but you can use regular mozzarella if you like. If your tomatoes are very dry, soak them in very hot water to cover until supple. Yield: 4 servings
½ cup firmly packed sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup diced red onion (about 1 medium)
½ teaspoon course sea salt or kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 cup thinly sliced peeled carrots (bout 2 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced celery stalks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (15-ounce) can while beans, drained
4 cups arugula leaves, for serving
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1. In a large sauté pan over high heat, combine the oil, onion and ½ teaspoon of salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, rosemary and red chili flakes and sauté for 1 more minute. Add ¼ cup water and cover the pan. Cook over high heat until the vegetables are just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.
2. Uncover the pan and turn off the heat. Stir in beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and vinegar and season with salt.
3. Toss the bean with the arugula and served garnished with chopped parsley.

Other recipes include: Sesame Noodles with Tofu Steaks and Baby Asian Greens – Spicy Corn Frittata with Tomatoes and Scallions – Pan-Seared Summer Squash with Garlic and Mint – Radish, Orange and Avacado Salad and Leek and Turnip Soup with Potatoes and Chard.

Fresh Food Fastis also going to help me plan my garden. The veggies that are a little pricey in my neck of the woods are the ones I am going to grow in my garden and I will buy the rest from the farmers market or the store. Fresh Food Fast: Delicious, Seasonal Vegetarian Meals in Under an Hourby: Peter Berley and Melissa Clark

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