Book Review: Everyday FOOD Light Cookbook

This is one of many books written by Martha Stewart and the Everyday FOOD chefs. It contains tons of recipes for healthy meals under 500 calories. There are a few ingredients throughout the book I did not recognize, but for the most part these recipes all contain ingredients you can find in your every day grocery store. Each recipe features nutrition facts and color photos. There is even an explanation of why its lighter at the top of most recipes. In the front of the book you will find different methods for cooking light, tools for cooking lower calorie, low fat flavor boosters, and more. One great thing about this book is they organized the recipes by season with lighter recipes in the spring and summer and heartier recipes in the fall and winter. Here's an example of how the book is organized and the recipes you will find inside:

WINTER:
Caesar salad with spicy shrimp, light Italian wedding soup, lighter beef chili, back gnocchi with ricotta and marinara, one-pot chicken and brown rice (recipe below-one of my favorites), and more. 

SPRING:
Lighter chef salad, tortilla soup with black beans, lemony pasta with wilted arugula, individual pinto and black bean tamale pies, flank steak with snap pea and asparagus stir-fry, salmon with brown sugar-mustard glaze, and more

SUMMER:
Lighter cobb salad, Tandoori chicken kebabs, Thai chicken and noodle salad, grilled New England seafood bake, grilled fish sandwich with cabbage slaw, raspberry yogurt pops, and more. 

FALL:

Butternut bisque, seafood stew, spinach frittata with green salad, lighter eggplant Parmesan, stuffed peppers with quinoa and provolone, lighter chicken enchiladas, broccoli and pork stir-fry, and more.




ONE-POT CHICKEN AND BROWN RICE

1 tbsp olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6-8oz each)
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
2 celery stalks, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 medium carrots, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 dried bay leaf
1 3/4 cup water
1 cup brown rice

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, in the pot. Cook until golden brown on both sides, 10-12 minutes total. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of fat from the pot; add onion and celery. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook 20 minutes. Add carrots, bay leaf, and water; stir in rice and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until rice absorbs almost all of the liquid, 40-45 minutes. Let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving. 

Makes 4 servings

per serving: 372 calories, 14g fat, 18g protein, 43g carbs, 4.6g fiber