Where do I start with master chef, restauranteur, teacher and cookbook author Levana Kirchenbaum’s new cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen?!? Let’s just start with the incredible size and weight of Levana’s latest cookbook, which is all about a healthy, whole foods approach to home cooking and eating. The cookbook is like a novel you can’t wait to dig right in to! Levana explains that “this book is my baby and the culmination of my life work” and you can truly feel the heart and soul of every recipe as you turn the pages.
In her newest and most extensive cookbook to date, Levana introduces us to a healthy world where food doesn’t have to be bland and boring. Each recipe has its own special introduction and you’ll learn so many incredible tips along the way. My favorite is definitely the hammer tip! Are you ready for this? I’m just going to quote Levana directly because I couldn’t say it any better myself:
“If I had a hammer…I would eat my veggies more often. You may find the use of a hammer in the kitchen somewhat odd and unbecoming, but you will quickly change your mind when  you see how many thankless tasks it performs in a jiffy. A hammer makes short work of cutting all those monolithic items that usually cause us so much grief in the kitchen: butternut squash, pumpkin, chocolate blocks, big turnips, and more. No force and no pressure whatsoever. Simply place a cleaver with the blade poised on the spots where you want to cut. Hit the cleaver with a hammer, with one clean stroke to the brute, and voila!”
Amazing, right? I can’t wait to buy my next block of chocolate so I can try this technique. Brilliant!
Even more important than the tips are the recipes themselves. Healthy, natural, sensible and beautiful to look at, Levana’s food makes you want to throw away the frozen fish sticks and boxed mac n’ cheese. With more than 350 simple and delectable recipes, a gluten-free index of more than 250 recipes and a Passover index with more than 250 recipes, there is something in this cookbook for everyone! Whether or not you keep Kosher, you will WANT this cookbook!
I marked almost every page of the cookbook with a recipe I can’t wait to try, but a few really stuck out in my mind and Levana has given me the opportunity to share those recipes with you. Enjoy!
Chinese Meat Loaf
Millet Fritters
Cranberry Peach Crumb Pie
Now on to the giveaway! Enter for a chance to win The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen by Levana Kirschenbaum. You will also win a bonus DVD featuring 2 full-length cooking demos by Levana. The more times you enter, the more chances you have to win! One winner will be picked at random. The contest ends on Monday April 30th at midnight and the winner will be announced on Tuesday May 1st in the morning. Open to U.S. Residents only. You can also buy the cookbook online now if you want these healthful and beautiful recipes are in your hands before the giveaway is over.
