Bare Minimum Dinners

June 21, 2021
A hassle-free guide to healthy cooking arrives from Real Simple food director Helwig (The Multi-Cooker Baby Food Cookbook), who encourages readers to do “the bare minimum, and it tastes delicious.” She addresses the issues home cooks face on weeknights and provides practical solutions—for example, instead of pre-prepping homemade sauces, she recommends good quality supermarket products, such as the Maya Kaimal brand tikka masala simmer sauce featured in her cauliflower and chickpea tikka masala. She devotes a chapter to recipes that are prepared in a single pot or baking sheet for minimal cleanup—including a skillet pizza and one-pot bacon and zucchini pasta—while showcasing dishes that require seven or fewer ingredients (including salt and pepper), such as balsamic-soy strip steaks, “a flavor bomb of beef.” Naturally, as a weeknight cookbook, there are several dishes that can be made in under 30 minutes—some notable examples include Korean sloppy joes and turkey enchilada bowls—as well as recipes for slow cookers, such as a crowd-pleasing shrimp boil. Throughout, Helwig shares suggestions for turning meat dishes into vegetarian-friendly fare, such as by swapping out chicken for cremini mushroom caps in chicken fajitas. This is a motivating volume for those who dread cooking weeknight dinners. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Folio Literary Management.

August 1, 2021

This collection by Helwig, food director at Real Simple, has an inspired premise and delightful recipes. The cookbook's four well-explored themes--30-minute meals; one-pan meals; seven-ingredient or fewer meals; and slow cooker meals (here mixed with a multicooker)--together create one masterful guide to getting dinner on the table, no matter the obstacles of the evening. The recipes are simple (sometimes only two steps), and readers who are comfortable in the kitchen will enjoy Helwig's encouragement to substitute ingredients to suit their pantry. While the recipes are written for the confident home chef, the introductory information, as well as a few personal anecdotes, seem to be geared toward novice cooks doing things like buying fresh greens for the first time. Helwig's friendly and accessible tone includes such words of wisdom as her "Nine Commandments for Bare Minimum Dinners" and "Perfectly Acceptable Store-Bought Sides," which may seem preachy, but the blog-style writing will appeal to many readers. The book doesn't offer many vegetarian or gluten-free options. VERDICT A worthwhile consideration for all libraries, but note that the book is published in paperback and might not withstand high circulation.--Catherine Field, Appomattox Regional Lib. Sys., Richmond, VA

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