Monday, October 3, 2011

Donna Hay’s "No Time to Cook"



Hello folks.  It's been a while since I last wrote but I think you'll be OK with that.  The cookbook I am going to discuss here is Donna Hay's No Time To Cook!  I have nothing but praise for this book as everything I have made from it turns out beautifully.  Now, for the review.

According to the introduction, this cookbook was conceived by Ms. Hay after she began contemplating starting a family and was devised for "time-poor people".  I for one, am glad she did it.  This was my first Donna Hay cookbook and after I made some of the recipes herein, I purchased another one.  I'll critique it next time.

The table of contents consist of the following:

  • assembled dinners
  • CHEATS 1. breakfast & brunch
  • fast flavour
  • CHEATS 2. marinades & rubs
  • one pan
  • CHEATS 3. salad sides
  • one pot
  • CHEATS 4. sauces & salsa
  • one dish
  • CHEATS 5. vegetable sides
  • some now some later
  • CHEATS 6. nibbles
  • instant desserts
  • CHEATS 7. sweet treats
  • glossary
  • measures & conversions
  • index
There have been a few times in which I was just interested in how she would have done a vegetable in a faster way and have looked up a recipe from the contents.  Most often, I like to look at the pictures and decide what I want to make.  The photos of the finished recipe are artfully done and truly mimic the real deal looking very similar to my own finished attempts at them.

Some of the recipes in this book have turned into family favorites. Barbecued spinach & mozzarella pizza (made without tomatoes or tomato sauce), lemongrass chicken wonton soup, and lemon salmon pasta are all fantastic!  Having received permission from the publisher, I will share the recipe of lemon salmon pasta with you so you can see if you'd like to purchase this book.  Even if you don't like that particular recipe (although I can't imagine why you wouldn't.  It's easy, tasty, quick, and even my teenager likes it.) I would suggest seeking out this cookbook for the vast number of other recipes it has.

So, without further ado, here's lemon salmon pasta:

Lemon Salmon Pasta, reprinted by permission.

Picture out of the book of Lemon Salmon Pasta, reprinted by permission.

You will notice that I gave this recipe four and one-half stars.  My standard of measurement are as follows:
  • Big X = never make this again
  • One Star = was not horrible but I won't make it again
  • Two Stars = was ok, but definitely not worth the effort
  • Three Stars = good and most people in the house liked it
  • Four Stars = very good and should probably become a staple
  • Five Stars = THIS IS THE BEST FOOD EVER!!!
So, with this particular recipe...  it falls into the 'become a staple' and 'THE BEST FOOD EVER' categories in my house.  Hopefully, you'll give it a go and see where it falls in yours.  Happy cooking!