With the trademark minimalist style of Real Simple magazine, Dinner Made Simple: 35 Everyday Ingredients, 350 Easy Recipes is a beautifully streamlined cookbook from the publication's editors. Organized from apples to zucchini, it's a collection of recipes with easy-to-follow instructions and mouthwatering photographs.
Each of the 35 chapters has one ingredient at its core, whether it is chicken, kale, smoked salmon, corn or pizza dough. The ingredient is then showcased in 10 gorgeous dishes. For example, the broccoli section includes Curried Broccoli Couscous, Creamy Broccoli and Apple Slaw, and Sautéed Broccoli, Tomatoes and Bacon (among others), while the shrimp chapter includes delectable options like Shrimp and Mango Lettuce Wraps, Crispy Shrimp Cakes, Shrimp and Sausage with Polenta, and Tandoori Shrimp with Rice and Peas.
With short ingredient lists, a fresh, real food approach, minimal cooking times and uncomplicated methods, Dinner Made Simple is sure to appeal to busy cooks everywhere. Many of the recipes are vegetarian, and others are easy to prepare gluten- or dairy-free, making Dinner Made Simple appealing for a number of diets.
The "dinner" in the title sells short the variety of dishes featured: a lot of the recipes offered are quick enough to make for lunch, and some of the options in the Oatmeal or Eggs chapters would make excellent breakfast choices. Also, a bonus dessert section at the back offers a variety of sweet treats sure to be tempting at any time of day. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm