While this cookbook may have been published back in March, it’s never too late to bring a fabulous collection of kosher, innovative recipes to your attention.
At first look, The Modern Menu is exactly what it appears to be – modern. The food is laid out perfectly sleek and contemporary, without any over the top garnishes or plating. It simply speaks for itself, and I love that.
Unlike traditional cookbooks, Kim Kushner brings her own style and pizzazz, arranging the cookbook by how the dishes make you feel – from vibrant and indulgent to gutsy and clever. “To my mind,” says Kim, “Less is more, simple is always best, and food should look as good as it tastes and taste as good as it looks.” A healthy philosophy and outlook that should be the motto of every cook in the kitchen.
Browsing through the cookbook, I can’t help but be inspired by Kim’s clean and simple dishes that are so fresh and appealing. I find myself wanting to bookmark every single page. While Kim emphasizes healthy from-scratch ingredients, her Middle Eastern inspired recipes are possible for the novice chef with a well-stocked pantry. Her dishes remain light, but the flavors seem anything but. Kushner does not shy away from herbs and spices, adding surprising notes to every dish.
I look forward to trying many of The Modern Menu Cookbook recipes including the kohlrabi cabbage salad with maple lemon dressing, crunchy curry cauliflower with tahini and pomegranate, crispy miso marinated chicken, jalapeno and tomato chutney, chicken with pumpkin, figs and honey, tequila london broil with mango chutney, black sesame crusted char, sticky beef ribs, fig and pecan biscotti, plum crumb cake with star anise and individual halvah, gelato and sorbet towers.
If I could critique anything about this wonderful cookbook, it would be to say that some of the recipes require ingredients that may be hard to find. In addition, while I love Kim’s concept for arranging the book’s chapters, it’s slightly difficult to follow the sections when they are categorized this way.
Busy In Brooklyn is giving away a free copy of The Modern Menu.
To enter the giveaway:
1. Leave a comment with your favorite light & healthy summer food/recipe.
2. Like Busy In Brooklyn on Facebook.
Winner will be chosen at random on August 2nd, 2013.
Spinach, Haricots Vert & Avocado Salad with Honey Dressing
Reprinted with permission from The Modern Menu by Kim Kushner
Gefen Publishing
Crunchy, salty, sweet, and sharp—this salad has it all! The dressing contributes texture with sunflower and sesame seeds as well as sweetness and tang with honey and cider vinegar. All in all, a unique and delicious concoction.
8 cups baby spinach
Handful haricots verts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into small cubes
1 white peach, skin on, pitted and cut into very thin slices
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup salted shelled sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Place the spinach, haricots verts, avocado, and peach in a large bowl or on a large platter.
Combine the sugar, honey, vegetable oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake to thoroughly combine. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat all over.
Serves 6 to 8
Baby Lamb Chops with Pesto Croute
Reprinted with permission from The Modern Menu by Kim Kushner
Gefen Publishing
This recipe calls for frenched lamb chops, which are chops with the meat cut away from the end of the rib so that part of the bone is exposed. Frenching the chop makes it cleaner and let’s call it fancier, almost like a lamb lollipop, if you will! Your butcher can do this with the quick swipe of a knife; asking him or her to do this makes fast work of this simple-to-prepare dish. Croute simply means “crust” in French. Fancy.
1 handful fresh basil, washed and dried well
½ handful cilantro, washed and dried well
3 garlic cloves, peeled
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup unseasoned dried bread crumbs, plus more for sprinkling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 baby lamb chops, frenched
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a food processor, combine the basil, cilantro, and garlic. Pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and pine nuts and process until the mixture forms a paste, about 30 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the bread crumbs, and season with salt and pepper.
Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt and pepper. Prepare a grill or set a grill pan over high heat. Sear the lamb chops on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a baking sheet.
Place a spoonful of pesto in the center of each chop, then spread it evenly over the surface. Sprinkle with additional bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until the crust is golden and crisp and the lamb is pink inside, about 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Serves 6
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Any kind of salad! Great addition to a summer dinner.
Would be awesome to win :)
Corn on cob
Like u on fb
Saute minced garlic, diced plum tomatoes, basil (fresh or dried), salt and pepper until bubbling. Serve over whole grain or whole wheat pasta, topped with grated Parmesan.
I love salad. I use romaine lettuce as my base. I like to add a variety of different things. Sometimes all together sometimes in different salads. My favorites are chick peas, beets, shredded carrots, black and green olives, hearts of palm, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion. Sometime I like to add a crunch so I would slice in a fruit like an apple or pear. This makes a nice cool and light meal. I always use a lite dressing. That can vary….
I love caprese salad in the summer- fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper- fresh and the ingredients really shine!
Fave go to light meal, grilled salmon with olive oil pinch salt and ground pepper, with steamed broccoli on the side.
My favorite light and healthy summer recipe is avocado corn salad!
Those lamb chops look so good!Cool cookbook.
My favorite light and healthy summer food= grilled chicken salad!
I like Busy in Brooklyn on facebook and my favorite light summer food is a large greek salad.
My family loves Zha’tar, so most of my fave fast go-to recipes include it. One of them is a Zha’tar Tuna bagel. I fry 2 whole onions with a little bit of Olive oil. Maybe like a Tbsp. Halfway through cooking I add 1 tbsp of Zha’tar and Paprika and a little bit if salt. When it’s done I add a can of tuna, just mix it and put on a lightly toasted bagel. If anyone has a panini press, I put mine on for 3-5 minutes.
love making fruit salad with all of the summer fruit…so refreshing
My favorite summer food is cherries!
I like your page on facebook
Grilled boneless chicken legs with fresh garlic, parsley, salt and pepper and a big fresh saled
My favorite summer food is an herb grilled chicken with grilled zucchini, or a healthy fruit smoothie.
I like simple no cook foods like almonds fruit and yogurt. Or salad with hummus dressing.
I forgot to say in my comment that I liked on facebook thank you
I love just a simple fruit salad on a hot summer day!
My favorite light summer foods include baked sweet potato fries and onion rings. Also lasagna with veggies instead of pasta
love to make mixed tomatoe salad. its easy light and delicious. yellow, red and purple cherry tomatoes halved. chopped cilantro. toasted pine nuts. toss with s+p, lemon and olive oil.
pick me. ps- i dont have facebook but would still like to be entered for a chance to win. i do follow you on instagram if that helps
I love anything quinoa during the summer.,mespecially quinoa burgers. So light and refreshing!
For a quick and easy dessert I slice Bananas, strawberries, kiwi and mango and in between each layer in a pie plate…I drizzle melted dark chocolate, a sprinkle of toasted sliced or chopped almonds, ending with chocolate and almonds. Freeze the whole thing. Take out 15 minutes before serving….and slice like a pie. (If you only have bananas just do bananas with melted chocolate and almonds).
Would love to win a free copy of this cookbook!! My favourite healthy recipe would be grilled veggies, garlic, salt/pepper/oil on the BBQ!! Yum
during the summer my favorite healthy treat is a smoothie, somtimes i throw in some cashews and it subs for a meal ;)
I love wild rice salad — it is extremely versatile, since you can serve it cold or hot, and it can be a side or main dish, especially if you add feta. I usually make an adaption of Jamie Geller’s recipe: 1-2 boxes of Near East Long Grain and Wild Rice cooked, then add: craisins, diced red onion, 3-4 T olive oil, 2-3 T vinegar and parsley. It’s a constant favorite for our Shabbos meals!
Tuna/pasta/veggie salad. 1dish, cool, refreshing dinner
Tomato, avocado and hearts of palm salad with a light vinaigrette!
i haven’t seen her book yet, but i hear good things!
I like just about any summer fruit. Cherries, blueberries, watermelon, etc. etc. etc. Straight off the tree/bush/vine.
My favorite is a fruit salad with peaches, blueberries, and green grapes mixed up with some mint sugar — perfect year round but amazing on a hot summer day!
Interesting concept for a kosher cookbook and filled with lots of interesting recipes. Don’t know if you want any summer recipe of one from her book: I like her Jalapeno and Tomato Chutney: smear some cream cheese on baguette rounds, top with the chutney and there you have a terrific summer hors d’oeuvre. Other than that my favorite light summer recipe is tomato salad with good olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
I like to make grilled halloumi and grilled fruit (peaches, nectarines, cherries, etc.) salad, on a bed of greens with a drizzle of good balsamic. So light and fresh!
My favorite light summer meal is grillimg up eggplant, portabello mushrooms and asparagus and finishing the meal with a strawberry shortcake made with homemade sweet biscuits.
This book looks and sounds refreshing — my favorite summer dish is salad – fruits and/or veggies
Asparagus (can use on green beans as well)
2 bunches of asparagus (2 lbs. asparagus)
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove,chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tsp lemon zest
1/2 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp pepper
Bake the asparagus or make it however you like/want.
Broccoli with olive oil,salt,pepper and garlic powder baked in the oven.most delicious snack and very healthy.
My favorite light and healthy food is a slice of toasted sprouted whole grain bread with avacado and touch of sea salt. Simple, wholesome, and heavenly! This cookbook looks really interesting and I’d love to win!
xo
Sharon
greek salad with chic peas and avocado slices- no oven needed.
1. sliced nectarines
2. i don’t have fb
Love to make smoothies in these hot summer days,and turn the leftovers into smoothies Popsicles.
My favorite dish would have to be some fish on the grill zested in lemon and rice. Oh and a cup of lemonade :)
fresh salad, with sliced radishes, purple onion, and cucumbers. A perfect vinaigrette to finish it off.
My favorite summer dish is a salad nicoise with fresh seared tuna. That and a bottle of the sour lemon sparkling drink from San Pellegrino is my ideal summer meal.
I recently started making quinoa patties-lightly sauted onions, chives, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese-delicious!
Anything with Grilled veggies
Beautiful photo there.
Anything grilled! It all just tastes better on the grill.
green beans with garlic, tomatoes and basil. I’m making it right now and my house smells like heaven!!
this looks like a great cookbook. thanks for sharing.
Best light summer dinner is scrambled eggs with cut up tomatoes curbys, purple onions and feta cheese on top. Light and simple
Love Kani salad in chic!
Beautiful Cookbook!
Fruit smoothies and fruit soup!!!
avocado corn salad so refreshing love it
Grilled beets with evoo salt and pepper and cumin!!
gazpacho soup with yellow tomatoes which have lower acidity.
Grilled vege wraps with feta. It’s a balanced meal and very light!
Like you on Facebook long ago! Our new fav summertime snack is frozen babana slices with a shmear of peanut butter in between.
Hope I win the book
Watermelon with tomatoes basil and feta with a balsamic vinegar reduction. Simple goodness
fruit salad!
liked you on fb
My favorite healthy food is grilled vegetables, spiced well and lightly coated in oil
Liked you on facebook
Fresh fruit for sorbet, in salads..
Tomatoes with garlic, basil, salt, but if sugar, black crushed peppercorns, olive oil- process in food processor till smooth and purchase loaf of fresh baguette for dipping
i love watermelon!
What a fresh summer salad. Love combining fruit and veggies on salads.
What a tastey salad