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Secrets of
Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine
by Sanaa Abourezk
The eastern
Mediterranean countries of the Levant -
Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Syria - share
a love of toothsome breads and grains, fresh
fruits and vegetables, fish plucked from
the sea, and ripe olives from hillside groves.
Meat is used sparingly; aromatic olive oil
replaces butter. But cutting out these cholesterol-laden
foods does not leave the Levantine palate
lacking for taste - their absence allows
the subtle flavors of herbs and spices to
shine. This is the secret of the deliciously
healthful diet that eastern Mediterranean
cooks have long understood, and that the
West is just beginning to appreciate.
In Secrets
of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine, Sanaa
Abourezk recasts traditional savory Levantine
recipes with the eye of an accomplished
chef and nutritionist. The 150 recipes range
from appetizers to desserts and include
nutritional breakdowns. The author also
explains the Mediterranean food pyramid,
advises on spice shopping, and intrigues
with evocative tales of Levantine life and
lore. The resulting cookbook is a colorful
bazaar of mouth-watering, healthful recipes,
where both ancient and modern culinary secrets
are revealed.
About the
Author
Sanaa Abourezk
trained at the Masha Innocenti Cooking School
in Florence and the Cordon Bleu Baking School
in Paris. She is a food writer, and has
also worked as a nutritionist in South Dakota,
where she now lives.
Reviews
"Abourezk recasts traditional savory
Levantine recipes drawn from the culinary
traditions of Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine
and Syria with her expertise as an accomplished
chef and nutritionist. Secrets of Healthy
Middle Eastern Cuisine offers mouth-watering,
sumptuous dishes to please the palate and
satisfy the appetite."
-Bookwatch
"Middle
Eastern cuisine, based as it is on grains
and greens, might seem like healthy cooking
at first glance. But, as Abourezk points
out, it is often laden with oil and butter.
Abourezk, a nutritionist by training, reforms
classic Middle Eastern cooking by eliminating
many of these fats. While most of these
recipes are vegetarian, Abourezk includes
a few meat and fish dishes to demonstrate
that these are not always outside the realm
of good health. In order to keep fats from
dairy sources to a minimum, she suggests
making one's own yogurt cheese at home in
a simple process of coagulation. This cheese
turns into both spiced and aged versions
for different tastes and strengths. Nutritionists
commonly balk at desserts' concentration
of sugars, but Abourezk's simple milk pudding
perfumed with orange blossom water and garnished
with chopped pistachios will satisfy most
sweet cravings."
-Mark Knoblauch
"Great
emphasis is placed on the natural healing
aspects of the foods in these cuisines.
So much so, in fact, that the book is as
much a health guide as it is a cookbook....As
per the title, recipes are low in fat, cholesterol
and sodium, but are still interesting and
authentic....Written by an author passionate
about health and her native food, this volume
delivers good recipes, a lively read and
a Middle Eastern twist on a timely subject."
-Independent Publisher
"As
Abourezk invited her new friends to join
her at the supper table, she found the same
appreciation for her Mediterranean cooking
on the prairie that she received in California...
'You should write a book about that,' a
friend said."
-Argus Leader
Related Links
A
History of the Mideast in the Humble Chickpea
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