 NORENE’S HEALTHY
KITCHEN
Norene Gilletz
Whitecap Books, 2007. 512 pp. $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-55285-802-8
Reviewed by Miriam Bauer
This review first appeared on: jewishbookcouncil.org/page.php?443
There are two types of cookbooks in my collection. The first are my “coffee
table cookbooks:” those pristine volumes of glossy pictures and impossible
recipes written by famous chefs or culinary celebrities. I love to look at
those books, but I never cook from them. The second group of cookbooks resides
on a small, easily accessible shelf in my kitchen. Their pages are dog-eared
and sauce stained; I call on their recipes again and again. Norene’s Healthy
Kitchen by Norene Gilletz has found one of the prime spaces on my kitchen
shelf.
Gilletz, a Certified Culinary Professional, has created a kosher cookbook that
professes to be “family friendly, heart smart, and diabetes, GI and weight
loss friendly.” That description, while accurate, does not do thiscookbook
justice. The first chapter, called “things you want to know,” is one of
the most direct and succinct culinary references I have read. Gilletz clearly
explains nutritional analysis and the reasons underlying her ingredient
selections. This is especially useful for those with dietetic restrictions.
She also has created several easy-to-read ingredient substitution charts, and
gives advice on using many types of kitchen equipment. The balance of the
cookbook provides more than 600 recipes that this reviewer would actually
make. Each recipe is straightforward, contains shortcut solutions and
substitutions, and has the calorie and nutritional breakdowns which are needed
for weight loss and diabetic programs. As an added bonus, Norene’s Healthy
Kitchen can double as a Passover cookbook because Gilletz lists Passover
friendly variations for nearly every recipe. She also has an entire chapter
devoted to additional Passover recipes, many of which would be appropriate for
the rest of the year as well.
Gilletz’s motto, “food that’s good for you should taste good,” is
apparent in every chapter. In fact, the recipes in this cookbook are
delicious. In support of my assessment, I offer this significant evidence: my
family rated each of my test recipes a “do again,” which in my house is
the highest possible accolade a recipe can receive.
Miriam Bauer is an attorney and former Legal Writing
Director at DePaul University College of Law. She lives in Chicago.
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