This is a post about you, not me. Along those lines, I have some questions, I want to get to know you better. To find out what you like, and also what you need.
Why? I’m thinking of writing another cookbook. For the past ten years, I’ve had cookbook writing on the brain. And in the past four years I’ve created two of them. Now, I’m entertaining the idea of writing a third book. If I do, I’d like it to be of benefit to my readers. So here are my questions:
- What, if any, are your dietary restrictions?
- Are there foods you are not allergic to that you avoid?
- Which type of recipe (i.e., bread, salad, entrees, sides, desserts, etc.) do you find most useful?
- Of the cookbooks you own, which sections do you find yourself using most frequently?
- What is your definition of “healthy food”
- If you could ask for one thing in a cookbook, what would it be?
Feel free to answer all of the questions above, or just a couple. I’m really looking forward to hearing from you, and getting to know you a little bit better.
I will (as always) read each and every comment left below and while there may be competing requests and wishes, I will do my best to incorporate them into my future projects.
Tamara says
In my family, we have sensitivities to gluten, dairy, artificial food colourings and preservatives (your recipes have been a lifesaver!)
We are eating semi-Paleo (I find it a challenge to get the kids to accept a fully Paleo menu). So we are trying grain alternatives (loved your cauliflower rice). We are trying to eat whole foods as much as possible. Trying to avoid sugars.
I would appreciate recipes that help me teach my kids that healthy, natural foods are delicious. My definition of healthy — minimally processed, grain-free (the kids fight this restriction), loads of fruits and veg, low in added starch and sugar. I don’t mind dessert recipe ideas, although I am trying to get my family to view dessert as things like apple sauce, watermelon slices, grilled pineapple with cinnamon… that you can end your meal with something sweet, but it doesn’t have to be cake and cookies, you know?
My biggest challenge is always finding nutritious dinners that everyone will eat. We have four kids, and it seems that the best I can ever hope for is to please 3 out of 4!
Thanks for your blog and cookbooks — I can’t tell you how much you’ve helped me to find a better way to feed my family. All the best!
rain says
Simple, Whole-food, Primal/Paleo — especially baked goods.
totally grain free, completely sugar-free, stevia-sweetened only. Butter ok. coconut oil ok — no palm shortening.
holistic simple nutritive yummy foods. SEAWEEDS
dishes that require one pot only!
did i mention baked goods?
loveee yoooouuuu elana!
Cindy says
I want a cookbook or app where I can cook seasonally. My family is GF, DF with maple syrup or honey as our sweetener. I find it easiest to prepare meals for my family, if the cookbook follows my CSA box. 1 pot meals for fall & winter. On the go, nutritious snacks for kids (snacks without nuts so they can bring them to school, camp, etc).
Susan Goldsmith says
I love your cookbooks.
The diet I’m following is no grains, and sugar free, lots of veggies, occasional fish or free range chicken or meat without hormones or antibiotics, gluten free,
basically I love the Mediterranean Sephardi diet.
sg
Laurie says
1. No gluten or coffee.
2. I avoid sugar, agave, teff, sesame, almost all soy (other than lecithin) and GMO’s. I go easy on beans because of the lectins. And I try to keep it fairly low-carb.
3. I like recipes in all categories as long as they’re pretty easy and don’t require a lot of expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. I would love to find healthier, satisfying versions of old favorites I used to love but can’t eat anymore like chicken pot pie, zucchini lasagna, ravioli with pesto alfredo sauce and pizza (I’ve yet to find a low-carb pizza crust I like). Also, delicious sweet things that are very low-glycemic and use stevia, xylitol, erythritol, etc. instead of agave or sugar. And unique soups, salads and veggie sides with lots of flavor. And new ways to make boring old chicken, turkey and beef more interesting. I guess I want it all. :)
4. It varies depending on the cookbook.
5. Something clean (usually organic) and natural, free-range, grassfed, humane, GMO-free, unprocessed, low-glycemic, non-inflammatory. Fresh, colorful and beautiful.
6. Lot of gorgeous pictures. Clear, simple instructions. Delicious, nutritious dishes that feel like they should be guilt-inducing but aren’t. Lovely stuff I could serve at a party or bring to a potluck that would be eagerly devoured and that I could feel good about sharing. Maybe you could do a book about entertaining and holidays with healthy foods and have lots of luscious, festive pictures. I’d love to see that!
Jami says
1.What, if any, are your dietary restrictions?
I eat strickly Paleo!
2.Are there foods you are not allergic to that you avoid?
I do not eat any refined sugars.
3.Which type of recipe (i.e., bread, salad, entrees, sides, desserts, etc.) do you find most useful?
I like sides, salads and entrees the best.
4.Of the cookbooks you own, which sections do you find yourself using most frequently?
Sides, salads, and entrees
.
5.What is your definition of “healthy food”
Paleo would be number one, from there, grassfed beef, cage-free chicken, organic vegetables and fruits, and nothing in a package or box.
6.If you could ask for one thing in a cookbook, what would it be?
Foods that can be made fast and with ease!
Chels says
I use several of your recipes.
I try do avoid sugar, dairy and grains, but am not vegan or paleo.
I agree with others that one-pot or slow cooker recipes would be nice. I used to love the Cook’s Magazine because it explained why different things worked better or didn’t work better in recipes. I think that as more and more of us are substituting this and that in our recipes, we’re all reinventing the wheel and it would be nice to learn a little from your experiments/experiences. You test your recipes so thoroughly that I’d love to hear some of the background on them.
Michele Sirois says
I would love a recipe book with one-dish meals — crockpots and casseroles (I miss these so much, especially tuna potato chip casserole!) and soups. I have always liked your recipes for how simple they are with limited ingredients. I would like it if you could stick with that, making entrees.
I think doing something with the top 8 allergens might make sense. Of course, that is hard with entrees.
My allergies are gluten, dairy, eggs, beef, almonds, bananas, mushrooms, peanuts.
Sorry, I don’t think I answered all of your questions or answered in order. You get the gist!
Thanks so much for caring! I own your other 2 cookbooks. And I only have 6 cookbooks! I made my own cookbooks!
Amy says
A photo with every recipe is a MUST!
Jenna says
Dinner! I run out of ideas for dinners on a grain free diet. It would be great to see complete dinners, like entree and sides with beautiful colorful pictures for every one. I am definitely more likely to make a recipe if I am attracted to the pic!
Also, kid friendly…this is so tricky for me on a high protein diet. They are sick of chicken and veggies!
Thanks Elana! Keep up the great work.