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.
QueenJellyBean says
Elana, my dear, I’m honored to contribute to your research for your next (bestselling) cookbook. You contribute to most every meal I eat, and that my many construction coworkers unknowingly eat and love! Per your request, honest answers below:
Elana 1: What, if any, are your dietary restrictions?
Answer 1: Gluten Free (celiac diagnosis 2008). Folowing ND Doctor’s orders since March to avoid the following as well – corn, dairy, peanuts, all sugar.
Elana 2: Are there foods you are not allergic to that you avoid?
Answer 2: Dairy, even whey protein. I use sprouted brown rice protein instead. All forms of sugar.
Elana 3: Which type of recipe (i.e., bread, salad, entrees, sides, desserts, etc.) do you find most useful?
Answer 3: Recipes that are most useful fit one of 2 categories: a) something new for me to eat alone, or b) something I can take to my monthly mixed-company congregation dinner. Explanation of these 2 categories . . .
a) It makes a common ingredient (like raw fish fillet, or frozen Costco fish fillet, or protein powder) take on a new texture, flavor, cuisine, become part of dinner instead of breakfast, somehow breaks the routine of how I typically prepare a common food.
b) The recipe is a crowd-pleasing dish I’d take to a common meal with multiple families of various ethnicity (criteria being – the ingredients are recognizable/not pureed and requiring explanation, high cost ingredients are used sparingly, doesn’t need to be served at a certain temperature immediately upon preparation). My recent collection of Weight Watcher cookbooks meet criteria “B”.
Elana 4: Of the cookbooks you own, which sections do you find yourself using most frequently?
Answer 4: I go to the index to find the ingredient I want to work with, then find a recipe from there. Spending time on a complete index (and functional Table of Contents) is a step often skimped on in book publishing (my former profession).
Elana 5: What is your definition of “healthy food”
Answer 5: Eating in season is healthy, and what I look for.
Elana 6: If you could ask for one thing in a cookbook, what would it be?
Answer 6: One thing – More slow cooker recipes.
Two things – GF gnocchi.
Three things – Nutritional counts of calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and protein for each serving. America needs this (reference: HBO online series “The Obesity Epidemic). I have to do these calculations for every recipe I make. If the book has this, I’ll go to that book.
Four Things – ‘Supermarket-to-table”, how-to chapters. Chapters that can be used on a weekly basis to shop on the weekend from a pre-made list, then follow the recipes (incorporating leftovers) to cook 3 midweek dinners and one weekend day of cooking (like Sunday night prep for the week). Recommend following the schedule of a 9-to-5-er and develop a cookbook from there.
About the first thing . . .People are too busy on a daily basis to cook like cookbook authors do. Stephanie O’Dea’s 2008 “Year of Slow Cooking” was great, but still not enough for me.
Michelle says
1. I am allergic to : gluten, beef, pork, dairy, corn, eggs and chocolate
2. I try to avoid grains, soy and sugars
3. I find poultry recipes useful since that is my main protein source.
4. I use my cookbooks with grain-free, non-chocolate desserts and all poultry recipes
5. Healthy Food? While I have grown to appreciate healthy eating, having been forced to eat differently due to my health, I now see how much food plays into society and that not eating well has long term consequences. Food has a very powerful draw. The new “fad” healthy eating diets can be frustrating to those of us who NEVER cheat, whom it is not a choice, ever, to “take a break”. This is a must, not a choice.
6. One thing? More non-chocolate, dairy free recipes for dessert. VERY hard to find gluten free, dairy free, chocolate free desserts.
angie says
My family has just begun a gluten free journey, not due to a known allergy but on a quest for more conscious eating. Your blog most closely alligns with what i am interested in. I want healthy,not trendy. I want my kids to have a variety of tasteful healthy foods in their lives. We are a family of 4 living in a city in Kansas.
Heather says
Sad to say I will not buy cookbooks anymore because most of the recipes are not appealing to me. The ultimate cookbook for me would have foods that are family/kid friendly, even for the pickiest eaters that aren’t complicated or labor intensive to make. Also maybe a guide as to what the dish tastes like so I can attempt to taste it in my mouth. :)
Anita says
I am interested in canning recipes with alternative sugars such as grade B maple syrup, stevia or coconut palm sugar. I have attempted to do this all summer for my fruits, jams, pickles and butters. It is a bit of trial and error process and specifics would be better. I try to eat Paleo if at all possible.
Alyssa Loring says
I have been diagnosed as a celiac and GF for ten years and grain free for 3 months. Since going grain free, I’ve never felt better. I love your blog and almond flour cookbook. Your recipes have changed my way of life, stabilized my blood sugar and consequently my mood. Thank you.
I’m also Jewish and would love some more recipes for the holidays. Matzoh, challah, kugel etc. I used to use rice flour and noodles but now need new ideas to make these grain free and delicious. I’m confident you are the woman for the job!
I avoid GMO’s, pesticides and toxins. Basically I try to keep my toxic load as low as possible. I am very conscious of my autoimmune disease and am always working to keep it in check.
I find that main courses are easy to adapt to grain free/gluten free so I look for baked goods and sauces in a cook book. These recipes are usually the most difficult to adjust.
Thank you for all your hard work in the kitchen! I can’t wait for your next book.
Rachel Haemmerle says
1) What, if any, are your dietary restrictions?
I am allergic/sensitive to wheat, corn, rice, potatoes, dairy, eggs,tomatoes, and bell peppers (the night shade family).
2)Are there foods you are not allergic to that you avoid?
I do my best to avoid HFC’s and GMO’s – those are not one food in
particular of course
3) Which type of recipe (i.e., bread, salad, entrees, sides, desserts, etc.) do you find most useful?
Bread, sides, and entrees are the most useful to me. Desserts are not very big in my house and I feel that most GF books really on dessert. I miss good bread and some of the staple comfort food entrees. As well as finding sides and main meals to appeal to a wide range of people.
4)Of the cookbooks you own, which sections do you find yourself using most frequently?
Baked goods and entrees and meals that can be made to last of store/freeze well.
6)If you could ask for one thing in a cookbook, what would it be?
Meals that can easily be cut down for two people (it is just me and the husband).
Silvana says
im a little late but…i would love to see some crockpot or casserole meals, and more gluten free / grain free baked goods like graham crackers, cal zone, croissant,buns ect.
Sue says
1. I have an intolerance to (in order of severity) gluten, soy, dairy and eggs. The dairy is to the casein, the protein, not the lactose.
2. My husband and I try to eat the Paleo Diet so we try to avoid legumes, and for me, especially peanuts. It’s very confusing though, because I’ve been reading that things like sunflower seeds, flax seeds and chia seeds are not paleo. I’m becoming more and more afraid to eat anything! Any wisdom you have about this would be welcome for me in the beginning of a cookbook. To top it off, I feel guilty about eating any kind of meat, but if I don’t eat it, I start getting really weak and nuts and other vegetarian options don’t make me feel better. If I cut out everything I feel like I should cut out, where am I going to get any protein? What has your experience been? Maybe you already wrote about this stuff and I just don’t know where it is yet.
3. Salads, entrees and sides are what I’m most interested in. I’m trying to stay away from desserts that mimic what I used to be able to eat because I don’t want to be fat on a “healthy” diet or get too much sweetener even if it is natural. Interesting takes on eating fresh fruit is always good, though. I’m so bored with my meals, so limited in what I know how to make.
4. I always look at entrees and sides first. Also, I am intimidated by cookbooks and often don’t use what I have because there are terms that I don’t know what they mean or I’m not sure what it’s supposed to look like. They describe it, but how brown is brown? What if it starts getting dry before it gets brown (like when trying to carmelize onions). Also, I frequently find I think of two ways to interpret something and then I give up. 50% of the time what I try doesn’t turn out.
5. The paleo diet makes the most sense to me. I tried raw foods a couple of times but it’s so painful for me to digest them. My body wants warm foods. Honestly, I’m so confused by what’s out there.
6. Some level headed thoughts about eating healthy. Some guidance about navigating all of the contradicting diets out there. I need some positive thoughts, some reality check thinking – I am so discouraged by all the conflicting information. Is there such a thing as a food psychotherapy section of a cookbook? LOL
Jackie says
Thank you, Elana, for all of your recipes. They have been a lifesaver since learning I am allergic to all grains. I am also allergic to dairy, soy, and eggs. I would love an apple cinnamon muffin recipe that is grain free, dairy free and egg free. Since I am allergic to all grains I use almond flour on a daily basis. I am concerned I will develop an allergy to it as well. Would love to see other grain free flour recipes.