The Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook by Faye Levy

Hardcover. 1997.

225 Traditional and Contemporary Gourmet Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Every Day.

When people think of Jewish cooking, “low fat” aren’t usually the first words that come to mind.  But now, thanks to The Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook, kosher food doesn’t have to mean fattening food.  Using simple combinations of accessible ingredients, renowned cookbook author Faye Levy creates delicious, healthful dishes that meet all of the guidelines for keeping kosher.  

While many Jewish cooks don’t keep a kosher kitchen throughout the entire year, they do want to prepare traditional Jewish dishes for the holidays.  Following a comprehensive introduction outlining the rules of kashrut, the first part of the book is divided by holiday (including a section on Shabbat), beginning with a description of each special day and the foods that are associated with it. The recipes that follow include lightened-up versions of old favorites such as noodle kugel, blintzes, honey cake, challah, and even a gefilte fish that is made in the food processor, all low in fat and all true to their origins.  

The second part of the book consists of fabulous low-fat everyday recipes organized into general chapters, including Appetizers and Salads, Dairy and Egg Dishes, Chicken and Turkey Dishes, Vegetables and Vegetarian Dishes, and Desserts.  This book is for cooks who keep a kosher kitchen year round and any cook looking for exciting, fast (many under 30 minutes), and easy recipes with family appeal.  Recipes include Broiled Eggplant Slices, Easy Chicken Breast Paella, Beef Stew with Cilantro, Garlic, and Tomatoes, Low-Fat Macaroni and Cheese, and Double Chocolate Ice Cream Cake, and each recipe is denoted as meat, dairy, or pareve for easy reference.  Remember, any dish can be kosher so long as it adheres to the basic rules of kashrut, so Coq au Vin can be just as kosher as Cholent.  And in recent years, as more and more cooks have been turning to kosher cuisine, there has been a proliferation of kosher products in the markets, making it easier to keep kosher and to cook “gourmet” dishes with a variety of ethnic influences.

Eight pages of full-color photographs bring a number of these dishes to life.  And who better to bring kosher cooking into the nineties than Faye Levy, author of Faye Levy’s International Jewish Cookbook and many other cookbooks.  Faye Levy proves that a dish doesn’t have to be complicated to be delicious, and it doesn’t have to be high in fat to be flavorful. The Low-Fat Jewish Cookbook is a contemporary, straightforward companion that will allow kosher cooks to enjoy traditional and innovative meals without the guilt.