A delicious Roasted Potato Salad and some more books

I was recently sent an assortment of cookery books to review. I mentioned the one on Frozen goodies yesterday, and today I want to talk about a few others.



One of the books I was sent was a delightful little book written by the popular Food blogger, SarahTrivuncic of Maison Cupcake, entitled Bake me I'm Yours . . . Sweet Bitesize Bakes. Sarah is a self taught baker who has been writing this fabulous UK baking blog for several years now, since 2009.

It's a cute little book with a very pretty cover, showcasing photographs of some of the tiny taste tempting treats you will find inside.



It's quite a well laid out book, with lots of beautiful coloured pictures and over 25 big ideas for pretty little cakes and pastries.



Bake . . . easy to follow miniature versions of your best loved desserts. Desserts such as Red Velvet Cake and the popular Victoria Sponge Cake, not to mention the cutest little Banana Cake Whoopie Pies.



Learn . . . filled with wonderful coloured tutorials on how to embellish pastries, cakes and cookies with sugarcraft cake decorating techniques. Absolutely stunning.



Enjoy . . . a variety of tasty fillings and toppings from the traditional buttercream icing and chocolate ganache to marshmallow fluff, lemon curd and creme patissiere.



There are also incredibly detailed lists on equipment you will need to do all of the projects in the book. I loved the colourful pictures and the cute layout.

I'm not really that into sugarcraft though, being rather lazy, but if I was the kind of person that was into that sort of stuff, I'd give this book five stars for sure.

bake me I'm yours . . . sweet bitesize bakes
by Sarah Trivuncic
published by D & C press
129 pages
coloured illustrations and photos
ISBN - 13: 978-1-4463-0183-8
Suggested Retail prices: UK (£9.99) US ($14.99) Can ($15.99)



The next book I was sent was "The Muffin Tin Cookbook", by Brette Sember with Melinda Boyd. 200 fast, delicious mini-pies, pasta cups, gourmet pockets, veggie cakes, and more!
Easy meals with built-in portion control! (I could use a bit of that I think!)

"There's nothing you can't make in a muffin tin," is their claim and they set out to prove it with a delicious looking array of recipes for just about every type of dish imagineable including entrees, vegetables, potatoes, desserts, appetizers and more. Nine delicious chapters in all . . . from appetizers and snacks to desserts, and each one sounding as delicious as the last.



With taste tempting titles like Spinach Artichhoke Dip Cups, Baby Dutch Babies, Donut Bites, Taco Mini Pies, Cheeseburger Pies, Cornmeal-Crusted Chicken with Sweet Potato Coins, Teriyaki Turkey Cups, Chicken and Biscuits, Salmon Cakes, Tuna Burgers, Fish Tacos, Duchess Potatoes, Skinny Pizza Cups, Stuffed Gnocchi, Zesty Corn Cups, French Onion Pie, Baked Bean Pies with Slaw, Corn Muffins Pizza Muffins, Mini Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches, Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins, Maple Bacon Muffins, black Bottom Strawberry Cheesecake, Molasses Bites, Blueberry Mini Pies, Chocolate Lava Cakes and a MULTITUDE of others!!

Calories, and nutritional info is given for each well laid out recipe, which comes in pretty handy, as well as a very pertinent size logo at the beginning of each recipe denoting what size of muffin pan you will need.



The only downside is that there are not an awful lot of photos, the only ones being grouped into one section. If you are a person that likes lots of food photos, then this probably isn't your book, but if you are interested in good sound recipes, that taste good and are fast, easy and mess-free with built in portion control, then this is YOUR book! (The picture that are there look AMAZINGLY delish!)

The Muffin Tin Cookbook
by Brette Sember, with Melinda Boyd, MPH, MHR, RD
www.brettesember.com
224 pages
a few photos
ISBN - 13: 978-1-4405-3216-0
Suggested Retail: US ($17.95) Can ($18.99) UK (£11.24)







The final book I was sent is a Vegetarian Cookbook put out by the Reader's Digest. I always like the Reader's Digest Cookery books. You can usually rely on the recipes to be trustworthy and they are generally very well put together.

Did you know that in the UK today, around five percent of the population consider themselved to be vegetarians, following a diet that excludes fish, meat and any animal by-products??? When you add that to the smaller group which follow the far stricter vegan diet (excluding eggs and dairy product as well) and those who are wanting to cut back on their meat consumption and just eat healthier, that makes for a fair amount of people Over the past 40 years, the growing popularity of vegetarian cooking has been reflected in an ever more exciting range of recipes and produce.



This is a beautiful book filled with Vegetarian Recipes for everything from Breakfasts to Desserts, more than 150 recipes altogether. Whether you are a committed vegetarian or just trying to introduce more meat free days into your diet, this book is sure to have something for you.

• More than 150 tasty, nutritious vegetarian recipes
• Suitable for 'meat avoiders' and 'meat reducers', as well as full-time vegetarians.
• Includes nutritional and health advice, to help you plan a balanced diet.
• Plenty of inspirational ideas for everything from snacks to side dishes, as well as main courses and desserts.

Each recipe comes with information on nutrients and calories per serving, as well as cooking and preparation times, and some have variations to help you ring the changes. There are also plenty of cooking tips and advice on health benefits, to help you get the most from your vegetarian meals.

This delicious looking Roasted Potato Salad with a Cumin and Yoghurt dressing immediately caught my eye and so that is the recipe I cooked from this book, but I can tell you I have plenty more ear-marked for future cooking afternoons!

This salad was not only delicious to look at, but wonderfully tasty and very easy and fairly quick to make. The instructions were excellent. ( Actually all the recipes look like they have pretty good instructions and I feel even a novice cook would get on well with this book.)



*Roasted Potato Salad with Cumin and Yoghurt Dressing*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A hot potato salad with a lovely spiced yoghurt dressing.

1 TBS olive oil
salt and black pepper
5 small baking potatoes, scrubbed
125g of mixed salad leaves (about 4 cups)

For the dressing:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
the juice of 1/2 lemon
100g low fat greek yoghurt (about 1/2 cup)



Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Put the oil and 1/2 tsp salt, and some coarsely grated black pepper in a large bowl. Cut the potatoes into quarters and toss them in the oil mixture. Place them onto an oiled baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Place the cumin in a small dish and place in the oven for the last few minutes (no more than 2) of the cooking time.

Whisk together the roasted cumin, lemon juice and yoghurt.

Divide the salad leaves and the warm potatoes between 4 chilled salad plates. Drizzle each with a portion of the dressing. Serve immediately.

The Vegetarian Cookery Bible
by Reader's Digest
ISBN 978-1-78020-130-6
256 pages, colour illustrations and photographs
Suggested retail price £14.99

I give this book two thumbs up and highly recommend! I think it's good value for money spent.

Many thanks, once again, to the folks at fw media international for having sent me these lovely books to review!