try small things

Simon and Schuster Canada sent me both Canadian Living cookbooks in exchange for an honest review. Here’s what I think.

Hello from Florida! I’m writing from my aunt’s kitchen table in Zephyrhills, looking at the the palm trees swaying in the breeze outside the window. It’s sunny but cool — in the day we wear pants and a sweater and in the night we put the heat on. But I’m not complaining! Not knowing how miserably cold it’s been back home. Speaking of home, before I left I tried a few recipes from two new Canadian Living cookbooks, Quick 400-Calorie Favourites: 90+ Tested-til-Perfect Recipes from the Canadian Living Test Kitchen and One Dish Favourites: 90+ All-in-One Meals from the Canadian Living Test Kitchen. Maybe you remember seeing them on Instagram?

I zeroed in on the recipes that sounded heartier and comforting, but really everything in Quick 400-Calorie Favourites looks good: One-Pan Tuscan Chicken; Cauliflower Corn Chowder; Tomato and Bean Soup with Crispy Bacon; White Bean and Kale Soup; Mediterranean Chickpea Stew; Sticky Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry; and so on.

The Turkey Kielbasa Sweet Potato Skillet is good mood food. First it’s got that sunny egg on top that looks so cheerful, and then that mix of sweet potatoes, spinach and red pepper that’s so fresh and vibrant and appetizing. I really, really liked the combination. And I didn’t feel deprived (like a lot of us do when we try to eat healthy). I felt like I was treating myself.

I also tried the Sweet Potato and Chicken Chili. It made a huge pot that fed the four of us pretty generously for a couple of meals. (The recipe makes 10 to 12 servings, 152 calories each.) We had tzatziki in the fridge so I put some of that on top instead of sour cream, plus some shredded marble cheese and chopped green onions. Sooooo delicious!

The book also has four desserts, including Yogurt Berry Ice Pops and a Creamy Lemon Coconut Macaroon Tart that look really good. Those feel more spring and summery to me, but I’ll have to try them and let you know how they turned out.

One Dish Favourites has a tonne of recipes I can’t wait to try as well, but the Thai Peanut, Grapefruit and Chicken Salad really stood out. We had lots of baby spinach in the house for the Turkey Kielbasa Sweet Potato Skillet so I substituted that for kale, then tossed it with shredded rotisserie chicken, grapefruit, roasted peanuts and a peanutty dressing. And it’s wonderful. I could eat it every day.

Other One Dish Favourites that sound great: Pot Roast Enchiladas; One Pan Crispy Chicken with Roasted Veggies; Garlicky Parmesan Salmon and Asparagus; and Rustic Cannellini Bean and Vegetable Skillet. There are several pasta dishes as well and a fair number of recipes for vegetarians.

GIVEAWAY! 

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada, I’ve got a copy of both books to give to one lucky reader.  To enter to win Quick 400-Calorie Favourites and One Dish Favourites, tell me two recipes I mentioned that you’d like to try in the comments below. (This entry is mandatory.)

For another entry, follow try small things on Facebook and like (or love!) the post about these cookbooks (it’s the one pinned to the top of my Facebook page) and leave a comment, then tell me you did so and your name on Facebook in the comments below. You don’t have to share, but I really appreciate it when you do! 

And feel free to tweet the following once per day and leave the url for your tweet in the comments below (one entry per tweet). Make sure you’re following try small things and Simon and Schuster Canada on Twitter for your entry to count.

#Win two new Canadian Living cookbooks (Quick 400-Calorie Favourites and One Dish Favourites) from @trysmallthings! http://bit.ly/clcookbookgiveaway  CAN 2/12

The contest is open to Canadian (excluding Quebec) residents 18+ and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 12, 2019. The potential winner (chosen at random) must respond to prize notification within 48 hours and provide the correct answer to a skill-testing question, otherwise another winner will be selected.

Good luck everybody!

Update February 13, 2019: Congratulations Toni V!