LS: My favorite definitely needs to be the Sweet Chili Fries and the pizza (any of them). I also love the Arancini Balls and the Avocado Sandwich. Did you say one favorite?
VD: Can you tell that we have different taste buds?
For so many people, dairy is the ultimate comfort food. Why do you think that is?
LS: Pasta and cheese is a combination that is ultra-comforting and when people think of dairy food, they think of that. But in our cookbook, we show you that dairy isn’t just about pasta (no need to worry, we’ve got plenty of pasta dishes too).
VD: I never thought of it that way. But I guess way more people turn to ice cream versus steak when they need cheering up.
Is it possible to do a dairy meal that is both filling and not a disaster, calorie wise?
VD: Absolutely, and it’s probably easier to pull off than with a meat meal.
LS: Like all dishes, it’s about choices. There are lower fat content cheeses and now, Greek yogurt.
VD: I think that balance is the key, even when you have a heavier pizza or pasta main dish. I’ll balance them with a light salad and soup. We have lots of those in the book. Pizza is not more calories than meat when you’re having one slice instead of three. And I like to think that cheese is protein.
Years ago, cheese pretty much meant American cheese and yogurt was just yogurt, while today we have leben, yogurt and Greek yogurt. What are your thoughts on how the kosher market continues to evolve with so many exciting new products?
LS: New products on the market are all about demand. Manufacturers roll out new products as consumers’ sophistication grows and they request them.
VD: Because we both also work in the food magazine world, we’re also able to see how food trends evolve on a weekly basis. We’re able to gain a sense of which new products have become refrigerator staples and which are still special purchases. That influences which ingredients we use in the recipes.
We have certainly all found ourselves enamored with frozen, blended drinks and the book contains four of those, each one very different. How many different types of shakes did you consider for this book and what kind of interesting combinations did you come up with?
VD: People are also very busy, so often, drinks become the meal on the go. There are lots of great smoothies out there, but our main criteria for our Peach Cobbler Smoothie, for example, was that it should be light and use a minimal amount of ingredients that are easy to remember. What’s the point of a complicated drink? It also helps that it could be made in advance and served in a pitcher for company. As far as our other shakes, we knew we needed a coffee shake, a green type of health shake, and a more indulgent milkshake. There’s one of each type in the book.
Tell me the truth. How much weight did you gain taste testing recipes for this book?
LS: My lips are sealed! The trick in eating all the goodies is “moderation.”
VD: Yup. When you know you have to eat for your job, you’re extra careful on the other days.
What future volumes do you have on the horizon?
LS: Our next book is called Secret Restaurant Recipes. It’s not part of the Made Easy series, but it’s a super exciting project. The book is a collection of popular recipes from the menus of top kosher restaurants around the world. We’ve included everyone’s favorites (quick…what’s your favorite restaurant?). Look for it next year, in the fall.