Archive for category: Cookbook

Famous Dishes from Around the World: Healthy, Tasty and Affordable / Platos Famosos de todo el mundo: saludables, sabrosos y económicos is a new Bilingual Cookbook, in both English and Spanish. It was released in May 2019, published by Moonstone Press LLC.

Ethnic foods and international cuisine can be found at every street corner of our cities and neighborhoods. Whether in restaurants, diners, food trucks or grocery stores, the varied and flavorful dishes brought to the United States by generations of immigrants stand out among the most important contributions to America’s rich multicultural heritage, and have been welcomed enthusiastically by its inhabitants. 

With well-known recipes that are both tasty and healthy, Famous Dishes from Around the World seeks to pay homage to immigrants through their culinary contributions to the United States.

Compiled by lovers of good ethnic food who have lived all around the world, it features 30 well-known dishes that are identified with specific countries worldwide, such as Colombian Sancocho, French Ratatouille, Indian Vegetable Korma, Mexican Fajitas, Moroccan Tagine with Chicken, Greek Moussaka (with Turkey), Polish Lentil Stew, Indonesian Satay with Peanut Sauce, and Spanish Paella.  The book includes background information about each dish, calorie and nutrition breakdowns of each recipe, and sections called “Cooking Tips and Tricks” and “Healthy Hints for the Home Cook”. 

Famous Dishes from Around the World is timely given our country’s current political state of affairs, and that it provides an engaging blend of both good food, ethnicity and health.

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Praise for Famous Dishes from Around the World:

“A vibrant culinary take on the American melting pot via an international array of recipes and flavors.” – Kirkus Review

“Famous Dishes from Around the world/ Platos famosos de todo el mundo is recommended over and above other introductory ethnic cookbooks because of its recognizable national dishes, its diversity, its attention to healthy ingredients, and the ease with which the recipes can be cooked in the kitchen.” – Midwest Book Review

“What books like Famous Dishes seek to do is to pepper in a little more humanity to our meal-making. The recipes here are accessible, yet impressive; inexpensive, yet satisfying.” – Red City Review

“Turn your family meals into delightful cultural experiences by preparing dishes from different countries.” – 5 Stars, Readers’ Favorite

“The creators of this vibrant collection have spared no efforts to make their new project a feast for the eyes as well as for the stomach, with brilliant color photographs on every page.” – RECOMMENDED by The US Review of Books

“International dishes: a symbol of national pride and cultural identity.” –The Paris Post-Intelligencer

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Excerpt:

At home or abroad, if there is anything that can bring people together in any society, it’s a tasty meal shared with loved ones, friends, colleagues or even adversaries. “Food is our common ground, our universal experience,” the noted chef, JamesBeard, once wrote. As the fundamental staple of life, food – and by extension the cooking of food – is not only essential sustenance for the human body, it’s also emotional nourishment for the soul. In an age of zillions of impersonal gadgets, a shared meal may be one of the last bastions of true interpersonal connectivity and communication in our country and across the world. 

Food, in the form of dishes introduced to the United States by generations of immigrants, is also a bond that draws us together – citizens and non-citizens alike. Through authentic recipes or variations thereof that have evolved over time, the contributions of foreign dishes to the culinary arts in America have been prodigious. Across the nation’s large swath of cultures, these recipes have become synonymous with the very essence of American cuisine. We are attracted not only to the eclectic variety of these foods, we embrace them with total gusto. 

Whether it’s a French restaurant heralding the latest creation of nouvelle cuisine or a traditional coq au vin, food trucks offering Korean barbecue, Lebanese falafel or Colombian arepas, airport food stations featuring a dizzying array of Japanese sushi or Mexican burritos – or just a simple invitation for a tasty dish of Italian pasta cooked by a gracious hostess in the privacy of her own home, international cuisine permeates the American social fabric, and ethnic dishes are everywhere. Present at every street corner of our cities, marketplace or home, they have become quintessential expressions of our multicultural heritage, borne out of the rich tapestry of our collective experience.

One could even say that, of all of the splendid varieties of cultural arts in the United States, the most authentic and popular one may perhaps be its culinary arts and its myriad types of foods and cuisine. Blended together by the chemistry of their ingredients, the taste and smell of these diverse ethnic American dishes – enhanced by their unique spices – triggers all types of emotions, builds an insatiable following, and creates memories of a lifetime. Can you imagine our country without them? 

Beyond emotions and memories, however, the dishes in this book represent something deeper: They are a collection of national and well-known culinary creations that have become intrinsically identified with a particular country because of their history. As such, they are a symbol of national pride and cultural identity with the country of origin, pride that is carried on from generation to generation.While we have taken some liberties with the authenticity of a few of the recipes (so as to include ingredients that are a bit healthier and perhaps less spicy than originally intended), and have replaced wherever possible red meat or pork with turkey, chicken or vegetables (e. g. Brazilian Feijoada or Greek Moussaka), the essence of the dishes does not change, and the spices for which they are known remain authentic. 

We were also budget-conscious in cooking and testing the meals featured in this book, and by sharing condiments across recipes (e. g. oils, vinegars and spices such as the less costly, but very good Badia brand), no dish exceeds $18.00. 

The recipes’ ample ingredients – which can be found in national food chains, such as Walmart, Publix, and Safeway throughout the country or ordered from them online – also go a long way to providing repeated servings for a family meal. 

Famous Dishes / Platos Famosos is a homage to our country’s heritage and the American melting pot. 

May it grow and flourish! 

And Bon Appétit!

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About the Author: 

Moonstone Press LLC, a small company based in Sarasota, Florida, was established in 2001 by photographer/ book producer Stephanie Maze with the goal of publishing high-quality photography-based books in English and Spanish for children and adults. Starting out as a teacher and translator, Stephanie’s professional path led to an award-winning career in photojournalism – first as a staff photographer for the San Francisco Chronicle, then as a freelance photographer for numerous international publications and organizations that included regular assignments for National Geographic Magazine and Books, coverage of three Summer Olympic Games for the International Olympic Committee (AP/ IOPP), and participation in ten Day in the Life book projects around the world. As a professional photographer for newspapers, magazines, and books for more than 30 years, Stephanie envisioned her company’s titles to be highly visual. After producing an award-wining career series for Harcourt Children’s Books titled I Want to Be… she launched her own indie press with a children’s animal series of eight titles in English and Spanish called Moments in the Wild/ Momentos en el reino animal. She attributes this bilingual approach to her love for languages and foreign cultures (she grew up abroad and speaks five languages), her deep respect for cultural diversity, and the fact that Spanish remains one of the most popular foreign languages taught in American schools. More recently, Moonstone Press LLC has focused on titles supporting nutrition, health, and fitness. To learn more, go to MoonstonePress.net 

Readers can follow Moonstone Press on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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For further information, or to request a review copy, please contact Kelsey Butts at Kelsey@BookPublicityServices.com or (805) 807-9027.