Grazing – Cookbook Give Away

Grazing – Cookbook Give Away

Grazing_CoverFinal.jpgMany people have asked me for healthy snacks ideas. Well, search no more. Julie Van Rosendaal, of Dinner with Julie, not only wrote the book on this topic, Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods, she’s giving one away. (See details below.)

Julie, a food and nutrition expert and self-proclaimed food addict, is a familiar voice on CBC Radio One’s Calgary EyeOpener and a soon-to-be familiar face on Goodbite.com. She knows her food, but she also knows the struggle to maintain a healthy body weight.

Having been on diets since she was eight (EIGHT!), Julie and has tried every program out there. Although she no longer counts calories, points or carbs, she’s lost 165 pounds (more than half her body weight) and has kept it off for almost a decade. How’s she do it? With exercise and sensible eating, which includes healthy snacks. And some portion control.

But this isn’t a diet book. Sure, Julie began developing healthy snacks and dips as “damage control” for when she went to parties, but she believes in using fat, eating carbs and even a sprinkling of sugar on things. She just does it with restraint.

Grazing contains a bit of everything: breads, desserts, food on a stick, crackers, salsa, wraps and rolls. Her Maple Pecan Caramel Corn is perfect for a casual movie night while Curried Coconut-Mango Chicken in Wonton Cups is worthy of a dress up cocktail party. Personally, I’m in love with the dips. I made the Baba Ganouj, but it doesn’t photograph well. Sorry, but posting my pics would do more harm than good.

Want to win a copy of Grazing? Jog to the comments section and leave your name, city, province or state and tell me why you want to win this book. Yes, it’s that simple. I’ll use the funky Dine-O-Matic to select the winner and announce the name next Friday (August 7, 2009).

In the meantime, Julie generously shares her recipe and photo for Romesco. Not only is this her favourite dip, she says it makes a perfect substitute for mayonnaise.

Romesco Dip.jpg

Romesco Dip

Excerpt published with permission. From Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods (Whitecap Books, 2005)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds, or half almonds and half pine nuts
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • 2 thick slices French bread, toasted
  • 2 peppers, roasted
  • 1 tbsp red wine, sherry or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • pinch dried red pepper flakes
  • salt to taste
  • 4 to 6 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Toast almond and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the almonds are pale golden and fragrant. Transfer to a food processor. Tear the bread into chunks into the food processor. Pulse until the read and nuts turn to crumbs.
  2. Add the red peppers, vinegar, paprika, red pepper flakes, and salt and whiz until well blended. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and process until the mixture has the consistency of thick mayonnaise, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Serve with pitas, slices of crusty baguette, cooked tail-on shrimp, naan or veggies.

No Comments
  • Amanda Grainger
    Posted at 11:13h, 31 July

    I'm getting married next summer. Not only is there pressure to fit into a dress, but there are endless parties and celebrations from now until then. I need a strategy that will keep me less stressed than I already am! Amanda, from Toronto Ontario.

  • Wendy Gacparski
    Posted at 11:46h, 31 July

    I love Julies quote from Laurie Colwin that says “It is not just the Great Works of mankind that make a culture. It is the daily things, like what people eat and how they serve it.” Julie & Laurie are my kinda people!….they "get" how important food is and how it effects us as people. I'll be 55 this Aug. & I'm determined to slim down & eat healthier for a better quality of life. As a "foodie" myself, I'm finding that's easier said than done. Julie's book Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods is just the thing I have been looking for to inspire & help me reach my weight loss goal! Wendy, from Bright Ontario

  • One of the Woodside Joneses
    Posted at 12:21h, 31 July

    Jill! Markham! Ontario! I love to snack! And with the exception of almonds and fresh berries, everything else I love sticks directly to my hips. Some fresh ideas would be very helpful.

  • Cheryl Sternman Rule
    Posted at 12:30h, 31 July

    I would love this book for 3 reasons:

    a) it sounds terrific;

    b)dips and snacks are my two favorite food groups; and

    c) I need more books by authors with "aa" in their last name.

  • Ozlem
    Posted at 12:47h, 31 July

    Hi,
    I just had a daughter-not just now actually 6 months- but I still have kilo-pounds-from pregnancy. I need to eat health food not only for me but also for my daughter:)Health Snacks:)I have 2 websites, I can share with my blog friends(one is abouth my daughter, other one is about tastes of life, sound fun ha?By the way my name is Ozlem and I live in Ankara, Turkey:)

  • Morgan
    Posted at 13:24h, 31 July

    Morgan from Kingston, Ontario
    – I'm due to have my baby any day now (he's free to come when he wants! lol) and I know that I will have A LOT of people coming and going. It would be nice to have some "snack" recipes that are more than basic to offer. I can impress people even when I'm exhausted and in my pj's!

  • amyproulx
    Posted at 14:15h, 31 July

    What! A cookbook! About snacks! Why do I want a cookbook about snacks? Just because.

  • Veronica Leonard
    Posted at 14:44h, 31 July

    You had me on maple pecan caramel corn! I want this book

  • Heather Wright
    Posted at 15:00h, 31 July

    I'm a confirmed grazer and so is my son. And forget about making him a sandwich for lunch when school starts again. This sounds like a great source of healthy munchies for his lunch box and mine. Count me in. Heather from Kitchener

  • Steph - Wasabimon!
    Posted at 15:12h, 31 July

    I'd love a copy! I'm always starving, which means that I'm in "emergency mode" a lot of the time. This leaves me grabbing at whatever's handy to eat. Often it's not the healthiest choice, and I think this book would help me solve this ongoing problem.

    Stephanie
    Oakland, CA

  • Katerina
    Posted at 19:53h, 31 July

    I am always on the look out for healthy practical food ideas.

  • Divya Vikram
    Posted at 21:52h, 31 July

    I am planning to lose some pounds before I get pregnant. So guess this book might help! Am from South Pasadens, CA

  • Divawrites
    Posted at 12:55h, 01 August

    Lisa MAcColl, Kitchener, Ontario

    My 4 year old is a grazer and is starting school in September. I'd love ideas for lunch snacks for her since she'll be there all day on the days she goes.

    Hubby and I are both working on seeing "less" of us. We're both snackers and having healthy alternatives to our usual foods of choice would be great.

    In my stash of cookbooks, I don't have one like this…and I need it!

  • Michele
    Posted at 15:49h, 01 August

    This looks like a great book with lots of good ideas for someone with a husband and teenager who both like to snack…Thanks for the giveaway! Michele, Montreal

  • AdventuresInSF
    Posted at 02:26h, 02 August

    I'd LOVE this book–I love entertaining, hosting, throwing parties…this book would be PERFECT. Parties are all about grazing–grazing and drinking, and finding that perfect combination!

    I also belive grazing is a healthier way to eat!

    Cheers,
    Jamie, San Francisco

  • Sophie
    Posted at 05:26h, 02 August

    I love an excellent Romanesco recipe! Yoursq is truly a winner!!

    Looking very tasty! Yummie yum!

    I just discovered your blog & I love it!
    Many greetings from Brussels, Belgium!!!

  • Anonymous
    Posted at 14:49h, 03 August

    This sounds perfect for finding a way to keep a picky teenager' who won't eat anything in case she gains weight, happy and consuming some healthy calories. Snacks are happy time food and I'm all over that.
    Robin from Guelph, Ontario, Canada.

  • kate
    Posted at 15:34h, 03 August

    I want to win this book because I read Michael Pollan's article in NY Times magazine yesterday about how cooking is dead and I think he's wrong, wrong wrong. And I think a cookbook about snacks — which we tend to think have to come in a vacuum sealed bag — proves the point! I would like to own this cookbook so I can continue to make three solid meals a day PLUS SNACKS. Take that, Michael Pollan! (Although, MP, I completely respect all your hard work to raise awareness about what real food is and how to find it, prepare it, and eat it. I just don't buy it that home cooking is breathing its last breath.) Kate, Brooklyn, NY

  • Anonymous
    Posted at 14:55h, 05 August

    I would LOVE to get a copy of "Grazing". I'm not only a follower of your blog, but of Julie's as well. You both have a no-nonsense approach to food and recipes in general. And you've got a great sense of humour, to boot!

    Naomi Voss
    Edmonton, AB

  • Jennifer
    Posted at 18:08h, 06 August

    Hi! My name is Jennifer, and I'm in Porter TX! I'm recently married and am just learning how to cook. I'm slowly learning that all of the recipes we like that I make aren't so healthy! :o( I'm on the lookout for healthy recipe books. My husband snacks on chips and dip whenever we watch tv, so this book would be great! Thanks for the giveaway. ;o)

  • Barb Mattson
    Posted at 22:40h, 14 September

    A girl at work brought this book in for the staff to look at. We all loved it! I picked it up at the library & started to mark the pages I wanted to copy. I marked almost every page~! I need this book! LOVE IT!!

  • Charmian Christie
    Posted at 23:22h, 14 September

    I agree. All of Julie’s recipes are great. This is one of those books you’ll turn to again and again. It’s especially handy for potluck parties when you’re asked to bring an appetizer or snack.

    My copy is dog-eared and splattered. It’s definitely worth the shelf space.

    Plus, Julie is a wonderful person. She’s just like her recipes — approachable and easy to love.