Hungry Girl Simply 6

February 1, 2019
Hungry Girl brand owner Lillien's thirteenth cookbook, written in her trademark breathless style (with lots of exclamation points), provides 140-plus new low-cal recipes to consider. Her tried-and-true formula succeeds, with quick-to-make dishes that maximize current food fads: spiralized zucchini, baked vegetable fries, one-sheet pan dinners, cauliflower rice. The hook this time? Six or fewer ingredients (not counting items like seasonings and water), nutritional values listed, less than one page of directions, photographs as guides, and many sidebars. Lillien also covers how to build your own egg mug, six snack ideas for hard-boiled eggs, steel-cut versus old-fashioned oats. Some recipes that'll intrigue: simple shepherd's pie, sheet-pan ratatouille, pancake batter in a blender, and dough fashioned from yogurt, flour, and baking powder. She's careful about caveats: Weight Watchers' SmartPoints, for instance, are included on her website, not in the book. Easy, festive, and tasty.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

November 5, 2018
Lillien’s 13th Hungry Girl cookbook collects fun, accessible recipes, each requiring six main ingredients. Avoiding excessive amounts of added sugar, starch, and sodium, Lillien creates lighter versions of carb-heavy classics: standouts include mushroom risotto prepared with cauliflower rice, spinach and artichoke z’paghetti (zucchini noodles), cookies and cream banana bites, and apple spice blender muffins. Powerhouse foods also make their way into several meat and poultry dishes, such as beefy cauliflower rice stir-fry, spaghetti squash chicken tetrazzini, and steak and avocado soft tacos. Desserts and baked goods like upside-down cheesecake, personal peach pies, and cannoli crunchers are enticingly on offer, although they often call for a “natural no-calorie sweetener” of one’s choice. Alongside these recipes, Lillien generously includes valuable tips for her readers (“For recipes that call for sliced or chopped chicken, cut into your chicken breast before it completely thaws”). With each recipe clocking in under 350 calories per serving and requiring less than 30 minutes of prep time, this will be sure to please busy, health-conscious readers. Agent: Neeti Madan, Sterling Lord Literistic.