by Dawn Lerman
You will be the voice that whispers someone cares.
You will be the spirit that carries me through the fright.
And the encouragements that will help me turn dark to light.
You are in my kitchen when I cook and the inspiration for this book.
I hope you hear me talking to you each day, as your voice has helped me to lead the way.
When I was little, you called me your little beauty; and in turn, I named you.
You touched everyone you ever met. Your spirit and fancy hats no one will ever forget.
You danced and smiled till the end; I hope Papa is waiting for you when you ascend.
You called me your hero but you were mine. You are the light inside that makes me shine.
I love you
Dawn—(your little beauty)
Beauty’s Salmon Patties
Yield: 16 patties
Oil, for frying
18 ounces canned wild salmon in water
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup finely chopped onion or 1⁄2 cup onion and 1⁄2 cup green or red pepper
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Drain the liquid from the salmon and put the fish into a large bowl. Mash with the back of a fork until the fish is in small flakes. Add the eggs, onion, tomato sauce, and bread crumbs. Mix well and form into patties. Fry the patties till brown. As soon as they are brown, move them to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Flip carefully with a spatula. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes.
SWAP CHART
Many of the recipes in this book are in their traditional versions, as they were passed down from family and friends. As I do not want any recipe to be off limits, I am including the below chart of swaps. Whether you are gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, or sugar free, there is an easy solution.*
Cooking with my grandmother Beauty, and then cooking for the ones I loved, created lasting memories. Use the recipes in this book as a blueprint to create your own family traditions. It is not so much what you cook, or how often you cook, but the bond that happens when you connect with the ones you love in the kitchen.
I look forward to connecting with you, hearing your stories and seeing your food photos, and answering your questions.
Love from my kitchen to yours,
Dawn
BREAD CRUMBS
Matzo Meal is a 1:1 swap in latkes and salmon patties—making it a perfect swap for Passover cooking.
BUTTER
Unrefined coconut oil, mashed bananas, applesauce, pumpkin puree, yogurt, Earth Balance, ghee, grapeseed oil, and margarine—these are all a 1:1 swap.
Mashed avocado is also a 1:1 swap. It works best in chocolate recipes. To start, try using half avocado and half butter, and if you like the results, you can add more avocado and less butter.
Prunes make a great butter substitute as well. Combine 3⁄4 cup prunes with 1⁄4 cup of boiling water and puree. This is a 1:1 swap.
CHEESE
Soy cheese, almond cheese
CHOCOLATE
Carob chips, cacao nibs
CORNSTARCH
Arrowroot: 1 tablespoon of arrowroot for every 2 tablespoons of cornstarch
CREAM CHEESE
Tofu cream cheese, ricotta cheese, cashew cheese (Soak cashews overnight. Drain and dry. Combine cashews and 1⁄4 cup of water in a high-speed blender.)
EGGS
Ener-G Egg Replacer (follow directions on box)
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds whipped with 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let it sit in the fridge for ten minutes before using. Equals 1 egg.
2 egg whites: swap for 1 whole egg.
Chia seeds (Combine 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for fifteen minutes. Then stir. The mixture substitutes for 1 egg.)
1⁄4 cup of blended tofu equals 1 egg
1⁄4 cup of regular yogurt or soy yogurt equals 1 egg
1⁄2 banana, pureed, equals 1 egg
1⁄4 cup of applesauce plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder equals 1 egg
1⁄2 cup of buttermilk equals 1 egg
2 teaspoons of arrowroot equal 1 egg
GROUND BEEF
Ground dark meat turkey, ground lamb, ground dark meat chicken, and ground soy meat, tempeh
HONEY
Maple syrup, brown rice syrup, yacon syrup, raw honey, agave nectar, black strap molasses, sorghum syrup, evaporated cane juice, coconut nectar. These are a 1:1 swap.
Raisin puree (soak 2 cups of raisins in water overnight in a sealed container and then puree in a food processor.) Use 1 cup of the puree for 1 cup of a liquid sweetener.
Date puree (soak 1 cup of rinsed dates in 1 cup of water overnight in a sealed container and then puree in a food processor.) Use 1 cup of the puree for 1 cup of a liquid sweetener.
MILK
Soymilk, almond milk, rice milk, hemp milk, coconut milk, oat milk. The above all swap in equal ratios to dairy milk. These are a 1:1 swap.
NOODLES
Matzo can replace noodles in kugel and lasagna during Passover.
PEANUT BUTTER
Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, soy nut butter. These are a 1:1 swap.
SOUR CREAM
Full-fat yogurt, Tofutti sour cream
SOY SAUCE
Low-sodium soy sauce, tamari, Bragg’s amino acids
WHITE FLOUR
Spelt flour, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour, Pamela’s all-purpose baking powder, and sprouted flours are all a 1:1 swap.
Oat flour is a 1:1 swap, but add an additional 1 teaspoon of baking powder to make it less dense.
Black beans and garbanzo beans swap out great in brownies. It is a 1:1 swap—just drain, rinse, dry, and puree.
Almond butter and peanut butter can swap for flour in baking cookies. It is a 1:1 swap.
Whole-wheat flour: 7/8 cup whole wheat to 1 cup of white flour.
Teff flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, millet flour, hemp flour, soy flour, barley flour, corn meal, almond flour, coconut flour, and quinoa flour can be used as a substitute for white flour, but these are not equal swaps and amounts needed will vary depending on the other ingredients in the recipe.
WHITE PASTA
Brown rice pasta, whole wheat pasta, soba noodles, lentil pasta, mung bean pasta, quinoa pasta. Zucchini pasta made from raw zucchini spirals, spaghetti squash, and kelp noodles. These are all a 1:1 swap.
WHITE RICE
Brown rice, quinoa, farro, couscous, pearl barley, bulgur, millet. These are a 1:1 swap but cooking time varies with each grain.
WHITE SUGAR
Coconut sugar, palm sugar, Sucanat, brown sugar, date sugar. These are all 1:1 swaps.
Stevia: 2 tablespoons of stevia is a swap for 1 cup of sugar.
Xylitol: a 1:1 swap for white sugar, but shorten the baking time by 5 minutes.
YOGURT
Low-fat, soy, coconut, goat’s milk
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
So many people inspired this story. To my agent, Lynn Jones Johnston, for convincing me my story was more than a collection of recipes. To Tara Parker-Pope at the New York Times Well Blog for taking a chance on me. You changed my life, and I am forever grateful. Also a big shout-out to Toby Bilanow, Andrew Scrivani, Karen Barrow, and everybody at Well for making my blogs look so beautiful, and my food look so delicious.
And a big, big thank-you to my editor, Denise Silvestro, for making this book and my dreams a reality. You are my angel. And to her assistant, Allison Janice; publisher Leslie Gelbman; Pamela Barricklow; Diana Franco; and to all the dedicated people at Berkley Publishing who took part in making this book. I am truly indebted.
To my mom; my dad; my sister, April; my grandmothers, Beauty and Bubbe Mary; my cousin Linda; my
Aunt Jeannie; and my friends who allowed me to share their stories. Thank you for coloring my world.
Tracy Behar, Shelly Desai, Stephan Morrow, Charlie Sadoff, Pam Graf, Elana Goodridge, Joseph Lin, Erik Marengo, Brett Jeffryes, Catherine Ventura, you were there from the beginning. Thank you for listening, reading, and believing in me. And Jenny Isenstark, may you rest in peace.
Chef Toni’s Kitchen, Chef Crystal at It’s Delicious, Denise Gunkel, Dion Rhodes, Michelle Farkus, and my kids, Dylan and Sofia—thank you for testing and retesting my recipes.
And thank you, thank you, Mom, for being my biggest cheerleader throughout this project!!!!!
And Dad: without you, I would never have found my true calling. From one foodie to another, I love you.
ABOUT DAWN LERMAN, MA, CHHC, LCAT
I am a board-certified nutrition expert and contributor to the New York Times Well Blog, as well as the founder of Magnificent Mommies, a company specializing in personal, corporate, and school-based education.
My interest in healthy eating began at an early age, as I watched my obese father struggle with yo-yo dieting and fluctuating weight. I became fascinated with the correlation between what we eat and how we feel. Fueling my passion was my mentor, my grandmother Beauty, who inspired me as a child to learn how to cook and taught me about the power of healing through fresh ingredients.
Growing up, I was also involved in show business, first as an actress, then as a producer and writer. I coauthored the popular book The Twelve Step Plan to Becoming an Actor in L.A., which became a regional bestseller.
In my thirties, when my son was two years old, I realized that inspiring other moms to make healthier food choices for their children and teaching them to cook was more than a hobby—it was my true passion. During this same period, my father was diagnosed with lung cancer, and I started investigating the correlation between diet and healing. This gave me the incentive to return to school and earn my degree as a health practitioner.
I am now recognized as a nutrition expert, counseling clients on weight loss, diabetes, high blood pressure, ADHD, and other diet-related conditions. I lecture at schools and corporations as well as contribute to local and national media outlets.
I am the mother of two children, Dylan and Sofia. We live in New York City.
* I am not endorsing any specific ingredients or substitutions. I am just providing a brief list that I have found helpful when working with clients with various food sensitivities. Use the table as a guideline, as different ingredients may change both the taste and texture.
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