You may recognize my friend Ellie Krieger from her popular Food Network and Cooking Channel program — Healthy 
Appetite. Ellie is also the author of the New York Times best-selling cookbooks The Food You Crave (recipient of James Beard and IACP awards), So Easy, Comfort Food Fix and Small Changes, Big Results.
Her newest book Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less just published this month, with 150 recipes using use easy to find ingredients. Each takes less than 30 minutes to get on the table – and that includes chopping everything and pre-heating the oven. I caught up with this busy lady recently and asked her to respond to our Guest Foodie questions.
Which food product or gadget would you never give up? Based on the fact that it is the one food product (besides good coffee) that I bring with me whenever I stay at a rental house for vacation, I must say, a nice hunk of real Parmaggiano Reggiano. It gives a huge hit of flavor without a lot of calories and there are a million and one things you can do with it.
What do you like to serve when you entertain? I like to keep things pretty laid back when I entertain so I can relax and enjoy the company. (No one can relax around a stressed out host!) One of my favorite things to do is make a big batch of chili (sometimes 2 kinds) and put our lots of fixin’s like cilantro, line, grated cheese, chips, plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, etc… and let people make their own bowl of chili. For a more formal party I like to make a chilled poached salmon with yogurt dill sauce—-it is elegant and crowd pleasing— but easy to make and you can do it in advance.
Describe your “last meal?” This is one of those things I think about a lot. I would start with a bowl of New England Clam Chowder, then a simple, super- fresh salad, Belgian style fries, and a lobster roll. For dessert I would have chocolate molten cake with coconut ice cream
What food is your secret guilty pleasure? First of all I don’t believe in guilt when it comes to food, so I have none. But some favorite pleasures I try not to indulge in too often are chocolate chunk cookies and french fries (not at the same time though!)
What is your go-to neighborhood restaurant? My favorite neighborhood place is Gennaro on Amsterdam Ave and 93rd Street. The food is consistently excellent, it has a real neighborhood friendliness about it and the prices are very good. I LOVE the Kale Salad there and the Organic Chicken with Raisins, Olives and Pine Nuts, and the Antipasto Della Casa is an event in itself!
What is one food product most people don’t know about, but should? I have been really into Farro lately—while many have heard of it, I don’t think most people have cooked with it before. It is basically a whole grain wheat. You just simply boil it—for just about 15 minutes or so—drain, and serve like you would serve rice. I love it with braised lamb shank in the winter and in the summer it makes a wonderful, nutty base for salads.
Describe your worst kitchen disaster and how (if possible) you saved it: I was once on live TV, on CBS, doing a cooking demo, and I saw the cutting board was placed too close to the flame and started to burn a little. I thought I could get away with ignoring it in the 4 minutes I had for the segment, but the host said–“you have a fire there!” so I had to find a way to put it out. There was no cloth towel or salt on set so I banged it out with a big stainless steel spoon and went on cooking and finished the segment. I must say I was pretty proud for not losing my cool!
Follow Ellie on Twitter or Instagram or visit her Facebook page.
– bonnie
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