Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe

Mollie Katzen's self-named book `Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café' is a very welcome addition to the very small number of books available on breakfast. As I have just reviewed a classic, `The Breakfast Book' from the widely recognized author, Marion Cunningham, it seemed only appropriate that I tackle this new breakfast book by an equally honored writer who is best known for her books on vegetarian cooking co-authored with the Moosewood Collective.Before I loose you in my usually long discourse, let me say that this book can do more good for your eating and health than just about any three other books put together. This opinion is based both on the quality of the book and the special position of it's subject.Most people give less attention to breakfast than to either lunch or dinner. This means that breakfast is the one meal where the room for improvement is the greatest. It certainly has a higher potential for improvement than lunch, as most people eat lunch outside of the home. Even if they carry lunch from home, the range of foods, which can be made portable without special equipment, is smaller than what can be prepared and eaten in ones own kitchen.This book is directed not only at a very wide range of good breakfast food, it is also directed at giving you the information you need to eat a nutritious breakfast with few or no `empty calories.The book starts with a brief essay on how the body deals with carbohydrates, especially upon eating the first meal of the day, or, `breaking fast'. The long and the short of this story is that you are much better eating whole grains with protein and good fats rather than sugars and quickly digested starches. The remainder of the book is dedicated to making this option appealing.The recipe chapters are:Beverages: The straight skinny on coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and smoothies.Fruit, including fruit salads, dried and roasted fruits, and crisp or cobbler.Grains, Cereals, and Porridges, including an excellent tabular presentation of grain cooking characteristics.Muffins, Biscuits, Breads, and Buns, including all the classics plus great stuff with bran and whole grains.Eggs, Tofu, Scrambles, Quiches & Souffles, or Protein Central. Lots of basic methods.Potatoes, Beans, Tempeh & Hashes. Lots of Potato recipes and unusual hashes.(Other) Vegetables for Breakfast, especially tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinachGriddle Foods: Pancakes, Waffles, Blintzes, Crepes & French ToastYogurt and Cheese: Lactose central with (mostly) ricotta and other soft cheeses.Puddings and Custards: Sweeten up your egg protein and vegetable goodness.Condiments, Sauces, Toppings & Spreads with syrups, sauces, salsas Jams, Aioli, Ketchup, etcBreakfast Bars, Coffee Cakes & Sweet Somethings: Home for lots of nuts, berries, and seedsMenus, or how to really do a healthy pig out on Sunday morningThe book is laid out with lots of sidebars on tips and techniques which make it very easy to read and to find what you are looking for. Each chapter

Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café, is a beautifully produced book with original art by the author, and interesting mini-articles at the beginning of each section. (Katzen also has nice introductions and incidental notes within the articles that make them fun to read.) Many recipes include variations that make the book full of possible recipes and combinations. I especially liked the two introductory chapters about breakfast: "Make Room in your Life for Breakfast," which includes a short look at breakfast around the world, and "Breakfast for Metabolic Health," which discusses how breakfast contributes to our overall diet. The book contains over 300 recipes with sections on breakfast beverages, "Vegetables for Breakfast" and a delicious-looking chapter on "Potatoes, Beans, Tempeh & Hashes." Katzen states that most of the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare, and many take less than fifteen. Unfortunately, there is no nutritional information with the recipes, and only 3 1/2 pages on menu planning at the back of the book. Sunlight Café is also obviously designed for lacto-ovo vegetarians as it relies heavily on dairy and eggs, and many recipes are not suitable for vegan substitutions, although Katzen says you can always substitute soy milk for cow's milk. While there are vegan recipes in the book, they're not labeled, so vegans get the not unpleasant chore of wandering through the chapters soaking in all the interesting tidbits while picking out what recipes to prepare.--Reviewed by Amy O'Neill Houck

I never gave much thought to breakfast, but Mollie Katzen sure has! And she is her usual contagious self in this unusual new volume, as she shares hundreds of ideas and many, many simple recipes with healthy undertones and delicious overtones. And speaking of tone, hers is never dogmatic or preachy, just very informative (with interesting asides and anecdotes) and personal encouragement, helping us realize just how important it is to have something decent to eat as early in the day as possible, and sympathizing with how difficult that is for many of us. It would have been easy to write a breakfast/brunch book oriented specifically to leisurely weekend entertaining, and although this book covers that (a nice list of user-friendly menus appears in the back) it mostly focuses on the challenge of a good breakfast on busy weekdays. I've tried about 6 of the recipes, and they have all been delicious. Try the Chai Oatmeal and the Wild Rice & Quinoa Muffins with Dried Cranberries. I also loved the Breakfast Gingerbread and the Homemade Chocolate Chip Protein Bars. A winner all around, complete with lovely full-color art by the talented Ms. Katzen! A bargain at the price offered here (and even a bargain at full price)!

Mollie Katzen's books are in their own category, and they just seem to get better and better. Her latest, "Sunlight Café," in the opinion of this reviewer, is her best! She writes in a personal voice and her recipes are very much geared to the ordianry "non-foodie" peron, while inspiring to experienced cooks as well. In this latest work, she has shed new light (play on words intended) on the subject of breakfast, addressing not just more complex recipes for weekend brunches, but also (and mainly) nutirious and reasonably (and often very) convenient ideas for busy people running out the door on weekdays. Throughout, there is a spirit of optimism (which she talks about as symbolic of the morning meal) and encouragement. Some of the ideas are really quite surprising, like Gaxpacho as a morning drink, or delicious little nuggets made out of dates, peanut butter and flax seeds as a nutritionally dense, easy, freezable breakfast-snack. As someone who always liked the idea of breakfast without figuring out a good way to include it in my daily life, I feel that I am now equipped with inspiration and information to make a change. I am especially impressed by the large number of healthy muffin recipes, which I will now bake and keep in my freezer. Also, it bears mentioning that Mollie Katzen is an accomplished artist, and the gorgeous full-color illustrations in the book are all her handiwork.

I bought this book, read it cover to cover--which is not something I typically do with cookbooks--and within the first three days of owning it had tried four of the recipes. My breakfasts have been more varied and I've made a number of the dishes for use at other times of the day. I've also made items over the weekend for consumption during the weekday mornings. I think I've made more dishes based on this book in the short period I've owned it, than I have from most of my other cookbooks.I've changed my techniques for making eggs and some other basics based on her recommendations too.I was very inspired by this book and I think all of my recent cooking reflects it. I already had two other books by this author. I've been showing it to all of my friends and encouraging them to buy it too.