Sweet Potato Pasta and a Review + Giveaway of Dairy Made Easy!

by 185 Comments

Sweet Potato Pasta has a unique and exciting flavor, making it a great change from the usual. Recipe part of a review of Dairy Made Easy.

sweet potato pasta on OvertimeCook

The dynamic duo of cookbook writers, Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek are back again with the fourth book in their Made Easy cookbook series, Dairy Made Easy. 

As I mentioned in previous reviews (See my reviews of Passover Made Easy, Starters and Sides Made Easy, and Kids Cooking Made Easy), the authors are good friends and colleagues of mine, and I am in total admiration of their knowledge of food, their creativity passion for food, and above all, their ability to put forth a creative and exciting cookbook.

I’m so excited to have the opportunity to review their latest book – and one of you will be lucky enough to win your own copy! (Scroll past the review and recipe to get to the giveaway.)

dmep (1)

At a first glance: 

Oh goodness. I’m drooling looking through this book. I want…everything! I love all things dairy, so you know I’m going to love this cookbook!

Some features I liked:

As is the case with all of the previous Made Easy cookbooks, Dairy Made Easy has a beautiful, mouth-watering image for every recipe. It also features fun dialogue from the authors, making you feel like they’re in your kitchen, clear and easy to follow instructions, and most importantly, it features creative and innovative new dairy dishes. Again, like the previous books, Dairy Made Easy has a clear layout and fun graphics.

The book features a cheese guide, which is certainly helpful for someone like me who is no cheese maven. It has a “make it light guide” showcasing the recipes that are light(er) or can easily be made lighter. And while it is a dairy book, Dairy Made Easy also has a “make it parve” guide, indicating recipes that can easily be made non-dairy.

I liked the way this cookbook was divided. There’s a breakfast section (starting, ironically enough with Saturday Night Fritata), a section of starters and sides, a section on Soups, Salads and Sandwiches (think, cafe type, lunch food). There’s also a section on Pizza, one on Pasta, and one on dessert. It pretty much covers all bases when it comes to dairy meals!

Some recipes I can’t wait to try: 

Creamy Cajun Penne – think Penne a la Vodka but with a hot twist!

Sweet Chili Homefries – I love homefries, I love sweet chili sauce… how could this go wrong?

Peanut Butter Creme Brulee – Have I ever told you folks how much I love peanut butter? Well imagine it in creme brulee! I know. Stop drooling.

Broccoli Spring Rolls – you can even try to convince yourself that this fried appetizer is healthy, because…broccoli!

Honey Pomodoro Pizza -I admit, I don’t make homemade pizza very often, but the next time I do, I think this will be the one.

Cold Brewed Coffee – I dunno why I haven’t tried this trend yet, but how up my alley does this sound?

Who this cookbook is for:

If you love to cook dairy, but find yourself stuck for new ideas and bored of the old ones, this is THE book for you.

If you don’t eat meat or chicken, or if you try to minimize the amount of it, this book will be useful to you.

If you’re cooking for Shavuot, Hanukkah, or any other special occasion when dairy is served, this book is for you!

Who this cookbook isn’t for: 

As you might imagine, the recipes in this book feature lots of butter, cream, cheese, and carbs. If you’re on a heavy diet, you’re probably going to be tempted by many of the recipes, but will find you can’t make too many of them.

If you’re a real meat and potatoes kinda person, this isn’t a book for you (obviously?).

Lastly, if you’re expecting lots of fish, whole grain, quinoa and veggie burger recipes, you won’t find them in this book.

What I didn’t like about this book: 

As I mentioned, the recipes in this book aren’t all that healthy. And you all know how I’m constantly dieting, so I can’t make too many of the recipes in this book when I am in heavy diet mode.

Like I said before, I am not much of a homemade pizza person, so there’s an entire chapter that I will rarely, if ever, cook from. That being said, it’s obviously a personal preference.

Conclusion:

This is a great book full of yummy looking, innovative dairy recipes. At Amazon’s current price of less than $12, it’s a real no brainer to buy this – even if you don’t cook dairy that often!

sweet potato pasta LR

And now, for a sample recipe from Dairy Made Easy! It’s a really cool new pasta dish. Totally different than anything I’ve ever tasted, making it a nice change from the usual.

4.0 from 2 reviews
Print
Sweet Potato Pasta and a Review + Giveaway of Dairy Made Easy!
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
Serves: 8
 
Adapted from Dairy Made Easy by Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek.
Ingredients
  • 1 lb spaghetti or penne
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, place diced sweet potato in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Drain and mash the sweet potatoes, then set aside.
  3. In a medium saucepot, melt the butter (or simply heat the oil) over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth.
  4. Slowly add the milk and cream and whisk until smooth. Bring it to a simmer, then let it cook for about ten minutes, until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
  5. Gradually add the mashed sweet potatoes to the sauce. Whisk until smooth, and the potatoes have dissolved into the sauce, making it quite thick. Cook for another five minutes.
  6. Add the pasta, about ⅓ at a time, stirring to coat with sauce after each addition.
  7. Add the cheese and salt and mix until the cheese is melted.
  8. Serve hot.

Giveaway is over! Congratulations Frady on winning!

Giveaway Details!

For your chance to win a copy of Dairy Made Easy:

Please note: Each entry requires its own comment!

Multiple entries in one comment will only be counted once! You can do any or all of the following:

Entry #1 – Leave a comment on this post telling me what dairy recipe you’ve made recently!

Entry #2 – Follow @OvertimeCook on twitter and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 3- Like Tales of an Overtime Cook on Facebook and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 4 – Follow @OvertimeCook on Pinterest and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry # 5 – Subscribe to OvertimeCook via email (link is on the right sidebar of the blog). and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Entry #6 – Follow Overtime Cook on Instagram and leave a comment on this post telling me that you did.

Note: if you already like/follow etc, that’s fine. Just leave a comment letting me know that!

Giveaway ends at 9:30 aM on Friday, May 30th. A valid email address must be provided.

Prize can be shipped within the US.

Giveaway is sponsored by the publisher.

sweet potato pasta 2_

Disclaimer: I was sent a review copy of this book, and the authors are good friends and colleagues of mine. All opinions are my own. There are affiliate links within this post, which means that if you click the links here to buy the book you will help sponsor your favorite food blog!

 

Comments

  1. Naomi says

    I love receiving your email! I have made a few of your soups, bunt cake, and zebra cake. Thank you for your easy to follow recipes and honest fun to read reviews. I do want to try out the coffee machine now that I read your review.I think I saw that I can do that at a mall near me. I will ask, for the flavor you recommended.
    Thanks again,

    Naomi

    Reply

  9. Shonnie says

    I really enjoy reading your posts and I’d enjoy the cookbook if I win. Last dairy dish I made was Greek salad, my families favorite!

    Reply

  16. Suri says

    I’ve just subscribed by email. Btw, your recipes are great; it’s the first thing I check in the Ami

    Reply

  27. Elisheva says

    Thanks for all these giveaways! Last night was taco night with all th fixings – minus the ground meat, plus cheese and homemade refried beans

    Reply

  40. dana says

    I was just in israel so my dairy recipe was just eating as much delicious cottage cheese as I could.

    Reply

  41. deb says

    I don’t cook milchigs very often these days but recently I made sandwich maker pita pizza for the kids & a hot granola & yogurt parfait for my breakfast

    Reply

  66. Gitty says

    I make a mean grilled cheese on pita- pita, ketchup, mozzarella cheese, oregano, black pepper and minced garlic. it’s good.

    Reply

  80. Dova says

    I love dairy dishes too and can’t wait for Shavuot! I have been making lasagna a lot lately – it isn’t the most exotic dish, but super convenient and hearty when you only have time to pull from the freezer.

    Reply

  103. Melissa says

    Recently made lasagna soup, delicious! I follow you on pinterest as michaladina and on facebook!

    Reply

  104. Miriam says

    I last made mini cheesecake tartlets with cream cheese frosting. I have quite a few other yummy milchig stuff on the list for this week!

    Reply

  109. says

    I enjoy cooking and collecting cook books. My latest dairy recipe that I made lasagna roll ups, farmer cheese Bellini s and my favorite Home made pizzas with my own fresh pesto. all of these are a treat and I would love to have new recipes for the chag . Thx Elise Zakroff

    Reply

  112. Shani says

    I’m actually in middle of cooking up Penne Rosa from their Kids Cooking Made Easy. Hope it’s as good as it sounds!

    Reply

  119. rachels says

    Am in dairy cooking overdrive for Shavuos this week.last items cooked & baked:….mini pizza. Cheesecake. Brownie cheesecake. Brocolli lasagna. Zucchini cheese quiche. Filo layer cheese pie.

    Reply

  126. Chrik says

    Tonight was a bit of a lazy night so I made one-pot mac n cheese. I do make pizza pretty often, so I would love to get a book with a whole chapter on it!

    Reply

  141. Bracha Poliakoff says

    Liked you on fb! My favorite recipe is your mocha frappe – I love to drink it before work!

    Reply

  157. Rena says

    Made broccoli quiche, homemade whole wheat waffles, and mediterranean vegetable tian for supper last night!

    Reply

  162. Yocheved says

    Recently made a delicious broccoli quiche, home made pizzas and calzone and spinach stuffed shells. Kids are super excited to eat them on Shavous and since I’m the only meat/chicken eater in my house a new dairy cookbook would be right up my alley.

    Reply

  168. Rena says

    I made broccoli quiche, homemade whole wheat waffles, caprese garlic bread, and mediterranean style tian!

    Reply

  173. Frimchie Fuchs says

    I follow you on pinterest, follow you on Facebook and get your emails. Oh, what I made recently, Cheese florets, mini cheese tarts, Brownie cheesecake, dairy rugelech, peanut butter chocolate chip cookie cheese squares, and I’m probably forgetting some other stuff I made.

    Reply

  178. dina says

    I look forward to receiving ur emails always u have the most amazing recipes!!n love the way u present the food!!thank you for that!!

    Reply

  180. Devori says

    I made the no bake lemon mousse cheese cake from this blog for my sons bday party there wasn’t a drop left! Thanx

    Reply

  183. nechama says

    i follow you on facebook and subscribe to your emails.

    i recently made a broccoli quiche with cheddar cheese and farmer cheese and best part about it, no dough. was really good and i plan on making it again for shavuos

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Rate this recipe: