Fans of Hell’s Kitchen may recognize Ariel Fox from her two seasons in the Gordon Ramsay Yelling Kitchen, and now she’s written her first cookbook. Spice Kitchen is a celebration of her heritage and her healthy cooking (and eating) choices.
Fox starts out by opening up her kitchen and talking about what she always has in her pantry to make recipes like the ones she’s about to share. She encourages readers to use healthier alternatives, like almond or cassava flour instead of all-purpose flour, coconut sugar or agave instead of refined white sugar, and avocado oil instead of canola oil. She lists the spices she uses most and even lets home cooks know which of the fruits and vegetables she uses should stay on the counter and which should get stored in the refrigerator. There is also a short list of tools you’ll need to start cooking, mostly basic items that even beginning cooks will have hanging out in their kitchen.
She starts the recipes with Mornings. There are quick and easy breakfast options, like Smoked Salmon Everything Toasts or a Tropical Papaya Smoothie. Some recipes can be made ahead, like the gluten-free Granola or Overnight Coconut and Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding, or if you’re looking for more of a weekend project, there is the Raspberry-Key Lime Morning Bread or Coco Cake Doughnuts. Fox also offers tips for cooking the perfect egg, whether you want it poached, boiled, scrambled, or sunny side up.
There is a chapter on Soups, with a Pumpkin Soup, Seafood Chowder, and Chilled Papaya and Melon Soup. There is a chapter on Salads, with a Butter Lettuce Salad, Island Greed Salad, Warm Octopus Salad, and a Cumin Vinaigrette (I am intrigued by that one). There are Small Plates, like Baked Empanadas, Fire-Grilled Jerk Wings, and Stuffed Yucca Island Patties. And there are Large Plates and Sides, with Crispy Chicken Thighs, Slow-Cooked Pork, All-Day Costillas (Ribs), and Braised Oxtails, Cuban Style. There are also recipes for Shrimp and “Grits,” Whole Roasted Fish, Coconut Creamed Greens, Roasted Spaghetti Squash, and Curried Green Plantains and Jack Fruit.
Fox also includes a chapter filled with healthier versions of popular desserts, like Rum Cake, Coconut Tres Leches Cake, Lemon Cake, Cocoa-Avocado Mousse, and Island Tea-Infused No-Milk Flan. And if you’d rather end your meal with a glass (or start your meal that way), she includes a chapter on Cocktails, which includes a Yucatán Michelada, Spicy Papaya Margarita, Strawberry-Ginger Mojito, Sangria, or Dark and Not So Stormy.
Throughout Spice Kitchen, there are also recipes for basics that can be kept in your kitchen for when you need to add a touch of flavor. There are Cashew Creams, which can be used instead of sour cream. The Dragon Fruit Preserves can be added to pancakes or a sandwich. and there are nut butter ideas that can add healthier flavor than store-bought nut butters. You can also make your own Pomegranate Molasses, Homemade Chile Oil, Jerk Seasoning, Simple Lime Vinaigrette, Chimichurri Sauce, or Coconut Sugar Simple Syrup.
If you are someone who worries about how much sugar is in your fruit or is looking for a healthier alternative to croutons for your salads, then Spice Kitchen is for you. Fox offers up healthier alternatives for sour cream, Green Goddess dressing, chickpea hummus, and deviled eggs, just to name a few of her recipes. She also offers tips for healthier eating, for lower carb substitutes, for using less sugar, and for being dairy free while not sacrificing flavor or texture.
For me, the restrictions are a little strict for how I want to eat, but I can respect what Fox is about. I do wish that there were more photos throughout, both of the food and the process. Pictures of Fox working in the kitchen would have also added some warmth, which I thought this book needed. Fox talks about her family, about the things she learned about food while she was growing up, but after reading this cookbook, I don’t really feel like I know her any better. There is a lot of kitchen intelligence in this book, but not as much soul. I wish she could have found more balance in her book, the way she tries to in her dishes.
A copy of the Kindle version of Spice Kitchen was awarded to me through a Goodreads giveaway, with many thanks.
