‘Yum & Yummer: Ridiculously Tasty Recipes That’ll Blow Your Mind, But Not Your Diet!’ by Greta Podleski
Greta Podleski is a Canadian cookbook author, who recently released her new book ‘Yum & Yummer’.
What inspired you to write your new cookbook ‘Yum & Yummer‘?
I was receiving a barrage of emails and social media comments asking for more of my simple, healthy recipes, with nonstop “Will you please write another cookbook!” messages.
As my first solo project (my previous four “Looneyspoons” cookbooks were written with my sister, Janet), I wanted Yum & Yummer to be unique, fresh and modern with a visually stimulating interior. I envisioned “in your face,” close-up food photos that would make readers want to lick the pages. I also wanted to satisfy the many requests from readers for more gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan meals. (Yum & Yummer is 80% gluten-free and 60% vegetarian.)
But I didn’t want to simply write another cookbook. I wanted to stand out, to surprise readers and “cause a stir” in the cookbook-publishing world, if you’ll pardon the cooking pun. So I created short, snappy, 1-minute how-to videos for every recipe in the book, accessible by using your smartphone to scan a bar code on each recipe page. This was a GIANT undertaking and has never been done before in a cookbook. Adding this element to the book almost killed me. Ha ha! No, really, it was a ton of work and cost a fortune. Part way through writing the book, I wondered if this was the dumbest idea I’ve ever dreamt up. As it turns out, it was totally worth the time the effort. Readers love the videos! They inspire you to cook and show you how easy it is. Moms are telling me their kids are learning to cook from Yum & Yummer. That’s music to my ears.
What is your favourite recipe from there?
That’s like asking someone to name his or her favourite child! Okay, how about I divide it into two categories: vegetarian and non-vegetarian.
My favourite vegetarian recipe (vegan, actually) is my Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Chickpea Curry. I often make a huge pot of it and eat it for days. I could live on it. It has so much flavour and is so healthy, with serious YUM factor. I’ve received so much positive “feed”back on it from readers.
My favourite non-vegetarian recipe? Do I have to pick? It’s a tie: Chicken Enchilada Casserole (basically a Tex-Mex lasagna with corn tortillas instead of noodles…topped with my favourite food in the world: guacamole!) and my Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps which are so easy to make and are a hit with kids and the low-carb crowd. Note: If you ask me next week, I’ll probably have new favourites!
What was the most fun part of creating this book?
The most fun (and challenging) part of writing Yum & Yummer was taking all of the food photos myself (one for every single recipe). I ended up converting my master bedroom into a “faux” studio because it has the best natural light. I often woke up with lemon wedges and chopped parsley on my nightstand or found my dog, Rico, licking sesame seeds off the floor when I was too tired to clean up at night.
How long did it take you to write it and how is your creative process
usually going?
Believe it or not, creating Yum & Yummer was a two-year process. For the first six months I daydreamed, imagined the book on store shelves, envisioned layouts, scribbled random thoughts on paper, created a list of recipes I thought readers would love, researched the market and mentally prepared myself for what I knew would be at least two gruelling years of work (not just writing/creating but publishing and promoting. I do that, too. I’m also the book’s publisher). It was during this six-month “prep stage” that I decided to make a giant investment in video production, so that every single recipe in my book would link via a scannable bar code to a 1-minute how-to video.
Are you planning on writing more cookbooks in the near future?
Well, interestingly, after my first cookbook, “Looneyspoons,” I said I’d never write another cookbook because it was so much work. And here I am in 2018 with Yum & Yummer, book number five! So, never say never I guess!
When did you discover your love for the culinary art?
In the introduction to Yum & Yummer, I talk about my Polish mother, Alfreda, who was a great self-taught cook, preparing dinner every night for 6 kids and a husband, despite having a full-time job. (I’m the youngest of her six daughters.) When I was tall enough to see the kitchen countertop, I started helping her make meals. I’m not sure why, but she had complete faith in me! She once handed me a paring knife and asked me to peel an entire bushel of apples so she could bake apple pies. I was probably 6 years old. She didn’t seem too concerned about handing a child a sharp knife. After messing up two or three apples, I perfected my apple-peeling method and, to this day, I can peel an apple in one long strip with my eyes closed! I’m surprised I haven’t been asked to perform at the circus.
My mom encouraged me to cook and didn’t care if I made a mess. She taught me that cooking was actually fun, creative and rewarding and not just a daily chore. (It helped that my mom always did the dishes! Bonus!)
What cuisine do you like the most and why?
I love Thai and Indian cuisines because of their bold flavours and spice combinations. I dislike boring, bland food. Thai green curry ANYTHING is my favourite. I created a Thai Green Curry Superfood Soup in Yum & Yummer based on this Thai obsession of mine, and it’s been a hit! My job is to make people’s taste buds happy. It’s hard to do that with just salt and pepper. Spices are everything and a well-stocked spice rack is a healthy cook’s best friend. In Thailand and in India, they totally get that.
Does travelling inspire you?
I’ve spent a lot of time in Costa Rica and besides the gorgeous landscape, warm ocean water and friendliest people, the food is amazing. Why? Because everything is SO fresh and so simple. You haven’t tasted a mango until you’ve eaten one that’s just fallen ripe from a tree. Want fresh fish? The “catch of the day,” which is literally caught that morning, is available everywhere. Plus, my favourite food of all time, guacamole, is made on the spot and served with pretty much everything. Heaven! I could live in Costa Rica. For sure.
What is the easiest way to learn how to cook/ what advice would you
give to beginners?
If you’re a beginner, you’ll need some tasty, fail-proof recipes, basic kitchen tools and a desire to learn. Cooking isn’t difficult. Honestly! Plus there’s always a reward at the end: You get to eat what you make. You don’t need to be a trained chef and you don’t have to meticulously slice an onion like they do on Chopped. One of the reasons I included short, how-to videos for every recipe in Yum & Yummer was to motivate beginners to cook, especially younger cooks who learn visually. You’ll never learn if you don’t try. The more you cook, the more comfortable you’ll be in the kitchen. And, trust me, once you serve a home-cooked meal to family or friends and they respond with “This is amazing!,” you’ll be hooked and you’ll want to do it again and again.
