From the Bookshelf

LOUISIANA COOKBOOKS FROM CHEF ELIANA

Local award-winning young chef encourages kids and families to cook with easy recipes

I am so excited that we are returning to print! In this issue I’m reviewing two books that I think families can really use now. Since we’re staying much closer to home and more families are cooking together, it’s a great time to get the kids more involved in the kitchen. And no New Orleans kid has been more involved in the kitchen than Eliana de Las Casas!

Eliana comes from a long line of great cooks and grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans. She started helping her family in the kitchen before she could even reach the counter. Since those early days, Kid Chef Eliana was selected as the youngest ever recipient of the “Top 40 Under 40” movers and shakers list by local Gambit magazine. She also won the Chopped Teen Tournament, Season 3, on the Food Network and then became the 2016 Chopped Teen Grand Champion. Eliana’s other television appearances include the Today show, The Wendy Williams Show, PBS, and Nickelodeon, among others.

She recently graduated from NOCCA’s culinary arts program and was named one of “The Best Chefs of Louisiana 2018” by the American Culinary Federation, New Orleans Chapter. She also serves as the National Food and Beverage Institute Kids Ambassador, and the Crescent City Farmers Market Ambassador.

Eliana’s mission is to encourage kids and families to eat fresh and become culinary explorers. Two of her books that really communicate this message are Cool Kids Cook: Louisiana, and Cool Kids Cook: Fresh and Fit. Both of the books are 64 pages and have 28 recipes. Each book is broken into chapters: main dishes, basics, side dishes, desserts and a glossary of terms.

COOL KIDS COOK: LOUISIANA BY ELIANA DE LAS CASAS

Published by: Pelican Publishing • 64 pages • $16.95

This is the perfect book for introducing kids to cooking Louisiana favorites. There are simple recipes that even the most hesitant beginner can try, like a muffuletta sandwich -- once you have your jar of olive salad, you are basically just putting the sandwich together with meat and cheese -- a great starter recipe. Once kids have a bit more confidence, they can move onto other recipes, such as pralines. This recipe requires just four ingredients: brown sugar, condensed milk, salt, and pecans. There are also more advanced recipes for older cooks: king cake, jambalaya, and gumbo.

COOL KIDS COOK: FRESH AND FIT BY ELIANA DE LAS CASAS

This is Eliana’s second book and picks up where the first one left off. But instead of a Louisianathemed focus, this one is centered around healthy fare. With so many unhealthy food options out there, this selection will be welcomed by moms and dads. Like Cool Kids Cook: Louisiana, this book also has some easy beginner recipes. Start with the summertime watermelon and pineapple pops, with watermelon, pineapple, lemon juice and honey, zapped in the food processer, and then poured into popsicle molds and frozen. Kids can try their hand at crabstuffed tomatoes and coconut shrimp. And after they become more accomplished, they can tackle the eggplant lasagna for family dinners.

Published by: Pelican Publishing • 64 pages • $15.95

These easy-to-read books with simple to follow recipes will have your family happily cooking and eating together throughout the long, hot New Orleans summer. Bon Appetit!

Scott Campbell is publisher of Pelican Publishing, a nationally recognized, local publishing company established in 1926. He also is publisher & founder of River Road Press, a local boutique house of local and regional titles.