By Wendell Brock
“Meat on the Side: Delicious Vegetable-Focused Recipes for Every Day”
By Nikki Dinki (St. Martin’s Griffin, $27.99).
As a kid, Nikki Dinki dumped her mother’s broccoli down a heating vent and survived on a “bread, cheese, and cereal diet” that she says stunted her growth and made her feel gross all the time. When she discovered cooking, she kind of went crazy: She posted videos on the Internet, got on the radio, started a blog, landed a spot on “Food Network Star” and here we are: her first book.
Dinki’s culinary style is, in theory, genius, particularly for addicted carnivores. Instead of making meat the main attraction, serve it on the side, and let vegetables be the star. It’s a smart philosophy to be sure. “A better way to eat and cook,” as the little faux-sticker on the book cover brags.
Dinki, now co-host of the Cooking Channel’s “Junk Food Flip,” must have worked her heart out to come up with these recipes for a “vegetarian-inclined” audience.
We’re talking Red Cabbage and Raspberry Grilled Cheese. Sweet Potato Pie Topped with Pears, Blue Cheese and Skirt Steak. Grilled Shiitake and Blueberry Flatbreadl Zucchini Crostini with Pomegranate-Goat Cheese Spread. Cabbage Nachos with Tomatillo Salsa.
If these dishes appeal to you, you have my blessing. Personally, I think I’d prefer Dinki’s kiddy diet of cereal, bagels, cheese and ramen-noodle soup.
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