The Cookbook Junkies

Donna Hay Life in Balance Review, Recipe and Giveaway Closed

by 100 Comments

360 LIFE IN BALANACE DONNA HAY

Cover credit: William Meppem

 

Donna Hay’s back with another stunning title, Life in Balance, which is set to be released today. Donna Hay is a leading food personality in Australia, a magazine editor-in-chief, and a best-selling cookbook author who began her food writing career at the age of 19.

Her books and magazine are known for their vibrant, modern look at life food and cooking. In this title, Donna focuses on a fresher approach to eating with information on ingredients along with recipes. Oh the recipes! Beef Skewers with Crispy Amaranth and Brown Rice Noodle Pancakes; Roasted Quinoa and Tomato Soup with Parmesan Wafers and Crispy Basil; Coconut Poached Chicken Salad; and Moroccan Chicken and Carrot Salad with Whole-Wheat Couscous (recipe below) are examples of the incredibly flavorful, yet good-for-you, dishes that can be easily whipped up on a weeknight but are also suitable for entertaining.

Fresh and healthy ingredients do not mean we must go without dessert. We can still have Lemon Cheesecake with Blistered Peaches; Almond and Jam Tart and a Chocolate and Peanut Butter Slice that are all decadent and yet made with ingredients that thoughtful and nourishing.

MoroccanChicken

Image credits: Chris Court, William Meppem

 

Moroccan Chicken and Carrot Salad with Whole-Wheat Couscous
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ras el hanout*
1 tablespoon chopped preserved lemon rind
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
3 x 200g chicken breast fillets, trimmed
1½ cups (240g) dried whole-wheat couscous*
1½ cups (375ml) boiling water
sea salt flakes
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 cup (160g) smoked almonds, chopped
½ cup (80g) dried currants
2 tablespoons poppyseeds
3 cups coriander (cilantro) leaves
orange dressing
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup (60ml) orange juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

To make the orange dressing, place the oil, orange juice, vinegar,
garlic and mustard in a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Place the oil, ras el hanout,
lemon rind and coriander seeds in a small bowl and mix to
combine. Place the chicken on a baking tray lined with non-stick
baking paper and brush with the ras el hanout mixture. Roast
for 12–15 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Allow to
cool slightly before slicing into strips.

While the chicken is roasting, place the couscous, water and a
pinch of salt in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside
for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Fluff the couscous
with a fork and add the carrot, almonds, currants, poppyseeds,
coriander and the chicken. Top with the orange dressing, toss to
combine and divide between bowls to serve. SERVES 4

Reprinted from Life In Balance by Donna Hay © 2016 by Donna Hay, used with permission from HarperCollins publishers.

The Moroccan Chicken will be made soon and I will update the post with a photo which won’t be nearly as beautiful as that above. Very soon, I will make the lemon cheesecake while peaches are everywhere here in Colorado.

Now for the GIVEAWAY:  HarperCollins has generously offered one of you a copy of this beautiful book for your collection. The giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. To enter you  may leave a comment daily and a second entry can be obtained by sharing this post on social media. A random winner will be chosen on September 20th.

Random Number Generator picked #4 Jean J. Update: Jean already has the book – so the new random winner is #16 Joan O.

 

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Comments

  6. 6

    The cover is beautiful. I have followed Donna on the internet and I really want to add one of her books, probably this one, to my collection.

    Reply
  9. 9

    I think the recipes you mentioned sound appealing. I want to try the Morrocan Chicken recipe. Looking forward to your update.

    Reply
  32. 32

    Donna Hay is an Australian icon. I remember when we moved having to downsize and there were some tears shed as I had to give away the Donna Hay magazines that I had collected, but there was no way I was parting with her cookbooks.

    Reply
  61. 61

    I just looked for her magazine at B&N and didn’t see it. I have about 20 of the magazines from a few years ago that I love. Donna Hay recipes are always a hit in our family, I’d love to win this publication

    Reply
  73. 73

    I’ve been a collector of her magazines but haven’t been able to find them in months. I’d love to win this one!

    Reply
  77. 77

    I’ve been really lucky finding Donna Hay cookbook and magazines at the used book store near me, I’d love this new one on my shelf too

    Reply
  78. 78

    I love Donna Hay magazine and have taken photos of recipes from her Fresh Cookbook that my daughter has. I would thoroughly enjoy cooking her recipes.

    Reply
  82. 82

    I’m thinking of what I could bake tomorrow, I’m craving deep dish apple pie but it’s still sweltering here in Central Florida and it doesn’t feel anything like fall. I bet Donna Hay would have an interesting fall recipe in this new cookbook

    Reply
  83. 83

    t it’s still sweltering here in Central Florida and it doesn’t feel anything like fall. I bet Donna Hay would have an interesting fall recipe in this new cookbook

    Reply

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