When you think of a cafeteria, you might think back to your school days, with less-than-appetizing dishes being doled out by hair-netted lunch ladies. While the food may not have been your favorite, you probably have fond memories of the time nonetheless. That bit of nostalgia is one of the things that So Cal residents love about Lemonade, a trendy modern cafeteria-style restaurant that serves up fresh, seasonal fare and updated comfort food classics. The Lemonade Cookbook: Southern California Comfort Food from L.A.’s Favorite Modern Cafeteria is a complication of favorite recipes from the restaurant.
Like the selection at the restaurant, the book offers a wide variety of different dishes, many based on marketplace vegetables. In fact, the several chapters of the book have “marketplace vegetables” in the title. Some of these dishes are traditional salads, while others are medleys of vegetables that will actually make you want to eat your greens (and reds and other colors!). The veggie dishes range from completely vegetarian items meant to compliment heartier dishes, to options that include grains and animal proteins. The dishes are fresh, colorful and exactly what you’ll see on offer when entering a Lemonade location. Beyond the veggies, the book offers plenty of savory chicken, fish, pork and beef options. There are two chapters on sandwiches, which will allow you to use up any leftovers you might have after making the bigger braised dishes for dinner.
The final two chapters of the book are dedicated to sweets and to lemonade. The sweets section includes recipes for a variety of cookies, cupcakes, pies and tarts. The desserts are classic recipes, like fluffy Coconut Cake and Oatmeal Golden Raisin Cookies, but they are exceptionally tasty. The nine lemonade recipes that are included will transform your summertime beverage options, with new flavor combinations like Cantaloupe Sage and Kiwi Strawberry that you might not have thought to put in lemonade before – but are a great starting place for building some of your own ideas for lemonade throughout the rest of the season.
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