Tuesday, June 9, 2015

It's All Good: Delicious, Easy Recipes That Will Make You Look Good and Feel Great

by Gwyneth Paltrow    (Find this book)
Gwyneth Paltrow, Academy-Award winning actress and bestselling cookbook author, returns with recipes for the foods she eats when she wants to lose weight, look good, and feel more energetic.
Last spring, after a particularly grueling schedule and lapse of overindulgence, Gwyneth Paltrow was feeling fatigued and faint. A visit to her doctor revealed that she was anemic, vitamin D deficient, and that her stress levels were sky high. He prescribed an elimination diet to clear out her system and help her body heal. But this meant no coffee, no alcohol, no dairy, no eggs, no sugar, no shellfish, no deep-water fish, no wheat, no meat, no soy, nothing processed at all!
An avid foodie, Paltrow was concerned that so many restrictions would make mealtime boring, so, together with Julia Turshen, she compiled a collection of 185 delicious, easy recipes that followed her doctor's guidelines. And it worked! After changing her diet, Paltrow healed totally, felt more energetic and looked great. Now, in IT'S ALL GOOD, she shares the go-to dishes that have become the baseline for the restorative diet she turns to whenever she feels she needs it. Recipes include: Huevos Rancheros, Hummus Tartine with Scallion-Mint Pesto, Salmon Burgers with Pickled Ginger, even Power Brownies, Banana "Ice Cream," and more!  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

50 Best Plants on the Planet: The Most Nutrient-Dense Fruits and Vegetables, in 150 Delicious Recipes

by Cathy Thomas    (Find this book)
This encyclopedic guide to cooking the 50 most nutritious fruits and vegetables in the world comes from Melissa's Produce, the largest supplier of specialty produce in the United States. Cooks of all skill levels will love these 150 recipes for simple sides, breakfasts, dinners, and healthful desserts that make the most of fresh, accessible produce, from memory-boosting blackberries to antimicrobial chili peppers to vitamin A–rich watermelon. Featuring health and nutritional information, tips for buying and storage, quick recipe riffs, and gorgeous shots of finished dishes as well as photographs of individual fruits and vegetables, this impressive package is an indispensable resource for home cooks looking to put more fruits and vegetables on the table every day.  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Low-Salt Cookbook: A Complete Guide to Reducing Sodium and Fat in Your Diet

by American Heart Association    (Find this book)
Whether you have heart-health problems now or want to avoid having them in the future, keeping your sodium intake low is one of the best ways to help your heart. In this revised and expanded fourth edition of the American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, the association shows that a low-sodium diet can be not only good for your health but also full of flavor.
Including everything from appetizers and soups to entrĂ©es and desserts, American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 4th Edition, offers more than 200 delicious low-sodium recipes—more than 50 of them brand-new to this edition. Whether you are in the mood for a beloved classic or a new favorite, you will find just the dish to please your palate.
Looking for a less salty snack? Try Baked Veggie Chips served with Hot and Smoky Chipotle-Garlic Dip. Craving something hearty and full of flavor? Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Orange Couscous is an ideal low-sodium fix-it-and-forget-it meal. For a Sunday-night family dinner, try Three-Cheese Lasagna with Swiss Chard. And for your sweet tooth? Whip up Peach and Blueberry Cobbler or Rice Pudding with Caramelized Bananas for a special treat.
With this book in hand, you’ll be armed with nutrition numbers for every recipe and the latest American Heart Association dietary information, as well as the how-tos for avoiding hidden sodium, shopping smart, and using healthy cooking techniques. You’ll also find useful resources such as a sodium tracker, a no-sodium seasoning guide, a list of common high-sodium foods, ingredient substitutions, and serving suggestions for each of the food groups.  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

From Mama's Table to Mine: Everybody's Favorite Comfort Foods at 350 Calories or Less

by Bobby Deen    (Find this book)
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
From beloved food personality Bobby Deen, son of Paula Deen, comes an irresistible new cookbook featuring 120 recipes of Southern comfort-food classics—all under 350 calories and jam-packed with flavor.

Raised on his mother’s fried chicken and hoecakes, Bobby Deen ultimately found himself, as a young man, twenty-five pounds overweight. Unwilling to sacrifice any of his favorite foods, Bobby started tweaking the recipes he grew up on, replacing sour cream with nonfat yogurt, using lower-calorie versions of mayonnaise, cream cheese, and other high-calorie items. Even Paula herself sometimes couldn’t tell the difference between the lo-cal versions and her originals—since the flavor remained top-notch.

Here you’ll find a soup-to-nuts collection of many of the great dishes and flavors you’ve come to enjoy and expect from the Deens, but with a lot fewer calories. Every recipe has been reviewed and approved by a certified nutritionist. Yes, you can have your Gooey Less Butter Cake and eat it too . . . along with such selections as

It’s a Party Guacamole • Easy Ginger-Glazed Spare Ribs • Yes You Can Mac and Cheese • Cheeseburger Casserole • Old-Fashioned Meatloaf • Crispy Oven-Fried Chicken • Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples • Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes • Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecake • Strawberry Streusel Cake

In addition to all these mouthwatering recipes and 65 full-color photos, you will find before/after fat and calorie counts (so you know just how many calories you’re saving)—plus a week’s worth of 1,500 calorie/day menus, celebration menus, healthy prep tips, weight-loss shortcuts, ideas for stocking a healthy pantry/fridge, and a section on easy high-fat/low-fat ingredient swaps.
Praise for From Mama’s Table to Mine

“Deen wants folks to enjoy healthy favorites without sacrificing flavors or family memories, and this cookbook is sure to make a mamma proud.”—Publishers Weekly

“It’s so great that Bobby has refashioned some all-time-favorite Southern dishes in a healthier style. He continues to work hard to keep America healthy and happy.”—Curtis Stone, chef, television host, and author

“Bobby Deen has been our ‘brother from another mother,’ and when you taste his dishes, you immediately recognize Paula’s influence. His tasty food stresses eating healthier without sacrificing the delicious Southern flavors and traditions he grew up with! Way to go Bobby!”—Pat and Gina Neely, hosts of Down Home with the Neelys

“Even Paula, who’s been eating healthier herself these days, can’t tell the difference. ‘Are you sure you remembered to take out the fat?’ she asked when she first tasted the food. He did—we swear.”—Food Network Magazine

“Bobby Deen nails it with these favorite Southern recipes. What they’ve lost in calories, they’ve gained in flavor. Perfect for everything from a quick weeknight meal to an elaborate Saturday night celebration.”—Rocco DiSpirito, chef and author

“For the health-conscious eater who craves comfort food . . . Bobby’s recipes strike a balance between familiar flavors and a newer, healthier approach to cooking.”—Shelf Awareness (starred review)  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

The Sexy Vegan Cookbook: Extraordinary Food from an Ordinary Dude

by Brian L Patton    (Find this book)
Are you craving a way to eat killer food without killing yourself, animals, or the planet? Is your brain bloated from watching cooking shows that present recipes you’re never, ever going to make? Have you been searching for a way to prove to your friends that vegan food can be just as delicious, hearty, and satisfying as the meaty meals they’re accustomed to? Then this is the book for you.
Of his journey from watching food porn on his parents’ couch to cooking in Hollywood kitchens to becoming vegan, author Brian Patton writes:
My roommate said he didn’t know what made me a bigger loser: that I was painstakingly preserving episodes of 30 Minute Meals or that I was trying to conceal their existence by labeling them Star Trek....Once I discovered that I could not only survive but thrive without taking the life of another being, I was sold. I was a vegan. For good.
And that’s how an “ordinary dude” became the Sexy Vegan and started creating “extraordinary food” with a decidedly real-meal appeal. On every page, Brian proves that seriously good food needn’t be too serious.

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home

by Diana Kuan    (Find this book)
America’s love affair with Chinese food dates back more than a century. Today, such dishes as General Tso’s Chicken, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Egg Rolls are as common as hamburgers and spaghetti. Probably at this moment, a drawer in your kitchen is stuffed with Chinese takeout menus, soy sauce packets, and wooden chopsticks, right?

But what if you didn’t have to eat your favorites out of a container?

In The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, Chinese food blogger and cooking instructor Diana Kuan brings Chinatown to your home with this amazing collection of more than eighty popular Chinese takeout recipes—appetizers, main courses, noodle and rice dishes, and desserts—all easy-to-prepare and MSG-free. Plus you’ll discover how to

• stock your pantry with ingredients you can find at your local supermarket
• season and master a wok for all your Chinese cooking needs
• prepare the flavor trifecta of Chinese cuisine—ginger, garlic, and scallions
• wrap egg rolls, dumplings, and wontons like a pro
• steam fish to perfection every time
• create vegetarian variations that will please everyone’s palate
• whip up delectable sweet treats in time for the Chinese New Year

The Chinese Takeout Cookbook also features mouthwatering color photos throughout as well as sidebars that highlight helpful notes, including how to freeze and recook dumplings; cooking tidbits, such as how to kick up your dish with a bit of heat; and the history behind some of your favorite comfort foods, including the curious New York invention of the pastrami egg roll and the influence of Tiki culture on Chinese cuisine. So, put down that takeout menu, grab the wok, and let’s get cooking!
Here for the first time—in one fun, easy, and tasty collection—are more than 80 favorite Chinese restaurant dishes to make right in your own kitchen:

• Cold Sesame Noodles
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Classic Barbecue Spareribs
• Beef Chow Fun
• Homemade Chili Oil
• Hot and Sour Soup
• Chinatown Roast Duck
• Moo Shu Pork
• Dry-Fried String Beans
• Black Sesame Ice Cream
• And of course, perfectly fried Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls!
“Diana Kuan chronicles America’s love affair with Chinese food. The Chinese Takeout Cookbook is the perfect reason to throw out those menus cluttering your kitchen drawers!”—Patricia Tanumihardja, author of The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker: 200 Ultra-Convenient, Super-Tasty, Completely Animal-Free Recipes

by Robin Robertson    (Find this book)
Robin Robertson has built a publishing record of successful books in the vegetarian/vegan category. Her earlier cookbook, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow-Cooker, established her bona fides as an expert on the creative use of slow-cookers, and her entire body of work speaks to her ingenuity in the kitchen and the breadth of enticing ingredients and flavors with which she works. Fresh from the Vegan Slow-Cooker provides practical guidance on how to work with different models of slow-cookers, taking into account the sizes of various machines, the variety of settings they offer, and the quirks and personalities of each device. She addresses any lingering skepticism readers may have about whether slow-cookers can have delicious, meat-free applications, and she shows how to take into account the water content of vegetables and the absorptive qualities of grains when vegan slow-cooking.

Fresh from the Vegan Slow-Cooker  includes eleven recipe chapters, four of which focus on main courses. There are homey and comforting foods in the American and European style, such as a Rustic Pot Pie Topped with Chive Biscuits and a Ziti with Mushroom and Bell Pepper Ragu, and there are lots of East Asian, South and Southeast Asian, and Mexican/Latin dishes, too.  Beans, which cook slowly under any circumstance, are fabulously well-suited to the slow cooker, and Robertson includes such appealing recipes as a Crockery Cassoulet and a Greek-Style Beans with Tomatoes and Spinach. Eighteen robust chilis and stews—two more categories that do well in the slow-cooker—include a warming Chipotle Black Bean Chili with Winter Squash and a surprising but yummy Seitan Stroganoff.  Beyond the mains, there are chapters devoted to snacks and appetizers, desserts, breads and breakfasts, and even one on drinks.  The many soy-free and gluten-free recipes are clearly identified.  Altogether, the collection offers readers loads of ways to expand their vegan repertoire and to get maximum value from their investment in a slow-cooker.  --  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

One Dish at a Time: Delicious Recipes and Stories from My Italian-American Childhood and Beyond

by Valerie Bertinelli    (Find this book)
More than 100 recipes for the Italian dishes of the much-beloved celeb's childhood, presented with tips and hints for enjoying them without overindulging.
As a member of a large, food-loving Italian family, Valerie Bertinelli has always equated food with good times and togetherness. But at one point her love of food threatened not only her health, but her livelihood as an actress, when personal demons drove her to overeat and make poor food choices that caused her weight to balloon by 50 pounds. Now happily svelte, remarried, and riding a new career high, Valerie has made peace with food, giving it a central-yet considered-place in her home and family celebrations.
One Dish at a Time offers an intimate look into the beloved actress's kitchen, where she prepares a collection of treasured recipes from her Italian heritage. Along the way, she shares her insights into the portion control and mindful indulgence she has come to practice on her journey to enjoying the pleasures of the table again.
Filled with gorgeous photos including the actress in her kitchen, nutrition information accompanying each recipe, and Valerie's tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, One Dish at a Time is designed to please baby boomer fans and home cooks alike.  -- Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Meatless: More Than 200 of the Very Best Vegetarian Recipes

by Martha Stewart Living    (Find this book)
For anyone new to a vegetarian diet—flexitarians who adopt plans like Meatless Mondays—as well as committed vegetarians and fans of Power Foods, here is a comprehensive collection of easy, meat-free mains for everyday.
As inspiring as it is practical, Meatless features 200 recipes—each accompanied by a gorgeous photograph—for full-fledged vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. You’ll find recipes for classics and new favorites, plus plenty of low-fat, vegan, and gluten-free options, too.
More than just a cookbook, Meatless is also a roadmap to embracing a vegetable-based lifestyle. Here are dozens of versatile recipes that can be easily adapted, such as pizza with a variety of toppings, salads made from different whole grains, and pestos with unexpected flavors and ingredients. You’ll also find advice on stocking your pantry with vegetarian essentials (dried beans, pasta, herbs and spices), a collection of basic recipes and techniques (vegetable stock, tomato sauce, polenta), and make-ahead flavor-boosters (caramelized onions, roasted peppers, and quick pickles).
Comprehensive and indispensable, Meatless makes it easy to prepare flavor-packed dinners for any day, any occasion. And no one will miss the meat. Selections include:

-Small Plates to Mix and Match:
Smashed Chickpea, Basil, and Radish Dip with Pita Chips; Roasted Baby Potatoes with Romesco Sauce; Stuffed Marinated Hot Red Chili Peppers; Grilled Polenta with Balsamic Mushrooms
-Stovetop Suppers: Frittata with Asparagus, Goat Cheese, and Herbs; Spring Vegetable Ragout; Farro Risotto with Wild Mushrooms; Southwestern Hash
-Soups, Stews, and Chili: Tomato Soup with Poached Eggs; Bean Chili; White Cheddar Corn Chowder; Chickpea Curry with Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes
-Casseroles and other Baked Dishes: Ricotta and Spinach Stuffed Shells; Italian Baked Eggplant with Seitan; Black-Bean Tortilla Casserole; Apple, Leek, and Squash Gratin
-Substantial Salads: Raw Kale Salad with Pomegranate and Toasted Walnuts; Avocado, Beet, and Orange Salad; Arugula, Potato, and Green Bean Salad with Creamy Walnut Dressing; Roasted-Tomato Tabbouleh
-Sandwiches, Burgers, and Pizzas: Quinoa Veggie Burgers; Grilled Asparagus and Ricotta Pizza; Chipotle Avocado Sandwich; Portobello and Zucchini Tacos
-Pasta and Other Noodles: Fettuccine with Parsley-Walnut Pesto; Roasted Cauliflower with Pasta and Lemon Zest; Soba and Tofu in Ginger Broth; No-Bake Lasagna with Ricotta and Tomatoes
-Simple Side Dishes: Mexican Creamed Corn; Cabbage and Green Apple Slaw; Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Mustard Seeds; Baked Polenta “Fries”  Publisher Marketing

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Cooking with Quinoa: The Supergrain

by Rena Patten    (Find this book)
Quinoa-pronounced keen-wah-is a grain, but not just any grain. It is considered to be almost a complete food. It is very high in protein, full of vitamins, gluten- and wheat-free, cholesterol-free and usually organic. And it is simply delicious.An ancient plant native to the Andes mountains, quinoa is known to have been a staple food of the Incas. Quinoa contains more protein than any other grain. The quality of this protein has been likened by the World Health Organization as being closest to milk. Quinoa is also a very good source of manganese, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, copper, zinc, vitamins E and B6, riboflavin, niacin and thiamine. It has more calcium than cow's milk, is an excellent antioxidant, is rich in dietary fibre and has more iron than any grain. It also has the highest content of unsaturated fats and a lower ratio of carbohydrates than any other grain plus a low Glycemic Index level. The health benefits are truly enormous.