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Originally Published December 12, 2005 -- Your
Wellness Guide
Best Healthy Living
Cookbook Roundup for 2005
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Past
cookbook reviews:
Home-Cooked Meals -- The Best of 2004
Winning 2003 Cookbooks: Practical, Easy, Healthy
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There
were a lot of interesting healthy living cookbooks that came out in
2005. As usual, the quality books were few and far between. Even
fewer had pictures. Publishers just don’t want to spend the money
on lots of pictures (if any, in many cookbooks), yet we all know
the recipe picture entices you to make the recipe, gives you a
feeling as to whether or not you will like the outcome, and allows
you to compare your results with that of the author’s presentation. |
Yet, even
so, I have found some real gems this year that are worth the retail price
stamped on the back cover.
Sensational Salads
(ISBN 1-58479-418-6, $22.50)
Barbara Scott-Goodman has put together a lovely collection of salad recipes to
spark your creativity and indulge your taste buds. The book has several
sections of different salad categories, including greens, vegetables, fruits,
and beans. Additional groupings include rice and pasta, seafood, and poultry
and meat. A final section is dedicated to vinaigrettes and dressings you can
make at home.
There are about
half as many pictures as I would have liked. But, because so many of the
recipes are delightfully scrumptious, you shouldn’t turn this book down.
For example, a
casual warm-weather dinner might serve a Shrimp and Asparagus Salad. A holiday
side salad might be the Wild Rice, Apricot and Pecan Salad. And, a beautiful
yet unique summertime dinner addition could be the seasonal Green Bean, Yellow
Bean and Red Pepper Salad.
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Ocean Friendly Cuisine: Sustainable Seafood
Recipes From the World’s Finest Chefs
(ISBN 1-59543-061-X, $35.00)
In association with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its Seafood Watch program (www.seafoodwatch.org),
this book is a five-diamond find. There have been so many messages about the
health benefits of eating fish, but it is confusing to know what fish to buy
and, for many, knowing how to prepare them. This book provides you with
solutions to both of those problems.
The author, James
O. Fraioli, outlines what fish are the “Best Choices” along with “Good
Alternatives” -- these are seafood that are raised in fisheries or fish farms
and are healthier for ocean wildlife and the environment. He also has an
“Avoid” list of fish that come from sources that are overfished or are caught or
farmed in ways that harm the environment. Imagine if everyone followed these
advice lists. What environmental change could be had!
The rest of the
book gives you fish background and recipes in page after page of colorful
pictures. I highly recommend this book for your kitchen library and leisure
reading pile.
Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book: Limited Edition
(ISBN 069622732-0, $29.95)
While this recipe book, in one edition or another, is often found in many homes,
if you have a new cook in the family (including children) who doesn’t yet have a
Better Homes volume, seek out this pink-cover edition for 2005. This version
focuses on taste, convenience, and health in organizing, presenting, and
providing information on its recipes. There are the typical number of how-to
and presentation pictures throughout the book, although I always wish there were
more.
The unique element
for this edition is the pink section in the back that educates about breast
cancer, its prevention, and 60 additional recipes that feature foods associated
with reducing the risk of cancer. This limited volume was published in
conjunction with a $250,000 donation by the publisher to the Susan G. Komen
Foundation.
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Spices of Life: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Great
Health
(ISBN 0-375-41160-7, $35.00)
A frequent contributor to The New York Times and world traveler, Author
Nina Simonds writes a highly educating cookbook about foods and spices that
improve your health. You learn about food’s Seven Colors of Health and the key
health benefits of common seasonings. Because Simonds’ travels have often taken
her to Asia, the majority of her recipes have a spin from that region of the
world.
Although the book
lacks but is not void of pictures, this collection is for those who already have
a substantial healthy living cookbook library yet are looking for further unique
recipes that would add additional variety. The bonus is that you can use the
healthy ingredients that you already love and have in your pantry.
Terra
Wellington
is a
national authority on creating a wellness lifestyle.
www.terrawellington.com
© Copyright Terra
Wellington
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