EATING ON THE WILD SIDE; the missing link to optimum health (Little,
Brown and Co., 2013, 408 pages, ISBN 978-0-316-22794-0, $27 US hard
covers) is by Jo Robinson, a health writer and food activist in
Washington state. She's the author or co-author of some 14 books, and
runs
www.eatwild.com. The premise of her book is to choose present-day
foods that approach the nutritional content of wild plants —our
original diet. Game, although on the website, is not covered in the
book. Log rollers include Andrew Weil and Loren Cordain. Ever since
agriculture was "domesticated", the nutrient value of produce has
diminished. Some wild potatoes have up to 20 times more anti-oxidants
than today's russets; wild tomatoes can have up to 30 times more
lycopene than most supermarket varieties. You do not necessarily have
to go foraging in the wild for such plants, but certain heritage
varieties are better for you than others, and they are worth seeking
out. Part one covers veggies (wild greens, alliums, corn, root
vegetables, tomatoes, crucifers, legumes, artichokes, et al). Part two
covers fruits (apples, berries, stone fruit, grapes, citric, tropical
fruits, melons). For each, there is a description of what the past has
been, what the present is now (and how we got that way), the loss of
diversity, storage, eating, a recipe, a table of recommended varieties
(with comments for each), and "points to remember". The 14 preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: vegetarians, unenlightened eaters.
Some interesting or unusual facts: she tells you how to store broccoli
in a way that increases its antioxidants by a quarter more. Frozen
berries can be thawed to double their anti-oxidants. Tearing romaine
lettuce the day BEFORE you eat it doubles its anti-oxidant content.
Cooked carrots have twice as much beta-carotene as raw carrots. Orange
juice made from concentrate has almost 50% more anti-oxidants than
fresh or canned juice.
The downside to this book: But hey – no pears?
The upside to this book: lots of little known facts, with a long list
of scientific references to check out.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
4. THE EVERYDAY DASH DIET COOKBOOK; over 150 fresh and delicious
recipes to speed weight loss, lower blood pressure, and prevent
diabetes. (Grand Central Life & Style, 2013; distr. Hachette, 215
pages, ISBN 978-1-4555-2806-6, $26 US hard covers) is by Marla Heller,
RD, who also teaches food science at the University of Illinois at
Chicago. Rick Rodgers is a focusing food writer of over 40 cookbooks,
and he prepared the recipe developments. This is Heller's third DASH
cookbook (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The DASH diet has
been proven to lower blood pressure and cholesterol without the need
for medication. With a diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat and nonfat
dairy, lean meats, fish and poultry, nuts, beans and seeds, healthy
fats, and whole grains, one can drop pounds and get a faster metabolism
with lower body fat and improved cardiovascular fitness. With new
recipes developed by Rodgers, the book is arranged by course (with
breakfast up first), from soups to desserts. The basic technique is
salt, fat and sugar reduction, with herb/spice increases to keep the
flavour and promote good health. She has mixtures for seasonings:
Cajun, Italian, and Mexican. There's a page of general DASH guidelines
and a resource guide (mainly Internet). Preparations have their
ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of
metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: those seeking a foolproof diet.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: curry-rubbed sirloin with
peanut dipping sauce; pork chops in mustard sauce; pomegranate-
marinated leg of lamb; kale, pear and bulgur salad; apple coleslaw with
buttermilk dressing; cod with grapefruit, avocado, and fennel; roasted
Brussels sprouts with toasted almonds; buttermilk panna cotta with
fresh berries.
The downside to this book: no mixture for Asiatic seasoning.
The upside to this book: There are few snacks here, a good thing
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
5. THE POWER OF FOOD; 100 essential recipes for abundant health and
happiness. (Whitecap Books, 2013, 200 pages, ISBN 978-1-77050-182-9,
$34.95 CAN paper covers) is by Adam Hart, founder of the eponymous
lifestyle company (Power of Food). He is committed to educating
organizations and individuals about the benefits of seating a plant-
based diet. In his book, Hart explains eleven Action Steps and six
Power Categories (nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables).
He has given us about 100 preps to blend these foods into a healthy
eating plan. He was overweight, pre-diabetic, asthmatic, depressive,
and overly medicated. He brought himself around 13 years ago, and now
motivates others to do the same, with a plant-based diet and exercise.
The main foods are listed below, but there are other preps for other
foods that are nearly as good (cucumbers, bananas, potatoes, etc.).
Preparations have their ingredients listed in both metric and
avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table of equivalents.
Audience and level of use: those who want to change their lifestyle.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: recipes for nuts involve
pistachios, pecans, almonds, walnuts, and cashews; seeds are flaxseeds,
hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower
seeds; grains are gluten-free, such as brown rice, whole oats,
amaranth, and quinoa; legumes are chickpeas, lentils, black beans,
green peas; fruit are goji berries, coconut, avocados, and blueberries;
main veggies are kale, ginger, garlic and beets. Quality/Price Rating:
89.
6. 200 TEN-MINUTE MEALS (Hamlyn, 2013; distr. Canadian Manda Group, 240
pages, ISBN 978-0-600-62617-6, $7.99 US paper covers) is from the same
team that produced about three dozen other "200" books dealing with
food. Here the emphasis is on quick and easy, virtually no prep food,
based on existing larders and the fridge/freezer. It can be pricey
since a lot of the prepared food comes in jars and cans. Planning is of
the essence, and the formula works so long as you don't do it for all
your meals. The book complements two others in the series (wait, don't
get ahead of me): 20 minutes meals and 30 minute meals. Because the
food is quick, most food here also tends to be on the Asiatic side.
Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements,
but there is no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: intermediate skills, harried cooks
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: crispy coconut shrimp (6
minutes prep, 3 – 4 minutes cooking); sweet and sour ground pork (1
minute prep, 8 – 9 minutes cooking); chorizo, bean and tomato salad;
salted caramel brownies.
The downside to this book: the time refers to the dish, not to the
entire meal. So one with an app, a main, a side and a dessert could
take over 30 minutes to prepare.
The upside to this book: great pictures.
Quality/Price Rating: 87.
7. YOU CAN TOO! Canning, pickling, and preserving the Maritime harvest
(Nimbus Publishing, 2013, 134 pages, ISBN 978-1-77108-024-8, $19.95 CAN
soft covers) is by Elizabeth Peirce, an English professor in Halifax.
She has written other books, notably Grow Organic, a guide to Nova
Scotia vegetable gardening. Here, in this current book, she describes
the best way to preserve Maritime crops, including dehydrating,
freezing and fermenting. Plus the use of root cellars for preservation.
She's also done interviews and has some recipes from Maritime canners.
Her book is modern enough that she has a prep for kale chips.
Instructions are detailed, and there are photos. Chapters are arranged
by technique, and there is an annotated bibliography, with websites.
But there is no index, unfortunately. Preparations have their
ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is no table
of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: canners or beginners.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: plum ketchup, mustard
pickles, homemade potato chips, pumpkin soup, canned meat broth,
kimchi, and sauerkraut soup.
The downside to this book: no index.
The upside to this book: covers a wide range.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
8. CREATING YOUR CULINARY CAREER (Wiley, 2014 [sic], 278 pages, ISBN
978-1-118-11684-5, $29.99 US paper covers) is by Ronald Hayes,
Associate Director of the Culinary Institute of America's Career
Service Department. It's been touted to "land your dream job in the
culinary arts" (back cover) – the book explores the broad spectrum of
jobs available in the culinary area, along with career-planning
guidance. He offers material on what's available in the field, goal-
setting, resumes, interviewing, negotiating, and school work. It's a
basic book, useful here in Canada too, with material on salaries, job
outlooks, interview question types, job searches, and professional
development resources. Quality/Price Rating: 87, more if you really
need this book.
9. DUTCH OVEN BREAKFASTS (Gibbs Smith, 2013; distr. Raincoast, 128
pages, ISBN 978-1-4236-3228-3, $15.99 US, spiral bound) is by Debbie
Hair, who has been competing in Dutch oven cook-offs since 2003. She's
also former president of the International Ditch Oven Society…who knew?
This is the third in a series of Dutch Oven cookbooks from Gibbs Smith:
the others were on general foods and baking. They are all uniform in
size and layout, with nifty spiral bindings. All the authors are cook-
off winners. Here, there are 40 preps categorized by eggs, potatoes,
pancakes/French toast/crepes, breads, pastries, and breakfast
casseroles. Preparations have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois
measurements, but there is a table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: beginner.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: Denver omelet (Western
omelet in Canada), eggs benedict, potato spears, quiche, burritos,
firehouse hash.
The downside to this book: spiral binding is ok for awhile but the
pages end up being jammed over time.
The upside to this book: there is a full explanation on how to use a
Dutch oven.
Quality/Price Rating: 86.
10. PREVENTION RD'S EVERYDAY HEALTHY COOKING (Skyhorse Publishing,
2013; distr. T. Allen, 224 pages, ISBN 978-1-62087-689-3, $22.95 US
hard covers) is by Nicole Morrisey, and is drawn from her successful
blog, Prevention RD (in operation since 2009). She is a registered
dietician and a diabetes educator. There are 100 light recipes to
promote energy, weight loss and well-being. Snacks are included, as
well as apps, soups, chilies, mains, veggie side dishes, classic
pastas, and useful desserts. The book has many icons to indicate if the
recipe is dairy-free, or gluten-free, or heart-healthy, low-fat, high-
fiber, quick, vegan and vegetarian. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there are tables of metric
equivalents at the back. Recipes have nutrition information, as well as
large type (although the list of ingredients is much smaller) and some
comments by the author. Unfortunately, there is NO index to indicate
ingredients or dishes.
Audience and level of use: beginner
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: berry spinach salad,
buttermilk whipped cauliflower mashed potatoes, quinoa black bean
burrito bowls, lemon chicken orzo soup.
The downside to this book: NO index seriously hampers the book.
The upside to this book: large print for the directions.
Quality/Price Rating: 82.
11. CANCER NUTRITION & RECIPES FOR DUMMIES (John Wiley, 2013, 340
pages, ISBN 978-1-118-59205-2, $22.99 US paper covers) is by Maurie
Markman, MD, and Carolyn Lammersfeld, RD, both with Cancer Treatment
Centers of America. It's a basic work that teaches you how to speed up
the healing process through diet and to navigate side issues like
dehydration, fatigue and nausea. The authors give forth 80 or so
recipes (breakfasts, lunches, desserts, soups, mains) such as apple
carrot ginger soup, Moroccan shrimp, baked salmon, cauliflower
Italiano, and homemade granola – all of them with prep times, cooking
times, yields, and nutritional information per serving. Preparations
have their ingredients listed in avoirdupois measurements, but there is
no table of metric equivalents.
Audience and level of use: those serious about getting back on track
with their diets.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: see above.
The downside to this book: makes it sound too easy, beyond hand
holding.
The upside to this book: good advice does not interfere with any
medical reasons.
Quality/Price Rating: 88.
12. PALEO LUNCHES AND BREAKFASTS ON THE GO (Page Street, 2013, 192
pages, ISBN 978-1-1-62414-016-7, $19.99 US paper covers) is b y Diana
Rodgers, a nutritional therapy practitioner and cooking teacher. She is
a consultant and a founder of Radiance Nutrition. This is a book for
busy people who need to pack either or both of a breakfast and lunch.
She's got over 100 practical and packable paleo meals such as lettuce
wrap sandwiches and egg muffins. There is also some packaging advice
for portability for the food. There is also some advanced log rolling
from nutritionists. The photos are really done well; they make the book
look very colourful and appealing. Preparations have their ingredients
listed in mainly avoirdupois with some measurements, but there is no
table of metric equivalents. Her book concludes with a resources list
of blogs and other printed materials.
Audience and level of use: paleo lovers.
Some interesting or unusual recipes/facts: We especially enjoyed
"cheesy" kale chips; bubble and squeak; bacon, lemon and greens egg
muffins; coconut crepes; lamb sausage; and homemade Mexican chorizo.
The downside to this book: I'd like some more recipes!
The upside to this book: excellent binding allows the book to sort of
lie flat, which is useful when checking recipes.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.
