PrintFavorite healthy cookbooks?
It seems like a reasonable time of the year to find out what books or sources you like to turn to for lighter recipes.
My favorites are:
Lighter, Quicker, Better by Richard Sax and Marie Simmons
A New Way to Eat by Sally Schneider
Why do I like them? Because they are first and foremost about flavor. Most of the healthy/diet cookbooks I've checked out are really boring from a cook's point of view. These 2 are enjoyable to cook from and have taught me more than just how to reduce the fat. Neither is a "diet" cookbook, but they both put forward reasonable approaches to lighter cooking without deprivation.
Schneider's is sexier and more "foodie," and I love how she focuses on basic techniques and improvisation therefrom, but LQB is probably my favorite (and one of my favorite cookbooks period): every recipe I've made works and is delicious and unexpected. I've come to trust it wholeheartedly, more than any other book I use: even when I think I might not like the dish based on the description, I am always more than pleased with the outcome. Last night I had the salad with roast beef, beets, and horseradish and caper dressing. Very good.
On the other hand, did anyone read about the new Skinny Bitch cookbook? The NYTimes article today was not encouraging (not that I was interested in the first place).
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14 Comments:
I like The Best Light Recipe by the editors at Cook's Illustrated. It really tries to keep lots of flavor in the recipes and doesn't go down the shady path of faux-sweeteners and parlor tricks to lighten them up.
They take you through their thought processes and then give you the lightened recipe, plus nutrition info for both the classic and redone versions. It's great for people who are looking to venture more towards a "lifestyle change" than a diet, as none of the recipes are geared toward the current diet trends -- just lighter versions of stuff you like to eat.
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 5:37PM on 01/02/08
I am fond of the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites. The recipes are varied without being complicated, mostly vegetarian with some fish dishes. More importantly, everything I've made has turned out very tasty.
It's a very practical resource for making an appealing and healthy dinner at the end of the workday.
erikahall at 6:14PM on 01/02/08
It's not specifically a "light" or "diet" cookbook, but my favorite cookbook is Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone". She walks the fine line between gourmet and basic with very tasty recipes anyone could make. She has lots of tips for using different seasoning to alter or liven up a dish. I use it religiously and it's the foundation of a lot of my cooking. The reason I bring it up here is her emphasis on fresh veggies and whole foods. By it's nature, a meal based on whole foods will be a healthier meal. Then you can decide just how much fat/dairy you want to use. Yum!
FigswithBri at 6:42PM on 01/02/08
Does anyone sub to Cooking Light Magazine? While the recipes look good, they are sometimes pretty highly caloric - although definitely less than what you'd find in Gourmet, et al.
therealchiffonade at 7:30PM on 01/02/08
FigswithBri: I have that book, but it's one I always mean to use more often than I actually do. or Christmas I received her Vegetarian Suppers, and I've earmarked a few recipes already. I noticed something in her recipes and wonder if anyone has an explanation: she calls for soaking asparagus and other vegetables before cooking. After the Harold McGee article about heat in today's NYTimes (a much more interesting piece than the Skinny Bitches), I wonder if it's to cook them more evenly.
As for Cooking Light, I have an older cookbook of theirs (it has a blueberry cake on the cover). I haven't used it as much as I'd like, but everything has turned out well. They have many recipes for flank steak, and I especially love the Greek version (stuffed and rolled around spinach and pepper filling, braised in red wine sauce).
However, I think its real strength is probably the baking section. There are a couple of cakes (sour cream pound cake, cinnamon crumb) that I just love. But it's definitely a case of "lighter" and not "light."
Which reminds me also of Nick Malgieri's Perfect Light Desserts? I was happy to get my hands on it, but just looking through the book, I see that the caloric load is moderate (200 or so per serving) and the servings are puny (like, 18 slices out of 1 cake). If I were serving 18 people, that might be fine. But usually we are only 2. So I also love Small Batch Baking. Not light or lo-cal by any means, but it's better to have 2 or 3 cupcakes around than a full dozen.
renzata at 7:51PM on 01/02/08
(like, 18 slices out of 1 cake).
That's got to be a deterrent. I mean, I'd like a slice of cake I can't read through. (Otherwise, I love Nick Malgeri!!)
Jacques Pepin had a book several years ago called Healthy Cooking My Way but mine is in storage. Anyone have this book?
Ever notice how assigning the term "healthy" to something is usually the kiss of death? It's a miracle Ellie Krieger is still on TVFN. Her food looks great - I may need to visit TVFN and get a better look at her recipes. Better yet, she has her own page.
As for me, I find I shy away from recipes that substitute ingredients that yield results in no way resembling the original food product. i.e. I love yogurt but it only goes so far when subbing for mayo and other fats. I do like to prepare cakes with applesauce or prune butter which can be used at a 1:1 ratio with butter - but you can't do this where butter makes up a large component of flavor like with poundcake.
therealchiffonade at 5:05AM on 01/03/08
Any Moosewood, but especially, as Erika points out, Moosewood Lo-Fat.
Kelly Spitzer at 12:51PM on 01/03/08
I try to eat healthy 95 % of the time. I love Ellie, her food is whole, delicious and tasty plus, the serving sizes don't leave you hungry. Eating Well Magazine is my favorite healthy magazine and they have several cookbooks that are fantastic.
rockymountainmarta at 2:21PM on 01/03/08
I do love the Cooking Light books, every year they release a book of all the recipes used in all 12 magazines each year. I have the 2003, 2004, and 2005 ones, and have used them quite a bit.
If you can find it anywhere, there are some great recipes that are super tasty in here:
Better Homes & Gardens Three Steps to Weight Loss Cookbook
There's a great salmon recipe, steamed in packets. Also a chicken breast stuffed with Romano, Pear, and Fresh Sage, which I make all the time, looks beautiful (and difficult), and tastes soooo good.
lo82070 at 2:50PM on 01/03/08
Does my sub to Cooking Light count? :D
chiff0nade at 3:18PM on 01/03/08
I really like The New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life a lot. I think it came out a few years ago. The recipes are low calorie and have been consistently good to excellent. Even better, the American Institute for Cancer Research (author) did all of the work of creating menus full of cancer-fighting benefits (phytochemicals and lignans and other stuff that make my eyes glaze over) and all we have to do is make the great recipes. The book is also beautifully photographed. I buy lots of cookbooks, but few of them ever make it to "go-to" status. This one did.
Ann Fisher at 7:14PM on 01/03/08
I borrowed that New American Plate Cookbook from the library over the summer, and yes, it was very appealing and what I made was tasty. I waffle over whether or not to buy it, since I feel like I have too many books already. But in the health category, it's at the top of my wish list. Your endorsement makes it that much more appealing.
renzata at 7:19PM on 01/03/08
I like the series of cookbooks from Janet & Greta Podleski "Looney Plates", "Crazy Plates", "Eat, Shrink & be Merry!". The recipes are geared toward a beginner cook (no exotic ingredients, lots of cutsey cartoons and nutritional facts). Looneyspoon is the cookbook that got me started cooking (vs. the heat and serve meals of my college days).
gnomatic at 10:47PM on 01/03/08
i looked through the skinny bitch cookbook. it was full of recipes for sandwiches and stir fries made with store bought fake meat products.
cybercita at 12:30PM on 01/12/08