Cookbooks with 'healthy' recipes?

16 years ago

What constitutes "healthy cooking" varies for each of us. For our family, it would be primarily dishes that are low in saturated fat and calories but appetite-satisfying.

IÂm curious about what are your favorite go-to cookbooks for your personal tastes and definition of "healthy cooking".

My top two are Mollie KatzenÂs Vegetable Heaven and The Eating Well Rush Hour Cookbook. IÂve made many recipes from both of them multiple times and posted some of them here in the Cooking Forum too.

Vegetable Heaven is a vegetarian (but not vegan) cookbook with some of the best bean and grain recipes IÂve ever tasted. The Introduction of the book recounting how her cooking had evolved since The Moosewood Cookbook really changed my definition of what constituted a meal. IMO, the weakest part of the book is the dessert chapter and after trying a couple, I didnÂt make any others.

The Rush Hour Cookbook (subtitled Healthy Meals for Busy Cooks) has the recipes for complete dinner menus and nutritional information on each recipe. The meals use few processed foods and are separated by season to take advantage of fresh produce generally available at that time of year. Just about every recipe IÂve made fits our tastes and includes ingredients we like.

What are your favorites?

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Comments (9)

grainlady_ks
16 years ago
-Better Homes and Gardens NEW DIETER'S COOK BOOK

More than 400 recipes, lots of full-color photographs (one for every recipe). Clearly defined as: low-fat, low- or no-cholesterol, low- or no-sodium. Includes a two-week menu plan AND recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. REAL FOOD, you'll really love to make and eat.

-THE SPLENDID GRAIN - by Rebecca Wood
Not only a great cookbook, but a great resource for grain cookery.

-NATURAL MEALS IN MINUTES
-COUNTRY BEANS
both by Rita Bingham

-COOKING WITH COCONUT FLOUR
by Bruce Fife, N.D.
Low-carb, gluten-free alternative to wheat.

-FRESH FLAVOR FAST
An Everyday FOOD book from the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living
Easy-to-find ingredients, quick & easy, whole foods; elegant meals without an "elegant" price...

-Grainlady
beth4
16 years ago
I have lots of Weight Watchers' cookbooks, and really enjoy cooking out of them. I even entertain using the recipes...they are that good. The notion of "healthy" or low fat/low calorie cooking has really evolved over the last 10+ years!
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Paula Deen drives me nuts. I can't believe the kind of food she promotes. I'm sure a lot of cookbooks include unhealthy recipes, but her's are over the top. Her high visibility in the media is a huge issue because most people don't read cookbooks but they do watch television. She seems to be giving "permission" to her followers to kill themselves with a fork. Everyone gets their panties in a knot over McDonald's food but there is very little backlash to Paula. At least McD's has healthy choices, even if very few choose them. I just can't stand the woman. Can you tell?
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Good recipes are where you find them. :) Most of my mentions below (which I won't edit out in case they're of interest to anyone) are for baking and the cooking ones are for a specific method or flavor. I realized in thinking about this, that most of my cooking is what I learned at home. Another great learning experience, however, was cooking through a bunch of recipes that I was editing, and needed to photograph, for a newsletter. Many were things I wouldn't have otherwise made, most were decent to good, if not great, and inviting people to lunch, regularly, to eat the results made for great socializing. Think Julie and Julia, without the drama. :) So I'd suggest you go through the books you have and make every recipe that has ingredients you like and see what you get. :) I don't make a lot of recipes from cookbooks, but I will use them as guides. I have dozens, and like to read through them for inspiration. When I was trying to raise my game with braises, which I love because they're inexpensive and you just throw everything in a pot, I made a few from All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens. The duck legs with sour cherries is worth the price of the book. :) But it's a lot of doing stuff for a braise, and I haven't made it again. Recently, I was given Plenty by Yoram Ottolenghi and it's fabulous, but I haven't made anything from it yet. I also use recipes from the 'net. I like finding ones that have a lot of comments. That's better than lab testing! I have many baking specific cookbooks and couldn't find a good recipe for plain chocolate cake. I wanted it to make cake with an 8-year-old, so I wanted a plain old cake, and not a mix. I could have invented a chocolate pound cake, but I finally found this on Add A Pinch blog. It really is that good, and we made it (twice) without the secret ingredient (espresso powder), and it was still that good (I used Valrhona cocoa). The best bundt cake recipe I ever made was also from a blog, which is gone now. It had a perfect crumb and was truly delicious. My most popular cake is a pumpkin chocolate marble bundt from Sunset magazine. The linked fig pie is also a big hit. The Black Family Reunion Cookbook from the NCNW (which is a from the store, bound volume) is another favorite, with all kinds of different recipes for cornpone and corn muffins, my favorite Passover green vegetable kugel is from a local congregation cookbook, and the "family" matzah ball recipe originated with one put out by the local Hadassah. When I make bread pudding, I refer to the recipe in It's All American Food by David Rosengarten, but I don't make precisely that. I do make the arroz con pollo as directed (more or less--it's my mother's recipe (her book, that is) and I think there are some changes she's made over the years) from The Spice Cookbook by Stuckey, Day and Spier from the 1960's. What I'm trying to say is having a favorite recipe from whatever source, is normal. Don't think of it as underutilizing your cookbooks. Think of it as cherishing the best they have to offer. :)
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I didn't know which one you wanted so I scanned them all: REMARKABLE FUDGE Butter sides of heavy 3-quart saucepan. Add 4 cups granulated sugar, one 14-1/2-ounce can (1-2/3 cups), evaporated milk, and 1 cup butter. Cook over medium heat to soft ball stage (236ÃÂº); stirring frequently. Remove from heat; add one 12-ounce package (2 cups) semisweet chocolate pieces, 1 pint marshmallow creme, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 cup broken walnuts. Beat till chocolate melts, Pour into buttered 13x9x2-inch pan. Score while warm, cut when cool and firm. BLUE RIBBON FUDGE Butter sides of heavy 2-quart saucepan. In it combine 2 cups granulated sugar, one 6-ounce can evaporated milk, two l-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate, dash salt, and 1 teaspoon light corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat till chocolate melts and sugar dissolves. Cook to soft ball stage (236ÃÂº), Immediately remove from heat, Add 2 tablespoons butter without stirring. Cool to lukewarm (110ÃÂº). Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and beat vigorously till fudge stiffens and loses its gloss. Quickly stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, Push from pan, (don't scrape sides) into buttered shallow pan. Score while warm; cut when firm. OPERA FUDGE Butter sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan. In it combine 2 cups granulated sugar, 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup light cream, 1 tablespoon light corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, till sugar dissolves and mixture boils, Cook to soft ball stage (238ÃÂº). Immediately remove from heat; cool to lukewarm ,(110ÃÂº) without stirring. Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla, Beat vigorously till fudge stiffens and loses its gloss. Quickly stir in 1/4 cup chopped candied cherries, Spread in buttered 9x5x3-inch pan. Score while warm; cut when firm.
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Lars' Algerian Chicken is easy, delicious and just as good cold or at room temperature as it is hot. It's good reheated or made into sandwiches or chicken salad too. I like it a lot. However, here in the sticks I can't often pick up the more unusual ingredients, and I never have fenugreek so I leave it out. You pretty much HAVE to have the sumac, though, so I got some from Penzey's and it lasts for several chickens. I don't always have whole chickens either, and I've just used chicken pieces successfully. And, of course, I never grill, so I do mine in the oven at 350F, works just fine although it would probably be much better on the grill. Algerian Roasted Chicken Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi 1 whole chicken 4 cloves of garlic 1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt 1 teaspoon of sumac 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds 1/2 tsp coriander seeds 1/2 tsp fenugreek 3/4 tsp cumin 3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature 1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel) 2 lemons 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Freshly ground black pepper extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional 4-5 sprigs of thyme Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs. Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin. Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired. Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh. Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed. Annie
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centralcacyclist
16 years ago
I love Pierre Franey's "Low Calorie Gourmet." I have several "spa food" type cookbooks, too, but haven't used them much.
Islay_Corbel
16 years ago
Mediterranean Harvest by Martha Rose Shulman. It's a vegetarian book and it's so good that DD and I each have a copy. DD is a veggie but we're not, just the recipes are SO good. She really understands mediterranean cooking, but hugely reduces quantities of olive oil etc. to make an already healthy diet even better.
eileenlaunonen
16 years ago
My favorite is Cooking Light...they release a cookbook once a year with the best of there magazine....most recipes Ive tried are very good and very flavorful. Good Luck
annie1992
16 years ago
My definition of healthy cooking isn't just low fat or low calorie, I want to use fresh ingredients, not a lot of salt or preservatives or chemical "enhancers" and not too much sugar except for special occasions. And then there's the difference between good fats and bad fats.

Anyway, I like Cooking Light, I like Eating Well and they both have good websites. I've gotten a few decent recipes from Prevention on line too.

I have a "Healthy Heart Cookbook" by the American Medical Association that's pretty good, and I have a Moosewood cookbook. I found I have to watch the vegetarian cookbooks, they don't use meat but they use a lot of oils, fats and creams sometimes.

Annie
Ideefixe
16 years ago
Deborah Madison. I'm not a vegetarian, and I'm not really fussed about lite, low-fat, low-salt, etc., but I think she's got great recipes that appeal to just about everyone, no matter what their food preferences/health requirements are. And they're not very complicated, which is a plus. Some of her ingredients might be a little hard to find, but if I don't have red quinoa, I can easily substitute something else.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deborah Madison at Amazon
cookebook
16 years ago
Ellie Krieger has a cookbook out with healthy recipes. I can't remember the name but it's her latest one. I've made several things from it, which, to me, is a sign it's a good cookbook.
ruthanna_gw
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for your replies. I checked on line and our library has many of the ones you listed so I'll be gradually checking them out over the summer.

Sometimes, I get a cookbook home and it seems like there's a half cup or more of butter in just about every recipe.

Cookbooks with 'healthy' recipes?

Comments (9)

grainlady_ks

beth4

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Cookbooks with 'healthy' recipes?

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