Eat A Little Better

Sam Kass made a big splash cooking at the White House.  His latest book is about the small changes that have big impacts on our health.  Little changes like putting healthier foods at eye level, and more indulgent foods on a higher shelf.  You eat what you see.  This is one of his guiding principles on how to take the stress out of the home and kitchen.  Make your fruits and vegetables more easily accessible.  Cut and peel carrots, store them in a clear container and place them eye level in your refrigerator.

Rearrange your pantry.  Throw out items with too many unrecognizable ingredients.  Throw out items where sugar is listed in the top three ingredients.  Indulge now and then, but resolve to eat better the next day.  Cook more.  Read your nutrition labels.  Eat more fiber.  It all sounds familiar, so simple, yet why do we continuously reach for the sugar salt fat?  Don't blame yourself.  Seriously.  Just make a few minor adjustments that could lead to big improvements.

Grocery stores are battlegrounds for our wallet and stomach.  Try to stick to the perimeter.  Arm yourself with a list.  Roast your vegetables. Eat less beef but when you do, treat yourself to high quality.  This is less a recipe book especially if you already know how to cook, and more of a manifesto.  "I will survive" of cookbooks.

At first I was afraid I was petrified
Kept thinking I could never live without sugar salt fat by my side
Spent so many nights 
Thinking how I ate all wrong...

Apologies and thanks to Gloria Gaynor.  This book is for anyone ready to improve their world without sacrificing great flavor.  Sounds like nearly everyone, doesn't it?  In exchange for my honest book review, I received this cookbook from Blogging for Books.  Thank you.

Vegan Power

POWER PLATES

If you're a lifelong omnivore who loves variety and meat, the prospect of becoming a vegan can be awfully frightening.  No eggs, no butter, no meat ever?  Simply cooking a delicious meal for vegans struck fear in me.  Whether or not we are committed vegans, most of us do have friends who are vegan or vegetarian, and most of us are trying to eat healthier, better.

That's what I love about Power Plates.  Power to the all people who want to eat more nutritionally balanced meals.  While I'm not sure I can ever become vegan (never say never!), I am eating more plant-based diet, and enjoy organic gardening.  

One of my fears about becoming vegan is based on the fear that I will be eating the same boring thing after another.  This is where Power Plates really helps allay those fears.  The photos are full of color, vibrancy, and whet your appetite.   The butternut squash salad with red quinoa and pumpkin seeds looks wonderful.  Just picked up some tempeh, inspired by the balsamic-glazed tempeh and vegetables over soft polenta  The ingredients are easy to find, and recipes easy to follow -- a major plus as most of us lead busy, hectic lives.  

Power up, this book is a win-win.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Pok Pok The Drinking Food of Thailand

With a title like this, you know you're in for fun.  Andy Ricker says in Thailand, you "almost never see people drinking without something to eat."  Couldn't agree more.  Happy hour is no good without happy food.

That said, for me, this book is more of a travel guide than a book of recipes I will cook at home.  There's a lot of fried food recipes, or recipes with hard to find or exotic ingredients.  For example, there are recipes for like fried pig ears and intestines, fried chicken tendons, pig brains grilled in banana leaf.  Just not going to make these at home.

Most of the photos are wonderful and will whet your appetite for food and travel.  I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. 

Book of Joe

BOOK OF INSPIRATION

by Jeff Wilser

How refreshing it is to read about a politician who is such a life force and superb role model.  Joe Biden has suffered, failed, made mistakes but he always gets back up.  He listens.  He connects.  He sounds like he could be your friend.  No wonder Obama awarded him with the Medal of Freedom.  Biden is so deserving, and this book is so inspiring, once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down.  The book is small and portable so you can travel with it easily.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Grand Central Market Cookbook

This cookbook is bound to be a sentimental favorite for anyone who loves Los Angeles.  Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles is a favorite cultural institution for residents and tourists alike.  The market has everything and caters to every taste bud.  Great food, great energy, great people-watching, and this book captures much of that vibrancy.

Now you can make your own soy chile glazed broccoli or coddled eggs with potato puree in a mason jar.  Read what inspired the vendors of your favorite foods to set up shop downtown Los Angeles, and how they chose their curated menus.  The cuisine and culture of Los Angeles reflects the rich and delicious diversity our country offers.

Behind every recipe in this cookbook is a mouth-watering adventure.  Totally recommend this book for anyone who loves to travel the world.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Cherry Bombe

Cherry Bombe is the bomb!
Seriously, it's a collection of recipes and stories written by 100 inspiring and creative women.
The recipes are delicious and written for everyone, male and female, expert and novice.
So many recipes to spark your imagination and whet your appetite. 
The latkes with pear sauce will come in handy with Hanukkah around the corner and have your friends and neighbors lingering at your doorstep.
Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies may be featured in my holiday cookie exchange, it looks like it melts in your mouth on the page.
If I can get a hold of some hanger steak, I will definitely make Naomi Pomeroy's hanger steak with tomato salad with sichuan vinaigrette.
I've never had Somali Chicken Stew with yogurt and coconut milk before, and now, I have no excuse.
The possibilities are endlessly delicious.
I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Very Merry Cookies

It's almost that time of year where friends and family exchange gifts, sweets and holiday cheer.  Elisabet der Nederlanden's Holiday Cookies is a wonderful compendium of recipes, designed to help you celebrate the holidays with delicious variety and pizzazz.

Holidays can be stressful, so found it really comforting that Nederlanden offers many cookie tips and tricks to ensure success.  Most of her cookie recipes are simple, use every day ingredients and spend less than twenty minutes in the oven.  There a lot of recipes to appeal to every sweet tooth across the globe, and the photographs are stunning.  Totally recommend this for cookie lovers everywhere and anyone baking for the holidays.

I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.