Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased this book to use as a cookbook, largely on the basis of my good experiences with annalise roberts' other books, which concentrate on gluten free baking (and, to a lesser extent, gluten free versions of common gluten-containing staples like fresh pasta). You won't find recipes for such foods in this book-- recipe wise, this book has only a small handful of baking recipes and largely contains recipes for things like clam chowder, roasted asparagus and shrimp curry. Given Annalise Roberts particular baking expertise (and the blurb on the cover touting that this book is "from the author of the bestselling gluten free baking classics") this is very disappointing. Also, I believe most people looking for gluten free cookbooks are interested in the kinds of recipes that would normally contain wheat (like bread, pasta, cookies, etc..), because these are the foods that become unavailable when a gluten free diet is required. Most people are already going to be comfortable with non-gluten containing cooking for things like salad, soup, and fish, and have lots of such recipes from their pre-celiac days. I think of a gluten free cookbook stocked almost exclusively with these kinds of recipes as 'cheating.'
I also have some more idiosyncratic problems with the recipes-- most feature meat, fish, and other animal products. I am a vegetarian, and I found very few recipes I could make. Also, most of the vegetable recipes are very basic and will be incredibly familiar to anyone with basic cooking knowledge, vegetarian or carnivore (roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach with garlic, baby greens with balsamic vinaigrette). More generally, I'm a bit skeptical of this supposedly novel, all purpose healthy 'diet' that, aside from its wheatlessness, reads a lot like a standard american diet where vegetable based preparations are largely relegated to the 50's-sounding chapter "vegetables and side dishes." Another irritation that probably won't bother most readers: over half of the (meagre 8) dessert recipe contain tofu, which I am allergic to. Overall, therefore, the recipes were not what I what I was expecting and are just not ones I can use, though others with fewer dietary restrictions may have a better experience.
In fairness, this book seems as much intended to be a self-help nutrition/diet book as a cookbook, though also on this score I find it lacking. I have noticed a bizarre tendency to vilify wheat amongst celiac authors, which these authors take to an extreme, billing a gluten free diet as best for everyone's health. Obviously, wheat is toxic for those with celiac disease or wheat allergies. And, as the authors point out, no doubt the average american eats way too much highly refined what flour and would benefit from cutting back. They rightly emphasize the nutritional benefits of a 'whole foods' diet, but does that mean everyone should stop eating any wheat, barley or rye altogether, even whole grain versions? Obviously not. While they provide some additional references to suggest problems with a heavily wheat based diet, I don't find the scientific evidence they cite remotely sufficient to support their general claim that eating any gluten containing grains cause problematic inflammation and would best be avoided by everyone. And the tone of some of the text sometimes has a junk science quality with dubious, ambiguous self-help buzzwords like "detoxify," which made me even more skeptical of their claims.
Click Here to see more reviews about: The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook: The Delicious Way to Strengthen Your Immune System and Neutralize Inflammation
From Annalise Roberts, author of the celebrated Gluten-Free Baking Classics, and Claudia Pillow, PhD, comes this new full-scale gluten-free cookbook--a breakthrough in healthier eating, featuring 140 great new recipes. The Gluten-Free Good Health Cookbook is a true departure from other diet cookbooks--learn how you can make daily decisions that will strengthen your immune system, prevent disease, and help you lose weight by eating real food.The book includes compelling food choice explanations, guidance, and cooking advice, plus 140 field-tested recipes, including gluten-free roux for Macaroni and Cheese; traditional pan sauce gravies; innovative low-fat sauces and creamy soups; and a comprehensive chapter on the art and science of cooking great-tasting vegetables.Readers will enjoy a wide selection of flavorful and diverse recipes like Buffalo Meatballs, Roasted Poblano Asiago Soup, Kale with Puttanesca Sauce, Chicken Noodle Gratin, Moroccan Lamb Stew, and more.
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