From Publishers Weekly
For those who believe that health food will never be as satisfying as gourmet food laden with cream, butter, sugar, and salt, holistic wellness pioneer Weil (Spontaneous Happiness), restaurateur Fox, and chef Stebner have created a chain of eateries, True Food Kitchen, to prove them wrong. This title gathers more than 125 recipes from Weil's personal collection and others he developed with Stebner, the chain's executive chef, that conform to Weil's Anti-inflammatory Diet Food Pyramid—diners at True Food Kitchen are handed a copy before they peruse the menu—and incorporate cooking methods and ingredients from Mediterranean and traditional Asian cuisines. There are many options for vegetarians of all stripes, low-carb and low-fat eaters, paleo dieters, and the gluten-sensitive, and discussions of healthy eating practices (seasonal produce, portion sizes, whole grains, etc.). An entertaining chat between the authors gives insight into the difficulty of making unfamiliar items like sea buckthorn juice (better known as a component in natural beauty products but used here in sorbet, a muffin glaze, and drinks), sambal oelek (a spicy chile paste), and astragalus root (a Chinese medicinal herb) palatable to mainstream Americans, while adapting to popular demands for red meat, coffee, and alcohol. Ethnically inspired choices include breakfast tabbouleh with kiwi, strawberry, and lime juice; Gado-Gado, an Indonesian salad dressed with peanut sauce; a soup made with immunity-boosting astragalus root, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms; and salmon sauced with a kasu paste derived from sake. The brief dessert section reflects Weil's philosophy that Americans consume too many sweets; but on special occasions, readers can indulge without guilt in a nondairy Middle Eastern pistachio confection or a vegan, gluten-free chocolate pudding. Agent: Richard Pine. (Oct.)
Review
"Andrew Weil is a rare member of a special class of diet gurus: he appreciates good food. This shows in his philosophy of healthy eating-if meals are delicious, people will eat them. It also shows in every recipe in this book. Weil and his colleagues encourage adventurous eating and some of the ingredients may be unfamiliar, but even the simplest recipe-tomato and watermelon salad, for example-will make mouths water."—
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, and coauthor of Why Calories Count"Andrew Weil knows how to bring people into a new relationship to food: If you eat simply and deliciously with family and friends, using local, organic ingredients in season, the natural outcome will be good health for the rest of your life."—
Alice Waters, author of The Art of Simple Food See all Editorial Reviews