Rating:  Summary: Annoying; recipes are mistake-laden Review: If the recipes here were written clearly (they're not) and you were a novice cook, you'd find enough basics to get a good grounding in healthful cooking. As it is: kitchen disaster on most pages. If, on the other hand, you were an experienced cook, you'd know where the recipes miss the mark --- but then again, you could find far better ones elsewhere. Examples: a pancake/waffle batter that is fat free, as far as the ingredient list goes, but unlisted in the ingredient list, buried in the directions for pancakes, is 1/4 teaspoon butter, for greasing the griddle. First off, if butter is called for, list it in the ingredients. But secondly, why not use a non-stick skillet in the first place, and/or a spray of oil? And thirdly, the recipe says that you do not need to add more butter to the pan. This is probably not true, unless you are using a non-stick or have a superbly seasoned skillet --- which amateur cooks would not know. And fourthly --- when you get to the waffle variation, no fat of any kind is called for in greasing the waffle iron. Even non-stick waffle irons (which are not specificied here anyway)require lubing with oil or butter, and most waffle batters contain oil because of the tendency towards sticking. Doing it as suggested will result in ruining your waffle iron, since you can't soak waffle irons lest you screw up the regulator. Books like this waste readers' time, money, even equipment. Directions like "strain the raspberry puree through a colander" are so annoying: Hello! A colander's holes are too large to catch the seeds; you need a strainer. (Why didn't an editor catch this, at the very least?) And what of a Citrus Mango Freeze made without added sweetener that has 1/4 cup each lime and lemon juice to 3/4 cup orange juice and 3 mangos: Yikes, that is some serious tartness! Not a word to even warn readers / eaters so they now how sour it is, or to suggest modifications. I could go on. As an experienced cook and cooking school teacher I find these kind of omissions unsconscionable and irritating. Frequently such errors occur in celebrity cookbooks, especially when "packaged", as this one, to judge from the intro, was --- put together by the publisher, not a self-generated collaboration between friends or colleagues. Best thing about this book: Andrew Weil's dietary advice, which is sensible and informative, if basic, and a lovely lay-out. But you don't eat the lay-out. Bottom line: get this out of the library for Weil's advice, but the recipes are not worth cooking from. Try Passionate Vegetarian, Laurel's Kitchen or World of the East for superb, healthful and varied recipes which work.
Rating:  Summary: A. Weil has sold out big-time, & is no longer "cutting edge" Review: If you really want the ultimate health and healing book with lots of great healing recipes then get the FANTASTIC book: "Healing With Whole Foods: Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition," by Paul Pitchford! Also, two of the best books that I have ever bought from amazon.com are: "Miracle Food Cures From the Bible," by Reese Dubin, and "What the Bible Says About Healthy Living," by Rex Russell, M.D. Check them out!
Rating:  Summary: Excellent Cookbook! Review: If you're looking for delicious tasting food that is also healthy for you, buy this book! Not only is it a cookbook but a health book as well --loaded with useful information from Dr. Weil and Rosie Daley. The recipes have flare and spice. The spices used in this book are recommended by Dr.Weil as they have many benefits to our health and healing process. I love them! My families favorite is the Roasted Winter Squash and Apple soup with Cilantro Walnut Pesto. Yum! You must try it...
Rating:  Summary: Who knew eating healthy could taste so good! Review: OVERVIEW: This book is not only about healthy and delicious recipes. Intermixed is also basic nutritional information, tips about shopping and stocking your kitchen, food preparation techniques, a menu-planning guide, and the introduction of foods and ingredients not commonly used. I believe this book is intended for a typical American consumer who: 1) wants to eat more healthy but doesn't know how or where to start, 2) is confused about what nutritional information is important and what isn't, 3) is unaware of food alternatives (such as olive oil or nut milk), or 4) wants to add healthy and delicious recipes to their repertoire (try the muesli for breakfast!). FLAWS: As some reviewers have noted, additional editing would have caught some the errors and discrepancies in the recipes. A time estimate could also have been included for the recipe preparation. However, the errors are at most an annoyance (you are still be able to make the food), and I believe there is good number of quick and simple recipes, along with some that are more elaborate. Some of the reviewers who gave low ratings appear to be "hard-core" nutritionalists, who complain about the use of some ingredients. These people have already researched their diet and eating habits and are not the typical consumer, yet I am sure they have picked up a few insights and recipes. OVERALL: As Dr. Weil stated, "good nutrition is one of the most important influences on health". Most people can benefit from eating healthier, and this book serves as a great resource for both recipes and nutritional information. This book has a great chance to be a hit for people on your holiday shopping list.
Rating:  Summary: Belongs in most American's kitchens Review: OVERVIEW: This book is not only about healthy and delicious recipes. Intermixed is also basic nutritional information, tips about shopping and stocking your kitchen, food preparation techniques, a menu-planning guide, and the introduction of foods and ingredients not commonly used. I believe this book is intended for a typical American consumer who: 1) wants to eat more healthy but doesn't know how or where to start, 2) is confused about what nutritional information is important and what isn't, 3) is unaware of food alternatives (such as olive oil or nut milk), or 4) wants to add healthy and delicious recipes to their repertoire (try the muesli for breakfast!). FLAWS: As some reviewers have noted, additional editing would have caught some the errors and discrepancies in the recipes. A time estimate could also have been included for the recipe preparation. However, the errors are at most an annoyance (you are still be able to make the food), and I believe there is good number of quick and simple recipes, along with some that are more elaborate. Some of the reviewers who gave low ratings appear to be "hard-core" nutritionalists, who complain about the use of some ingredients. These people have already researched their diet and eating habits and are not the typical consumer, yet I am sure they have picked up a few insights and recipes. OVERALL: As Dr. Weil stated, "good nutrition is one of the most important influences on health". Most people can benefit from eating healthier, and this book serves as a great resource for both recipes and nutritional information. This book has a great chance to be a hit for people on your holiday shopping list.
Rating:  Summary: MONOGAMOUS MONOLOGOMOUS EPICURAGEOUS Review: So what if this review's title is OBFUSCATIOUS... so's the book that Weil and Daley purport to pass off as nutritious...... it is a Glutinous MALBOUFFE! For a truer insight into every diet tried by the human animal and his pet friends, KESHNER'S "COCKPIT CONFESSIONS OF AN AIRLINE PILOT" will put hair on your yogurt! Feel better looking worse, and read this book instead.
Rating:  Summary: Good taste, but hard to assemble Review: The beauty of this cookbook is that it offers interesting, tasty foods that are healthy beyond being low fat or low calorie. In other words, they offer healthy food, not diet food. Each recipe includes a nutritional guide, but there are also notes on the actual nutritional value of many ingredients and on various food groups. The problem I've found is that many of the recipes call for foods that just aren't easy to come by. This is a cookbook for the focused chef with time to shop and prepare full menus, not for the casual health-conscious cook.
Rating:  Summary: Good taste, but hard to assemble Review: The beauty of this cookbook is that it offers interesting, tasty foods that are healthy beyond being low fat or low calorie. In other words, they offer healthy food, not diet food. Each recipe includes a nutritional guide, but there are also notes on the actual nutritional value of many ingredients and on various food groups. The problem I've found is that many of the recipes call for foods that just aren't easy to come by. This is a cookbook for the focused chef with time to shop and prepare full menus, not for the casual health-conscious cook.
Rating:  Summary: Healthy Kitchen Review: The cook book was very disapointing. The only good thing about it was Andrew Weils tips that were scattered throughout the book. It should of been much better.
Rating:  Summary: Good food can be good for you.... Review: THE HEALTHY KITCHEN by Andrew Weil and Rosie Daley is a great book with dozens of yummy recipes. I've been looking for good soup and salad recipes, and there are plenty to choose from in this book. A favorite of mine is a salad with "Celery, Artichoke, Hearts of Palm and Shrimp." The authors complementary interests and differing approaches to food preparation have produced a text loaded with useful ideas and detail. In addition, the text is colorful, clear and highlighted with many photographs. Weil is a physician, and an advocate of using organic foods wherever possible. He says food produced using conventional methods is generally bad for your health. He lists the most dangerous foods produced using conventional methods including fresh strawberries which can kill you. He suggests that although there was a time when many folks had limited access to organic supplies and/or the funds to buy them, times are changing. Farmers markets and coops are a big help in rural and small town areas. In larger cities, super markets are beginning to carry organic foods. If you haven't shopped organically before now, you may want to give it a try. (The NY Times included a piece on the success of organic gardening on the op-ed page today--10/14/02). Weil suggests some herbs such as parsley should only be used fresh. He has included a segment on herb cultivation (and a lovely photo of his herbs growing on a sunny patio in pots). Daley suggests those without a patio for growing herbs in pots can grow them in a sunny window. In the summer months, I grow herbs as Weil suggests. However, I had a problem keeping fresh herbs on hand during the winter until I discovered specially constructed storage bags that allow vegetables to breathe (GIAM sells them). THE HEALTHY KITCHEN not only includes many tasty recipes for soups and salads, there are a number of sidebars on the various ingredients. The section on herbs is one of them, but there are discussions about "Garlic", "Shellfish", "Fish", "Meat Substitutes", and "Brussel Sprouts for People Who Think They Hate Brussel Sprouts." I don't like them usually...but the recipe included by Weil and Daley is good enough to eat. This is a great addition to your "slim line" cook book collection as it proves food doesn't have to be fattening to be tasty.
|