7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delicious AND nutritious!, May 5, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Superfood Cookbook (Paperback)
The authors of this book point out that there are certain foods that provide an unusual abundance of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. If we work these foods into more of our meals and snacks, we get more out of what we eat and we live healthier lives. Oats, for instance, can help to reduce cholesterol. The phytochemicals in various berries can help to keep our blood vessels healthy or reduce the chance of infections. There are specific proteins that strengthen our bodies' connective tissues, and compounds in vegetables that reduce cellular damage.
There's a quinoa & berries recipe in here that surprised the heck out of me. Sure, I like quinoa well enough, and the recipe looked good, but it was one of those combinations of a few simple ingredients that ended up tasting like something more than the sum of its parts. The same was true of a marinated chicken recipe; it included some familiar seasonings and one that I had trouble believing would go with the rest---but again, the whole was more than the sum of its parts, and it was a delicious recipe. There was also a couscous-stuffed tomatoes recipe that we made, and it was incredibly easy and delicious.
All of these recipes are kept as simple as possible, with enough (but not too many) ingredients. Most of them can be made in 10 or 20 minutes here or there (although of course there are exceptions). There are lots of smoothie recipes in here that I can't wait to try (pumpkin smoothie? yum!), rice puddings, quick breads & muffins, bean recipes, and more. It's hard to know what to try next!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
30 Super Foods, you already have recipes for these., March 29, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Superfood Cookbook (Paperback)
This cookbook is designed to cover 30 of the Super Foods, not the top 30 just 30. If you're not familiar with what the superfoods are go to webmd and there is a list of the top 100. This cookbook has 150 recipes and no pictures.
The first chapter talks about dynamic eating and that you should strive to get as many of these superfoods in your system as possible. What they consider a superfood is a food that "provides health benefits above and beyond the basic proteins, carbohydrates, and fats." Well that could include just about anything. The 30 superfoods covered in this cookbook are:
almonds, beans, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, cayenne, cherries, chocolate, cinnamon, cranberries, flax, grape juice, honey, oats, oranges, peanuts, peppermint, pumpkins, red bell peppers, red wine, salmon, soy, spinach, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tea, tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt.
All the recipes are probably recipes you already have. Do you need another recipe for blueberry muffins, turkey salad, or a spinach salad with blueberries and walnuts? Or a helpful suggestion to eat yogurt with strawberries or drink cranberry juice every morning or add honey to your tea? Or to drink a glass of red wine before bed? If you have any other cookbook then you already have all the recipes outlined in this cookbook. Or you're probably already doing alot of the suggestions in this book.
But I did rate it 5 stars because this cookbook does deliver on what it says it delivers. There are recipes that cover the above mentioned 30 superfoods. All the recipes are healthful and nutritious. There are side bars and heroic hints that are helpful and other useful information. It's a great cookbook.
It will be up to you to decide if it's worth purchasing for recipes you probaby already have and already have made many times over. And if these 30 superfoods are not to your liking than you wouldn't want this cookbook regardless.
I did make the cranberry and walnut rice medley and it was very good. It combined brown rice and wild rice mixed with chicken broth, added some dried cranberries, walnuts and onion powder. We enjoyed it although the kids picked the walnuts out. I would probably make them smaller next time so they're not so noticeable but I was trying to follow the recipe. And I would leave the onion powder out it added a funny taste.
All the recipes have nutritional information, prep times, cook times and serving sizes which is all helpful information. The appendix provided full definitions of foods, spices, etc.
Overall the cookbook delivers on what it says.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Recipes but needs a bit more info and organization., May 2, 2008
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Superfood Cookbook (Paperback)
There are some good recipes in this cookbook. But some don't rise above good. I liked the introduction but would like even more information on the different recipes. Also I don't like the way it is organized. It is set up by super food rather than the kind of dish you're looking for. There is a main dish section in the back but it doesn't have enough recipes. Still I use it frequently but tend to have to build meals around these recipes which is more trouble then I want.
If you want to eat healthy and need some recipes, this book is great but I'd like to see it organized like a traditional cookbook with a super food chart directing you to the various dishes. That would also make more sense if they wanted to put in dishes with multiple super foods.
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