Customer Reviews

Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook (Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbk)

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The beautiful cover of this cookbook caught my eye but the personal story of Earthbound Farms beginnings and the fantastic recipes have held me captive and peaked my enthusiasm for organics and healthy cooking. Since buying this delightful cookbook I feel a bit obsessed with trying recipe after recipe. I was especially happy to see the meat recipes as I have wanted to incorporate more organic meat dishes into my family's diet, especially with 2 teenagers, but felt I lacked experience in buying and preparing meat. What a hit they have been with my family and unexpected surprise in this cookbook. The Sizzling Steak with Olive Sauce had everyone applauding mom's new found culinary skills and the Merlot Braised Shortribs elevated my status to "chef Mom".
In addition to expanding my repertoire of meals this cookbook has given me healthier versions of some family favorites. The Maple Walnut Muffins thrilled me with the small amount of sugar and no butter! Using a 1/4 cup of heart healthy canola oil instead of the 2 sticks of butter I was using in The Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins showed me how easy to eliminate fat and not sacrifice taste. My kids adored them as well as all 30 of the recipes I have tried to date.
This is a cookbook I highly recommend and bought for many family and friends. Its interesting tips and facts as well as beautiful, inspiring photos have made cooking 24/7 for my family a delight and pleasure.

Myra Goodman and her husband, over 20 years ago, began their farm by offering passers-by a taste of their organic raspberries. Today, they own and operate the world's largest grower of organic produce. Food to Live By encourages readers to embark on a healthier way of life. Through organic food, people can live a cleaner life. This is not confined to only vegetarianism, but to meat, produce, wine and more. Packed with color photos of Earthbound Farm, as well as the recipes, this book teases the reader into trying easy-to-prepare, healthy recipes that packed with originality. If you are pressed for time, Goodman offers shortcuts by using organic packaged products, so you can have the flavor and health without the guilt. Included in this book are guides to greens, squash and more. Similar to The Organic Cook's Bible (by Jeff Cox, Wiley, April 2006, ISBN: 0471445789), but with more recipes. Delicious encounters within this book are: Chicken Piccata, Pumpkin Pecan Muffins, Portuguese Kale Soup, and Apricot and Almond Tart.

`Food to Live By' by Earthbound Farm co-founder, Myra Goodman and culinary `accomplices' Linda Holland and Pamela McKinstry announces itself as a cookbook for organic ingredients, and yet except for an emphasis on cooking with fruit, this is largely a brightly illustrated and joyfully assembled general purpose cookbook, I'm certain that the publisher, Workman, has a lot to do with the sidebar intensive style and better than average illustrations and snaps, but I also suspect much is owed to the great pleasure the author had in realizing this book.

The fact that the book does not quite fill its billing as a `healthy foods' book tempted me to give it only four stars. Two facts changed my mind. First, the hefty (402 pages) book lists for a scant $21.95 US. Second, the last Chapter 10 on `Basics' has excellent advice on making stocks. It may not be on the great reflective level of Deborah Madison or as finicky as the Culinary Institute of America textbook, but for a budget priced book, it is very good indeed.

I would still have demoted it to four stars if the general level of recipes was weak, but they are not. All of the traditional stuff is entirely up to snuff. For example, the pastry crust recipe hits all the right notes. The only caveat is that this and other recipes call for whole-wheat pastry flour, which I have not seen in my local megamart (Wegmans). On the other hand, I have seen lots and lots of `Earthbound Farm Organic' products in my very same Wegmans and the story of how Drew and Myra Goodman established their little business that could almost sounds too good to be true.

This story takes up the first 24 pages (the Roman numeraled ones in the introduction) of the book (which means that 402 pages are all recipes, no fluff). This is primarily a tale of being at the right place at the right time with the right idea. The couple leased a 2½-acre farm in Carmel Valley, California and started by raising and selling raspberries while they accumulated moneys to continue their educations. One thing lead to another, falling into great good luck when they hit upon the notion of bagged salad greens just at the time that the country was becoming a lot more interested in more diverse vegetables and in organic produce, all with the same convenience of other supermarket fare. The result is that our heroes now own and run the largest producer of organic vegetables in the country, and probably in the world.

While the book starts with raspberry recipes and continues with soup and salad recipes, great destinations for their organic produce, the chapters are really almost exactly what you would find in a conventional cookbook. As the author points out, eating organic is certainly NOT the same as being a vegetarian (however, I suspect it is much easier to find organic fruits and vegetables than it is to find organic milk, eggs, meats, and poultry, let alone `organic' fish). This brings me to one of the very few complaints about this book. There is no appendix of sources for some the things not sold by Earthbound Farm. This includes the whole-wheat pastry flour and Grade A dark maple syrup. Fortunately, there are very few such `hard to find' ingredients.

The very first thing that told me this was a book with which to be reckoned was the recipe for carrot soup. While I'm sure I have a recipe for this somewhere among my dozen soup cookbooks, this is the first time this has caught my attention, and I plan to make it at the first opportunity. Talk about liquid gold!

One thing this book brings to mind is a latter day `Whole Earth Catalogue' lifestyle; however, there is very little hint of the hippie ethos and lifestyle here. We are, after all, talking about the owners of a multi-million dollar business. Thus, there are not many bread baking recipes or detailed canning or pickling recipes, but there is a bit of all these things, including ice cream making and homemade granola.

While Workman publishing sometimes strikes me as something of a `cookbook factory' publisher like Chronicle Books, both publishers seem to maintain a high standard, and this book fits a higher standard than most. Every so many pages, we run across little presents such as `A Field Guide to Great-Tasting Tomatoes'. These are informative and great eye candy. My only caveat is that you don't consider them `complete' guides. They do, however, spice up this amazingly low-priced book.

The value of this cookbook to you is directly in proportional to you inclination to collect cookbooks, divided by how many cookbooks you have now. If you already have 500 cookbooks, this one won't add a whole lot beyond the uplifting story of how the family Goodman got rich raising lettuce. It does not have a strong `health food' emphasis (just look at the mac and cheese recipe') and aside from the very good stock making section, there are not a lot of cooking insights, but that doesn't mean it isn't a danged good cookbook. So, if you like vegetables and soups and a really nice collection of good recipes, this book will brighten your day.

I have made a study of healthful foods and learned so many new things in this recipe book (besides some of the best recipes I've ever tried). I love that Myra uses not only organic veggies & fruits (which I try to do whenever I can), she incorporates using wholegrains in baked goods (often), olive oil & other healthful oils, and nothing processed. I had stopped using butter years ago and now recognize that substituting margarine was not only unhealthful, it's absolutely inferior in cooking!I just made the peach cobbler (with frozen peaches due to the season)this past weekend, best I or my company had ever tasted!The chocolate cake recipe is the only one that disappointed me. Excellent side dish recipes also--we loved the 3-cheese macaroni! It brings back good tasting food by using real food!! Weird sounding, but true!

This cookbook is not a " health food" cookbook per se, but focuses on whole and natural foods, including meat. The book is attractively designed and nicely illustrated with photos, there are helpful hints throughout, and the recipes are well laid out and easy to follow. I have made several recipes so far and all turned out good to excellent, and I intend to make the majority of the recipes in this book. My only criticism is that I wish more of the photographs related to the preparation of the recipes. Photos of fields, bunches of flowers, etc are pretty, but don't help with the recipes. Also, I wasn't interested in all the information about the Earthbound Farm company, but others may feel that this makes the book stand out from others.

The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook, Food To Live By, was recenty given to me as a gift, and now I am turning around, buying more copies, and giving them to some of my friends as gifts. Very simply, this is a fantastic cookbook. The recipies are user friendly and delicious -- and not just for adults -- my four year old daughter loves the Lemon Berry Mousse on page 358 and many of the dishes here. The abundance of color photographs are beautiful, and the layout flows very well.

I like that there is an introduction from author Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound, that describes their humble beginnings as a roadside stand, and how their determination to avoid chemicals and pesticides led to them bringing organics into the mainstream (THANK YOU EARTHBOUND!!!). In 2003 they openned the esteemed Organic Kitchen in Carmel Valley, California (one of only three certified organic food establishments). This book brings recipies from the Organic Kitchen and others.

To be sure, Food To Live By is definitely more of a cookbook than a diet or "health book", although it does use ingredients and provide some little tid bits that encourage us to eat organic, whole foods. While the recipes are wholesome, they don't compromise on taste. There are also cooking tips and ideas as sidebars throughout.

Food To Live By is broken up into chapters starting with the Introduction, followed by a chapter on Raspberry recipes (honoring raspberries, the crop that got Earthbound Started). Then there is a chapter on Soups, Leafy Green Salads, Meat and Poultry Main Dishes, Fish and Shellfish, Pasta and Vegetarian Main Dishes, Side Dishes, Breakfast and Brunch, Desserts, and Basics, such as homemade stocks and sauces.

Some of my favorite recipes so far are the Roasted Balsamic Artichokes, Creamy Macaroni and Three Cheeses, Kathy's Rosemary Roasted Chicken, the Cherry Panna Cotta, and Earthbound's Famous Maple Almond Granola.

Overall the book focuses on good food - that is, food which yummy and appealing on a sensual and aesthetic level, while also being sound on basic health principles. Enjoy!

This is the very best cookbook ever! I use this book faithfully almost every day. It's wonderful and easy and not intimidating and EVERY recipe is a winner!! I have been trying to teach myself to cook for a few years now, and I've found that anyone can do it if you can follow a recipe. The trick is finding a good one! I've tried many books, and each one might have one or two recipes that I might add to my "regular" repitoire, a couple of recipes that are awful or too hard or involved to make, and the rest of the book that is never used. Not so with this book!!! The recipes are all simple and easy to follow. They don't take a long time to prepare or have too many steps (although some require a little planning, like that you marinate overnight). They use regular ingredients that you can find in any grocery store. You don't need any crazy kitchen gadgets or expensive appliances. But best of all, the recipes are absolutely delicious!!! Most are old favorites but with a delicious twist... the BEST chicken salad you have ever eaten, the juciest ribs you ever tried, the most flavorful chili ever. She uses fresh ingredients and there are a lot of fresh herbs, curry, and vegetables. There are huge, full-color pictures so you can leaf through the book and decide what looks good to you that day. I have no trepidation whatsoever with trying something new from this book on a whim (although I've made almost everything in it now!). This book has singlehandedly won me the reputation of a very good cook!!! I highly recommend it to anyone.

You might think that a cookbook from Earthbound Farm would focus on salads or vegetarian recipes. While there are some great examples of both in this book, there are plenty of other recipes, too. The recipes in this book are not only delicious, but most of them are simple enough to make on a work night, too. Some of my favorite recipes are the Merlot-Braised Short Ribs with Cipollini Onions, Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad, Chicken Paprikash, Portugese Kale Soup, and the Farm Stand Carrot Cake. The photographs are beautiful (and helpful) and the information about organic food is helpful without being preachy. You'll really use this cook book.

If you're looking for an organic or natural foods cookbook that's practical with easy-to-prepare meals, this is the one. For about two months now, I've switched my eating from prepackaged, boxed, processed foods to all-natural and organic foods. Adjusting hasn't been hard, but I now see the value in a great cookbook. Flipping through 12 different cookbooks to find a recipe during the middle of the week isn't practical for me. This book has everything, and most ingredients are easy to find at the local co-op.

I've tried some of the other well-known and well-loved organic, healthy, and natural foods cookbooks, but they are often either too crammed with information about pickling, canning, and growing an herb garden to find anything in a rush or they have such weird ingredients I end up spending a fortune just to make a chicken salad. So far, this cookbook fits all of my needs for everyday, practical cooking.

I just got Food to Live By and I love it! Beautiful pictures and the layout is gorgeous. I've skimmed through most of the book and it looks like the majority of recipes seem easy to prepare. I've even tried a few! I promise that the Ginger Snaps will make anyone who eats one you're your new best friend. The Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Feta Cheese was a amazing and the Whole Wheat Penne with Edamame, Portobellos, and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes was delicious. As a meat-eater, I was pleasantly surprised to find sections on meat and poultry as well as fish and shellfish. I plan on making the Brined Roast Turkey for the holidays.

This book is a must for anyone who wants to cook more healthfully, without sacrificing flavor and variety. It includes plenty of veggies and whole grains, but doesn't leave out dessert. Just don't expect to find a lot of canned goods or pre-packaged foods called for in these recipes - fresh and simple ingredients are key. I especially liked the helpful hints located in the side margins throughout the book about ingredients and food preparation.