Customer Reviews

The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Amy Riolo has done it again! I've enjoyed her Arabian and Egyptian cookbooks, "Arabian Delights" and "Nile Style," both of which are food stained from frequent use, but "The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook" is the most user-friendly of the three. It includes bright, flavorful recipes from Spain to North Africa to the Levant that include mostly common ingredients such as chicken, olive oil, tomato, and fresh herbs with a touch of the exotic such as rose water, couscous, and arborio rice. Many of the recipes are simple to make for after work, requiring only one pot and a few ingredients, most of which are staples. Each recipe includes nutritional information and a tidbit about the origin of the recipe. Also, there are two helpful indexes, one divided by main ingredient/dish, and another divided by country. There are even recipes for spice mixes to use with the recipes in the book or for the cook's own creations. So far, my favorite dish is the chicken with carrots and leeks--perfect for a cold winter night, but I've also enjoyed the Dijon-glazed chicken, Moroccan chicken with lemon, Turkish chicken with tomatoes and yogurt, and the Caprese-style chicken. I'm looking forward to trying the salad and sorbet recipes during the summer, not to mention the seafood and soup recipes. This book will keep me busy for a while!

Amy Riolo's "The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook" is my new favorite cookbook. Although it is designed to be for people with diabetes, it is, in fact, a cookbook for anyone who enjoys tasty healthful food that is easy to prepare. She uses no artificial sweeteners, low fat or sugar-free ingredients - just fresh natural food from the garden, farm, and sea. Riolo is amazing at combining ingredients and flavors in a way that pleases both the eye and the palate. Her recipes are simple to prepare, delicious, and full of health benefits. She gives you a short background of the recipe's origin, the nutritional values of each dish, and suggested accompaniments. I have already made many of the dishes in the book and can't wait to try more!

enjoyed several recipie's, if you like to spend time in the kitchen cooking this is the book for u. nothing is quick, it take's time and skill to use this cookbook but it's worth it because "Moroccan Chicken with preserved lemons" was devine. this cookbook is good for vegan's because it has a whole section on vegan cooking.

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be very healthy. For me, I can tell when I eat this type of diet compared to the "Western Diet" with the salt, white flour, processed foods, etc. I eat as healthy as I can 99% of the time... but when traveling, which is now rare for me, I am not always able to follow the proper diet, and I can tell in my level of functioning.

The book has good detailed information on basics of the Mediterranean diet: What is Mediterranean Cuisine, Med. lifestyle and your diabetes meal planner, where to buy guide, and pantry items.

Chapter 1: Small Plates,
Chapter 2: Favorite Courses,
Chapter 3: Magical Mediterranean mains, The Spirit in Which Food is offered,
Chapter 4: Simple, Sensational Sides
Chapter 5: Sunny Salads
Chapter 6: Fantastic Finales
Chapter 7: Dramatic Drinks
Chapter 8: Bountiful Breads
Chapter 9: Flavorful Enhancers

I usually go through a new cookbook and make a note for the recipes that I wish to try a and prioritize them so I know which I want to try first... this book has a long list!

I especially like the detailed nutrition included for each recipe! A must have for healthy eating! All in all a very good cookbook for anyone diabetic or not!

I found "The Mediterranean Diabetes cookbook" format easy to read and the recipes a delicious change from needed

dietary restrictive menu. The preparation is easily done and the ingredients are not exotic or hard to shop for.

The final results are tasty and please a wide variety of taste buds...

These recipes will be long in my repertoire of every day and special meals for friends and family.

Cooking these recipes will make me look good and as well as make my life easier...


S.Simonet Damascus, Maryland

As with any kind of cookbook, one book certainly will never be everything to everyone. This work is certainly not an exception to that rule, but that being said, this is by far one of the best cookbooks written for those of us who have diabetes and it is most certainly the best one I have found dealing with food from this part of the world.

Now before I go further I want to make it quite clear that having to follow a dietary regimen is not the end of the world. This was a misconception I had when I was first diagnosed. I like food. My family likes food. Food is one of our hobbies; it is an important part of our lives. There is a fact that many people do not realize until they discover they have this condition and have really little choice other than changing their eating habits. This is the fact that your condition and diet restrictions pretty much effect most of those close to you; those that are sharing your meals with you in your home and those who prepare your meals for you or you them. Yes, the spouse or companion of the diabetic is also suddenly faced with many of the same changes that he patient is faced with...bummer!

Both my wife and I cook. I grant you that she dose more of the cooking than I do (I am though the undisputed dishwasher and cleaner-upper not matter who cooks), but no matter which of us prepares the meal, we both have to eat the same thing unless we want to go to the trouble of fixing two separate meals, which is really not an option in our case. No, my having diabetes has effected her life just as much as it has mine...that is the truth.

Ah, but that does not mean we have to suffer all that much; not with books such as The Mediterranean Diabetes Cookbook and others of this ilk. No, no, most certainly not! I have to tell you folks that there are many, many fine meals between the covers of this volume, enough to keep you well supplied with a wonderful variety of simply delicious things to eat!

We both like the Mediterranean style cooking; Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Greece...the entire region. If you like this sort of cooking, then this book will not disappoint! There is something in this one for everyone!

The recopies featured here are quite simply and easy to make for the most part...surprisingly so. There are not a lot of hard to find exotic ingredients included in any dish found in this book. The author presents us with eats that are free from processed sugar, preservatives and the rather unhealthy "stuff" we find in much of our food today. This is not only refreshing and comforting, but it makes for some wonderful eating. The directions are extremely easy to follow, extremely detailed and should present absolutely no problem even for the beginning cook. Everything about this book yells out "simplicity!"

We have tried out over twenty recipes in this work so far and have not been disappointed in one of them as to taste, preparation or variety. Also there is the factor of appearance...not an unimportant item when it comes to those of us who truly love food. These are all extremely attractive dishes which, for us, only enhance the eating pleasure.

The author has provided plenty of good nutritional information with each dish along with a nice little history of how the dish originated...a nice touch I think. Our personal favorites in this book are the various chicken dishes. For those of you who are vegetarian or vegan, you have not been forgotten.

It is sort of a shame that this book as the word "diabetes" in the title because to be honest, the book is a wonderful addition to any cookbook collection for people who are simply interested in eating healthy. I hope the title does not put people off.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

As a beginner cook, I was pleased that the recipes in this book were easy to make. Also, they are absolutely delicious! I bought this book after my husband, who is 30, was diagnosed with Type II diabetes. He ate red meat and fast food almost every day, and he was not looking forward to changing his lifestyle when he was diagnosed. So imagine my surprise when he gobbled down the meals I cooked from this book! I would definitely recommend it!

This is a great book. Easy to understand instructions and tips with ingredients that can easily be obtained in grocery stores. It also features a section on how to make and store your own spice blends. Some blends may prove harder to find and having recipes to make your own really makes the job easy.
I have tried several of the meals and find them easy to prepare, wonderful in taste and very presentable on the table.
Even if you don't suffer from diabetes, this is a great fresh food/healthy eating collection.

This cookbook has some of the best recipes I've seen, diabetic or not. I can't wait to try some of them. It's encouraging to know that we don't have to be stuck with a boring and bland diet.

Amy Riolo is a master at helping people feel at home in the kitchen. She mixes clear easy to follow directions with interesting history about foods and heartwarming stories about sharing meals with loved ones. Reading her cookbook is a bit like visiting in her kitchen. It is like cooking with a friend. This is MORE THAN A COOKBOOK!