Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals: Eat Healthy Without Going to Extremes (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Part of Ray's appeal to legions of Food TV fans is her loose, nonnitpicky approach to cooking at home. Every meal she presents can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, and she consistently emphasizes simplicity and nonfussiness. So it's no surprise that Ray's contribution to the supposedly waning low-carb cookbook genre does not strictly adhere to the diet. Ray adores carbohydrates—"I cannot and will not eat without them"—and she believes consuming them "in moderation" is a healthy option. This selection of recipes, then, does include pasta dishes, but Ray wisely makes them heavy on the meat and vegetables and low on pasta (a half pound for every four entrées). Her devoted viewers will delight at the prospect of Bucatini with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions; Creamy Polenta and Bolognese Sauce; and Eggplant and Wild Mushroom Pasta with Ricotta Salata. Other chapters are just as appealing, offering ideas for main course salads, as well as meat and fish dishes, burgers, soups, snacks and desserts. In keeping with her low-maintenance style, Ray is lax with her instructions, calling for "a couple slices of smoked salmon" in one recipe, and "2 tablespoons vegetable oil (eyeball it)" in another. Ray's standard chatty demeanor, which comes through loud and clear, coupled with interesting, varied recipes, make this book a winner. (Apr.)
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Product Description

No pasta? No dessert? No way! Everything in moderation, says Rachael Ray. After all, some days only chocolate or spaghetti will hit the spot.

In Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Get Real Meals, the bestselling cookbook author and Food Network star serves up another helping of creative, hassle-free recipes that are ready to rock your tastebuds in less than thirty minutes. The latest addition to Rachael’s runaway hit series of 30-Minute Meals cookbooks is designed for cooks who want to look and feel great but long for the fun and the flavor that’s missing from their extreme low-carb meals. Why fill your shopping cart and your stomach with processed, low-carb cereals and breads that taste like cardboard when you can eat the foods you crave? Here, at last, are recipes for those who just cannot and will not live totally carb-free: Pasta dinners made mostly with proteins and vegetables and only a couple of ounces of pasta per servings, fresh Thai and Mexican lettuce wraps, take-out-style stir-frys, and tons of burger ideas—with and without the buns. And when you’ve just got to satisfy that sweet tooth, even nonbakers (like Rachael) will flip for Nutty Creamsicle Pie, Stuffed Roasted Strawberries, and other surprisingly easy dessert recipes.

With more than 150 new dishes, plenty of time-saving tips, and a generous serving of Rachael's “you can do it” attitude, 30-Minute Get Real Meals proves you don’t have to go to extremes to eat healthy.

Rachael Ray confesses that there’s pasta in her pantry, and she isn’t afraid to admit that chili is just an excuse to snack on corn chips. On the other hand, she also confesses that it’s more fun to shop for clothes when she’s eating fewer carbs. So what’s a carb-frustrated cook to do these days? Don’t go to extremes, says the force of nature behind Food Network’s 30-Minute Meals. Get real! With a little creativity and less than half an hour, now you can watch your carbs and eat them, too. Satisfy your carb-starved cravings and still mind that waistline with more than 150 healthy, delicious recipes—including Rachael’s first-ever section devoted just to desserts:

•Snacks and Super-Supper Snacks

•Burgers Gone Wild

•Take a Dip: Fondues

•Salads that Stack Up

•That’s Souper

•Well-Rounded Square Meals

•Pasta: Come Home Again

•Desserts? Yes, Desserts!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Clarkson Potter (March 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400082536
• ISBN-13: 978-1400082537
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,165 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

132 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT TOO LOW CARB FROM RACHAEL, April 7, 2005

By	Tim Janson (Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Well, low carb has been all the rage for sometime now although the fad seems to be slowing down somewhat. But not before TV's spunkiest cook can put her stamp on low carb as Rachael Ray does in her latest book. At 256 pages this is Rachael's largest book yet. I've never quite been able to get meals done in 30 minutes. i guess it probably helps having good editors and a staff but even at 45 minutes or so I've enjoyed every one of Rachael's books. It's good food where taste is first, not fancy presntation and ingredients that have you haunting exotic food stores to find.

The recipes here are not all that low-carb so don't be put off by thinking it's a diet cook book. It's just another great one from Rachael where carbs are used in moderation, but not at the sacrifice of taste. Call them good-sense carb recipes as opposed to low-carb. There's plenty of bread and pasta to be found inside. With all her books the emphasis is on good food and good food done fast and this one, like the previous ones, is right on the mark. Wonderful Italian and Mexican dishes, burgers, even desserts. And it all comes to you in Rachael's endearing, homey way of writing that comes across so well on TV. With her new publisher now being a part of Random House, the book is much more well-presented than her previous ones. Bolder colors that stand out and just plain look better.

Another winner from Rachael!

58 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Great Cookbook, November 18, 2005

By	Sally Engel (Murfreesboro, TN) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I really enjoy cooking, but sometimes the thought of being in the kitchen for hours is a little too much to handle. Enter this fantastic cookbook that contains delicious, healthy and super fast meals. To be able to cook a good meal in the time it takes to defrost and cook a frozen entree in the oven is a real treat.

All the dishes that I've prepared from this cookbook have been extraordinary. You can tell that they are all well thought out in that they are very tasteful and the tastes all compliment eachother instead of competing. (Thank you Rachael for your Creamy Polenta and Bolognese Sauce!)

Probably my favorite thing about this cookbook (besides the super fast meal prep) is the inclusion of carbs. I know that everyone is saying no to carbs, but I just can't say no altogether and finally someone (Rachael Ray) agrees with me: carbs in moderation is OK.

This is an all around great cookbook and I'm glad to have it in my kitchen.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not strictly "low carb" but close enough, November 14, 2005

By	K. Corn "reviewer" (Indianapolis,, IN United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

We have one Atkins fanatic in our family and several other people, including kids, who want their rice and bread and starches. I've found that the vast majority of recipes in this book can be adapted to suit both tastes.

If you buy any of Rachel Ray's books, you should be prepared to "tweak" them a bit to your personal taste, something she actually encourages. She tells readers to "eyeball" 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil or notes that she puts on a "large piece" of salmon. Clearly, precise measurements aren't her strong suit but I actually like this. It encourages cooks to use her recipes as starting points for their own variations.

Don't worry about going wrong if you put in a bit too much of one ingredient or another. There is plenty of room for experimentation while still allowing the recipes to come out wonderfully.

If you're looking for something that follows ATkins to the smallest detail, this book does not. But if you are familiar with the basics of low-carb cooking and know how to adapt recipes to fit the plan, this book should be just fine. Expect to fine her usual standbys such as EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) but she goes beyond the norm by making reasonable and healthy substitutes for pasta and other high-carb foods.