The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook [Hardcover]

Arthur Agatston MD (Author)

Book Description

Series: The South Beach Diet | Publication Date: May 15, 2007

What better way to enjoy the relaxed, healthy South Beach Diet lifestyle than with a cookbook that celebrates the best foods of summer from garden and market? The 150 all-new quick and healthy recipes in The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook capture the casual, sunny essence of Florida's popular South Beach--and other warm climates around the world.

Whatever phase of the diet you're on, you'll find ideas for breezy breakfasts; crisp salads and light summer sandwiches; innovative grilling ideas for meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish; tempting vegetarian entrées; refreshing desserts; and cooling summer drinks. Imagine sitting at an outdoor table with family and friends enjoying Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho, Grilled Shrimp Caesar, South Beach Diet Tiramisu, and Iced Pom-Mojito Spritzers--just a few of the refreshing recipes to be found in this book. But this is more than just a summer cookbook. Tips throughout remind readers that grilling is a year-round pastime and that many of the recipes can be easily adapted to what's freshest in the season. You'll also get Sample Meal Plans for Phases 1 and 2, a glossary of key ingredients used in the book, and dozens of ideas for maximizing the bounty of the garden. The 60 beautiful full-page color photographs show just how appealing summertime recipes can be.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arthur Agatston, M.D., is a preventive cardiologist and associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In 1995, Dr. Agatston developed the South Beach Diet to help his cardiac and diabetes patients improve their blood chemistries and lose weight. Since then, his book The South Beach Diet and its companion titles have sold more than 22 million copies. Dr. Agatston has published more than 100 scientific articles and abstracts in medical journals, and recently he received the prestigious Alpha Omega Award from New York University Medical Center for outstanding achievement in the medical profession. He lives in Miami Beach with his wife, Sari.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (May 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594864454
• ISBN-13: 978-1594864452
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Diet > Low Carbohydrate

More About the Author

Arthur Agatston, MD
Leading Preventive Cardiologist and Creator and Author of the South Beach Diet

Dr. Arthur Agatston is a leading preventive cardiologist and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. A pioneer in the field of noninvasive cardiac imaging, Dr. Agatston's scientific work with Dr. Warren Janowitz, first reported in 1991, resulted in the Agatston Score, a method for screening for coronary calcium that is currently used throughout the world and considered by many experts to be the best predictor of heart disease.

Dr. Agatston has had published more than 100 scientific articles and abstracts in medical journals, including the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Circulation, the American Journal of Cardiology, and the Annals of Internal Medicine. He is a frequent lecturer on diet, health, and the prevention of heart disease both nationally and internationally and participates as a speaker, faculty member, and organizer of numerous academic cardiology meetings and symposia. Dr. Agatston has also served as an expert consultant to the Clinical Trials Committee of the National Institutes of Health and has served on committees of the American Society of Echocardiography, the American College of Cardiology, and the Society of Atherosclerosis Imaging. He is currently on the board of directors of the Society for Heart Attack Prevention and Eradication (SHAPE) and the American Dietetic Association Foundation. Recently, Dr. Agatston received the prestigious Alpha Omega Award from New York University Medical Center for outstanding achievement in the medical profession.

In 1995, Dr. Agatston developed a diet to help his cardiac and diabetes patients improve their blood chemistries and lose weight. His eating plan worked so well that a Miami TV station asked if it could offer the diet to its viewers. Hundreds of South Floridians went on the diet and lost weight three years running, and its popularity eventually led to the publication of Dr. Agatston's first book, The South Beach Diet, in 2003. Today, the South Beach Diet is a lifestyle approach to healthy eating for millions of people worldwide. There are more than 23 million copies of The South Beach Diet and its companion books currently in print worldwide, including: The South Beach Diet Cookbook (2004); The South Beach Diet Good Fats/Good Carbs Guide (2004); The South Beach Diet Quick & Easy Cookbook (2005); The South Beach Diet Dining Guide (2005); The South Beach Diet Parties & Holidays Cookbook (2006); The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook (2007), The South Beach Heart Health Revolution (2008), The South Beach Diet Supercharged (2008), and his most recent book, The South Beach Diet Super Quick Cookbook (2010). Today Dr. Agatston can also be found on the Web at SouthBeachDiet.com, EverdayHealth.com, and Prevention.com. He also writes a monthly column on preventing heart disease for Prevention magazine.

In 2004, Dr. Agatston founded the nonprofit Agatston Research Foundation for the purpose of conducting and funding original research on diet, cardiac health, and disease prevention. The Foundation is dedicated to improving the heart health and wellness of the nation through research, education, and prevention. In the fall of 2004 the foundation implemented the Healthier Options for Pubic Schoolchildren (HOPS) initiative to provide nutrition and healthy lifestyle education programming, including daily physical activity, to more than 50,000 elementary school children nationally. Data from the initiative, presented at national conferences including those of the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, and published in 2010 in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, show that children in HOPS schools improved their weight, blood pressures, and academic test scores more so than children in non-HOPS schools. Today the foundation is also working with the University of Pennsylvania on the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative to further pursue better nutrition in public schools and with the Mayo Clinic and the University of Miami on research projects dedicated to developing healthier lifestyles and to the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Dr. Agatston lives in Miami Beach with his wife, Sari.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasty, May 31, 2007

By 

Jay K. "just a thought..." - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook (Hardcover)

In a previous book, Dr. Agatston gives a recipe for Shrimp Gazpacho (doesn't sound as good as it is) that takes less than 5 minutes to prepare and is one of my all time favorites. It's hard to believe that food which is so easy to prepare can be good for you and taste so good. And, in my quest to lose a few pounds and get ready for summer (and a class reunion!) my cholesterol has dropped from 265 to 189. I have never been able to budge that number, so I am very grateful.

So, I was glad to see this book come out and it has not disappointed. It is filled with the same kind of recipes as some of the other South Beach books, but with a special section on grilling and grilled foods, and an emphasis on quick to fix, light fare made from ingredients that are fresh and available in the summer. I look for recipes that don't have too long a list of ingredients, so that it is easy and less expensive. This book is filled with them!

I won't list a lot of the recipes as I see that other reviewers have already done that, but what's also nice about this book is that there are recipes given that can be doubled or tripled and fixed for a crowd, taking into account the way we live in the summer, like Easy Summer Chicken Chili. And, each recipe has a paragraph written about it that gives hints like what cuts of meat are less expensive, and what each recipe is providing nutritionally and the ease of preparation. Statements like, "If you don't have all the fresh herbs called for here, simply double up on the ones you do have." makes it easy on the 'becoming ever so much slimmer' cook!

A round of applause for the doctor, please. He's done it again.

90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Ingredients, Simple Preparation, Tips for Saving Time, and Tasty Experiences for Losing Weight and Being Healthier, July 12, 2007

By 

Donald Mitchell "Jesus Loves You!" (Thanks for Providing My Reviews over 109,000 Helpful Votes Globally) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook (Hardcover)

Think of this book as Rachael Ray meets the South Beach Diet. Every dish is simple to prepare and healthy.

If you know of more tasty, easy-to-prepare dishes that are healthy and support a lower weight, you'll eat better. My suggestion for you is that you acquire all the South Beach Diet cookbooks you can. The Taste of Summer Cookbook will be one that you'll cherish because the recipes take great advantage of the fresh foods available at low cost during the summer.

My experience with the South Beach Diet has been just amazing. Follow the diet, and the excess weight effortlessly disappears. Add quantities of foods unapproved on the diet, and the weight piles on like magic.

This book came along at just the right time for me. I was ready for some taste variations from what I normally eat to lost weight on the South Beach Diet. I feel very motivated to try these dishes and to drop the foods that I shouldn't be eating!

I thought the weakest part of the book came in the breakfasts. But that limitation is more than made up for in the great choices of soups, sandwiches, and salads for the rest of the day.

There are separate sections for seafood, poultry, meat dishes, and vegetarians so you can match your protein sources to your taste and health preferences. If you are like me, you'll be thrilled to see the many suggestions on page 11 to add even more flavor.

Each recipe tells you how long it takes to prepare, marinate, cook, and rest before serving. You also find out which stage of the diet the recipe fits. You'll also learn how many people are served. Naturally, Dr. Agatston gives you the per-serving quantities of calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and sodium.

The book contains lots of good suggestions for preparing ingredients in advance to make it easier to serve future meals.

Here are some of the recipes that most interested me:

Soups

Chilled roasted red and yellow pepper soup with avocado salsa
Canadian spiced chilled tomato soup
Curried summer squash soup
Cucumber soup with grilled shrimp and dill
Heirloom tomato gazpacho
White gazpacho
Garden white bean soup

Sandwiches

Club
Mediterranean vegetable
Monkfish and shrimp rolls
Cape Cod sandwiches with homemade tartar sauce
Chipotle rubbed steak wraps
Pulled turkey

Salads

Green and yellow beans with fresh mozzarella and pine nuts
Poached chicken, zucchini, and wheat berry
Greek
Endive with walnuts
Jicama with creamy cilantro dressing
Romaine hearts with tuna, edamame, and green goddess dressing
Grilled Southwest steak, radish, and blue cheese
Baby greens with tiny tomatoes, fresh herbs, and toasted pistachios
Macaroni
Sweet potato
Slaw with sesame dressing
Spanish rice with pumpkin seeds
Citrusy hot pepper slaw
Grilled shrimp with chile lime dressing
Chicken with peanuts
Grilled pork and plum salad with almond gremolata

Seafood

Blackened tuna with greens
Lemony poached halibut with creamy cucumbers
Paella
Crab and shrimp cakes with caper sauce
Grilled fish tacos with spicy melon salsa
Spicy BBQ shrimp and rice
Tropical shrimp and rice
Bouillabaisse

Poultry

Grilled chicken with Asian plum sauce
Spicy chicken and black bean tacos
Grilled chicken fajitas
Jerk chicken with romaine salad
Chicken chili

Meat

Chimichurri burgers
Beef satay with peanut sauce
Herb marinated sirloin with asparagus and tomatoes
Pork kebabs with scallion chili paste
Grilled steak with Texas mop sauce
Feta-stuffed sirloin burgers
Moroccan spice-rubbed pork chops

Vegetarian

Indian curry

Sweets

Nectarines and plums with blue cheese and hazelnuts
Chocolate cherry truffles
Raspberry ices
Peach pops

Beverages

Mango lassi
Iced pom mojito spritzers

The book concludes with sample meal plans for phase one and two of the diet.

If you are like me, you'll be thrilled with the many gorgeous photographs that make the dishes come to life. Seeing how to present the dishes will make your cooking turn out to be even more appealing.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for summer or all year around, May 15, 2007

By 

bookfan2004 "bookfan2004" (Fogelsville, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook (Hardcover)

There's something about the abundance of fresh ingredients in the summer that inspires me to be more adventurous in the kitchen. This newest edition to the fabulous South Beach Diet cookbook library is a winner. I've tried about six of the recipes so far and have several more on the agenda for this week. The family particularly liked PULLED TURKEY SANDWICHES (page 131) and the SPICY CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN TACOS(page 137) which are so quick and easy, you'll love them too. The GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PEACH-LIME SALSA is a great dish to serve guests (page 150)and the nifty idea of using whole wheat tortillas to make homemade pizza is delicious. But my favorite is page 196, SOUTH BEACH DIET TIRAMISU. Love this book. Thank you Dr. Agatston.