The Very Best Of Recipes for Health: 250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com [Hardcover]

Martha Rose Shulman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 31, 2010

From the celebrated NYTimes.com food columnist come her favorite ways to use seasonal produce and a well-stocked pantry to create easy, nutritious meals every day of the week

From its inception, “Recipes for Health” has been one of the New York Times’s most-read (and e-mailed) features, showing health-conscious readers fast, no-fuss ways to turn seasonal produce, whole grains, and other nutritious ingredients into easy weeknight meals. Now, the most popular have been gathered into one comprehensive, convenient volume.

Shulman shows how to fill your refrigerator, freezer, and cabinets with healthy staples such as beans, grains, extra virgin olive oil, tuna, eggs, yogurt, and tomato sauce, so that you are prepared to cook delicious dishes like Asparagus and Herb Frittata, Quinoa Salad with Lime Ginger Dressing and Shrimp, or Pizza Marinara with Tuna and Capers in minutes. Vegans and vegetarians will discover an entire selection of tofu recipes, from stir-fries to sandwiches, and even a tofu cheesecake. Those who frequent the farmers’ market will appreciate her extensive collection of dishes for virtually every vegetable under the sun.

Full of lists, explanations, and tips, The Very Best of Recipes for Health will help you cook and eat better all year long.

 

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN is the author of more than 25 books. Her articles have appeared in Bon Appétit and Food & Wine magazines, and she has been featured on national media. Her column appears daily on NYTimes.com. She lives in Los Angeles

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1605295736
• ISBN-13: 978-1605295732
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

For over 30 years I have been writing cookbooks devoted to eating well. A pioneer in vegetarian cooking, I began my career in 1973 at the age of 23. This was long before well-educated people from upper middle class backgrounds fantasized about becoming the next Food Network star or owning a successful restaurant. I was then a student at The University of Texas at Austin. I changed my major every semester, but my passion for cooking and for giving dinner parties was unwavering. I also had an interest in health, and combined the two in my approach to food, drawing upon many of the world's cuisines to create vegetarian dishes that were much better than the standard brown rice fare of the early 1970s. Culturally I was very much a product of my era, but as far as my cooking was concerned, I have always been way ahead of my time.
Once I'd had my epiphany about my calling, I developed a series of vegetarian cooking classes that I taught through the University of Texas Extension, and I opened a private "supper club" in my home. Every Thursday for two years I prepared a sit-down 3-course dinner for 30 people. My cozy "home restaurant" allowed me all the fun and few of the headaches of running a public restaurant, and at the same time gave me a place to experiment and develop a repertoire of dishes to showcase. I also learned to cook for a crowd. Soon I had a vegetarian catering service; I catered everything from breakfasts in bed and dinners for two to wedding receptions and conferences for two hundred.
I had also been, all along, a writer in search of a subject. I knew that I would write a cookbook, and when The Vegetarian Feast came out in 1979, my career had evolved from cook/caterer to food writer and cookbook author. The Vegetarian Feast won a 1979 Tastemaker Award (a precursor of the prestigious James Beard Awards) for Best Book, Health and Special Diets category, and remains in print.
I was never doctrinaire about vegetarian cooking; I just felt that I'd had my quota of meat by the time I reached the age of 21. I admired all good cooks, especially Julia Child, with whom I corresponded. In my first letter to her, a fan letter dated September 2, 1976 in which I described my cooking classes and my supper club, my catering service and the book I was trying to get published, I told her I was "trying to shed a new light on vegetarianism, to present it as an unmysterious, classical, and memorable cuisine. The art of cooking with an emphasis on nutrition as well as flavor is my interest, and because I am a vegetarian my cuisine is a meatless one."
Two years after the publication of The Vegetarian Feast I moved to Paris, where I continued to write cookbooks and articles, revived my Supper Club, and became a much better cook. During the twelve years I lived in France I traveled extensively in the Mediterranean to research its many cuisines. My book Mediterranean Light was published in 1989, just as the benefits of the Mediterranean diet were coming to light in the United States. The region continues to be my richest source of culinary inspiration.
To date, I have 27 cookbooks to my name. My work has been of a piece; not all of my books are vegetarian, but they all have a healthy focus. Several of my books have been nominated for cookbook awards and three have won them. In addition to the 1979 Tastemaker Award for The Vegetarian Feast, I've received the following nominations and prizes for my work:
*2001: International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP), The Best Vegetarian Recipes, Nominee, Single Subject category
*1995 James Beard Awards, Great Breads, Nominee, Bread and Pastry category
*1994 Bertolli Olive Oil Award, Provençal Light, First Prize, Health and Special Diets category, Julia Child Awards
*1991 International Association of Culinary Professionals, Entertaining Light, First Prize, Health and Diet category
*1991 James Beard Awards, Entertaining Light, Nominee, Entertaining category
*1989 Tastemaker, Mediterranean Light, Nominee, Health and Special Diets category
*1988 Tastemaker, Supper Club chez Martha Rose, Nominee, Entertaining category

My cooking continues to evolve, as I hone and simplify my recipes to make them accessible to a wide range of cooks. I feel that I have played a role in improving the eating habits of many Americans, particularly since I began writing a daily recipe feature called Recipes for Health for the health section of The New York Times on the Web, in 2008. Its purpose is to empower people to cook healthy meals every day by giving them straightforward, delicious recipes. Each week's column is themed around a fresh ingredient from the market, a pantry item or a type of dish, with a new recipe posted every day. The reader response has been enthusiastic; my recipes regularly appear in the "10 Most Emailed" list on the health page. It has been extremely satisfying to know that I am reaching so many people and having an impact on their cooking.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Practical and Healthy Recipes October 24, 2010

By Joe

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a fan of Ms. Shulman's recipes from the NY Times. My wife and I have always been impressed with the simplicity and healthiness of the ingredients. While we are not vegetarians, the recipes in this book are meatless, but some use fish. For want of a better description, they tend to be Mediterranean in style. I recommend especially the red beet with Greek yogurt recipe. We have found the yogurt sauce, which is heavily flavored with fresh garlic and dill, to be useful on many other veggies and even as a spread of its own. It can be kept safely in the refrigerator for several days. I recommend this book to anyone interested in healthy and easy to prepare dishes.

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great to have NYT recipes in one location October 12, 2010

By Tashi

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have enjoyed a number of Ms. Shulman's recipes in the New York Times, and that prompted the book purchase. After a quick read-through, there seem to be a number of typo's. In the first recipe I tried for carrot salad, the ingredient list calls for 2 TBS olive or canola oil followed by 2 TBS olive oil... And In the couscous section, the pointer to more couscous recipes is labeled "artichoke" recipes. Aside from poor editing, I plan to try many of the recipes.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This makes healthy delicious! May 2, 2012

By Margaret Martindale

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

The Very Best of Recipes for Health:
250 Recipes and More from the Popular Feature on NYTimes.com
By Martha Rose Shulman
Photography by Andrew Scrivani

A review by Marty Martindale, Editor, FoodsiteMagazine.com

This is a beautiful cookbook written by a proven food veteran, and her healthy offerings are very appealing!

Here's a summary of several we like:

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKPEA SALAD
Shulman adds parsley, red bell pepper, tomatoes, red onion kalamata olives and feta cheese.

WARM POTATO SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE
This calls for wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, black pepper, olive oil. Yukon Gold potatoes, black pepper, red onion, parsley, goat cheese and sage leaves.

HOT YOGURT SOUP WITH BARLEY AND CILANTRO
Olive oil, onion, garlic, barley, stock, cornstarch, yogurt, cilantro and lemon juice

CAULIFLOWER GRATIN WITH GOAT CHEESE TOPPING
Cauliflower, olive oil, thyme, garlic, goat cheese, milk and bread crumbs

GRILLED CORN ON THE COB WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE
Corn, garlic, chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, mayonnaise and Greek-style yogurt

MASHED POTATOES WITH KALE (COLCANNON)
Russet potatoes, kale, milk, green onions and olive oil

SWEET POTATO PUREE WITH APPLES
Baked sweet potatoes, apples, yogurt, butter and honey

PASTA WITH TUNA AND OLIVES
Water-packed tuna, olive oil, garlic, parsley, tomato sauce, red0pepper flakes, black olives, farfalle pasta and Parmesan cheese

BUCKWHEAT PASTA WITH KALE
Butter, olive oil, leeks, sage leave s, kale, buckwheat pasta, Parmesan and Fontina cheese

ASPARAGUS AND HERB FRITTATA
Asparagus, eggs, milk, parsley, herbs, Parmesan cheese and olive oil

HUEVOS RANCHEROS
Tortillas, tomatoes, chile peppers, garlic, onion, canola oil, eggs, cilantro and queso fresco

CATALAN CHICKPEA STEW
Chickpeas, bay leaf, olive oil, onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, thyme and red pepper flakes

BLACK BEAN ENCHILADAS
Black beans, canola oil, cumin seeds, chili powder, tomato sauce, grated sharp Cheddar, tortillas, chopped walnuts (optional), cilantro, salsa fresca

WHITE BEANS WITH CELERY
Olive oil, celery and its leaves, garlic, tomato sauce, parsley and lemon juice.

SPANISH-STYLE SHRIMP WITH GARLIC (GAMBAS AL AJILLO)
Shrimp, olive oil, paprika, garlic, bay leaf, dried red chile pepper and parsley

Enjoy.