American Wholefoods Cuisine (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Cooking maven M.F.K. Fisher gave her approval to these 1,300 high-fiber, low-fat, low-sugar, and low-salt vegetarian recipes. And for someone who lived for flavorful food, that's sure saying something. The Goldbecks have been fixtures in the American whole-foods movement for more than a decade, and here they have thoroughly succeeded with their goal of creating "mouth-watering food that tastes great and happens to be healthful."

They call the whole-foods diet a "Darwinian" one because it's similar to the diet that our ancestors followed 50,000 years ago--"foods provided by our habitat." The Goldbecks write, "Just as we cannot put unleaded gasoline in our 1950 Chevy pickup and expect it to run efficiently, modern technological foods may be inappropriate for our prehistoric bodies." The simplicity of this theory is outstanding, although rushed lifestyles and the ubiquity of convenience foods make it easy to eat overprocessed, unnutritious junk at every meal. With most of its delicious recipes utilizing seven or fewer ingredients, however, American Wholefoods Cuisine can help you take the plunge into a healthier way of feeding your body. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

When it was originally published in 1983, this cookbook was an innovation, spreading the gospel of meatless living and whole grains to a country that still believed in juicy steaks and buttered potatoes. Recently reissued, the volume no longer seems ground-breaking; tofu and brown rice are workaday ingredients, and the phrase "Whole Foods" suggests an upmarket grocery store more than a healthful way of eating. Nevertheless, this book maintains its appeal by including simple, tasty recipes, globally inspired and easy to prepare. Pissaladiere Nicoise, a French pizza-like pastry, is a delicious snack, light on the cheese but heavy on the peppery spices. Mexican Corn Soup, which the authors call a "minor protein," is creamy and fiery at the same time. And while Stuffed Cabbage Stroganoff takes its cues from Russia, the ingredients (including soy sauce and nonfat dry milk powder) make the final product taste strictly American-yet still delicious. Desserts are virtuous but tasty; it's hard to argue with Fresh Peach Cake, even if the recipe does substitute honey and maple syrup for sugar. There are no photographs in the book, however, and few illustrations, so whether or not that cake is supposed to be brown on the bottom is anyone's guess.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 580 pages
• Publisher: Ceres Press; 2nd edition (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886101116
• ISBN-13: 978-1886101111
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #261,372 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm on my second copy, February 14, 2005

By	bda - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Wholefoods Cuisine: Over 1300 Meatless, Wholesome Recipes from Short Order to Gourmet (Plume) (Paperback)

I am not only astounded that anyone would give this excellent cookbook 1-star, but I'm equally astounded that Amazon would pick that one as its Spotlight Review. Every other reviewer gave this cookbook 5-stars. And so do I. This is by far the best cookbook I own. I completely wore out my first copy. Not only are the recipes delicious, but the ingredients used are mainly items you can purchase in a normal supermarket...a big plus for those of us who don't live within easy access to exotic markets. These recipes are great for the person who just wants to improve their diet, as well as for the hard-core vegetarian. Even meat-eaters would enjoy this food. I can't recommend it highly enough. I only hope that someday the Goldbecks come out with a new and expanded version!

Good job!

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent cookbook...but wish it were more vegan-friendly, September 4, 2001

By	Anna (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Wholefoods Cuisine: Over 1300 Meatless, Wholesome Recipes from Short Order to Gourmet (Plume) (Paperback)

The recipes in this cookbook are great. There are meals for every cooking skill level, and for almost all tastes (excluding meat, of course). The recipes don't include refined ingredients, opting instead for whole wheat pasta, brown rice, molasses, etc. The recipes are filling and delicious. Of all the recipes I've tried in this cookbook (and I've tried LOTS), there's maybe two that I didn't care for.

One of my favorite things: There's a detailed section on bread baking, which has been very helpful. (The pumpkin pan rolls are some of the best dinner rolls I've ever had.)

One thing to note is that this cookbook was written some time ago, so it can seem a bit...stodgy...at times, especially considering how far vegetarian cuisine has come in recent years. But I really enjoy classic (and, yes, sometimes stodgy) dishes, full of lentils and brown rice and the like. The barley-mushroom soup is amazing.

But here's the downside. Since falling in love with this cookbook, I've gone vegan. And there's a lot of eggs and dairy used in this book. Some substitutions are easy to make (soy milk for cow's milk, for example), but others aren't. I used to use this cookbook several nights a week, but now it's more like once or twice a month.

All in all, I recommend this cookbook, particularly for people who don't believe that meatless meals can be good. It was the first vegetarian cookbook I bought, and because of it I realized that doing without meat is not only possible, but very tasty!

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another happy user chimes in...., March 16, 2005

By	Anthony R. Garner Jr. "Food connoisseur" (Eastern NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: American Wholefoods Cuisine: Over 1300 Meatless, Wholesome Recipes from Short Order to Gourmet (Plume) (Paperback)

This is mainly in response to the member who rated this book one star. I have been thoroughly happy with this book, and also am on my second copy. My wife, I and the rest of my family, as well as the many guests we have entertained with the recipes have nothing but good to say about it. If you want recipes for real food, not just gourmet vegetarian recipes with over=priced ingredients, this is the book for you. I feel the Goldbecks went out of their way to write this book and helped many of us in doing so. I am sorry the person who rated the book 1 star had such a bad experience with the book. If she wants to get rid of it, I'll send her my address to take it off her hands.