Fast Food, Good Food

October 19, 2015
Bestselling author Weil (True Food; 8 Weeks to Optimum Health) shows home cooks how to prepare healthy meals without spending hours in the kitchen. Known for his belief in an anti-inflammatory diet, Weil includes a food pyramid and options for following an eating plan that he believes “can help your body maintain optimum health.” While health food staples such as kale, kasha, and quinoa have a strong presence in this worthy title, indulgent, flavor-packed options without much prep are in abundance, including salmon Niçoise with olive, spearmint, and caper vinaigrette; linguine with clams; and dark chocolate date and nut truffles. Cocktails also make the cut, including the Cortes Island Caesar, a version of a Bloody Mary, and Vermont Bluegrass, a shaken bourbon cocktail made with homemade maple cinnamon syrup. Readers will find that a handful of recipes include standard vegetarian options, such as swapping out the chicken for tofu in a spicy Szechuan stir-fry or cold buckwheat noodles with vegetables. Full-page color photos showcase dishes, artfully displaying the raw shredded carrots of Tunisian spiced carrot salad dressed in oil with garlic and spices and tucked in a radicchio leaf with a sidecar of crumbled feta. These lovely recipes and images remind the reader that eating healthy food doesn’t have to be difficult or boring.

September 15, 2015

In this light-handed anti-inflammatory diet cookbook, integrative medicine proponent Weil (True Food) shares appealing recipes that are easy to prepare. Elegant appetizers (e.g., walnut-crusted quince and manchego bites, lemony hummus with dukkah-spiced pita chips) will satisfy all manner of eaters, as will worldly mains (e.g., broiled halibut with green harissa, roasted salmon topped with sake-glazed shiitake). Weil includes plenty of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free recipes and steers clear of unconventional ingredients that appeared in his previous titles (e.g., sea buckthorn juice). Desserts such as triple chocolate brownies and coconut-lemon bars aren't guiltless, but they get a nutritional boost from olive oil and ground nuts. VERDICT Weil's accessible recipes will attract flexitarians, especially those with a penchant for seafood, vegetables, whole grains, and olive oil.

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