Wednesday, July 14, 2021

Clean Eating Kitchen: The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook: Quick and Easy High-Protein, Low-Sugar, Healthy-Fat Recipes for Lifelong Health

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The Low-Carb Mediterranean Cookbook is a fusion tutorial cookbook with recipes which are Mediterranean inspired in addition to being low-carb and high-protein written and developed by Michelle Dudash. Released 6th July 2021 by Quarto on their Fair Winds Press imprint, it's 176 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

The author offers a science based clinically responsible view of diet (she's a registered nutritionist with more than 20 years in the field) and physiological responses to the foods we eat and has developed recipes which support gut & heart health, reduce inflammation and mostly adhere to the Mediterranean diet. The recipes are appealing and tasty and pretty easy to make. (I'm not a wizard in the kitchen by -anyone's- criteria - and I managed to make several entirely creditable dishes following the recipes). 

A short introduction and background to the diet and ingredient choices is followed by the recipes arranged thematically by category: starters, plant based meals, seafood, chicken beef pork & lamb, veggie side dishes, and sweets. Recipes include an introduction, ingredients in a bullet-style list in a sidebar with American standard measures as well as standard (metric) units (yay!!) followed by step-by-step instructions. Prep & cook time, yields, and nutritional information are provided in a footer bar at the bottom of the page. Ingredients will be readily available at most well stocked grocery stores - there's a strong emphasis on unprocessed "clean" foods, so the recipes don't include pre-made pre-processed ingredients.

Roughly 25% of the recipes are accompanied by photos. The pictures are clear and colorful and serving suggestions are attractive and appropriate. Portions as written in the recipes are generous and nearly all of them are things which would be readily accepted by my slightly picky kids. These dishes are family friendly and tasty. 

One observation: many of the low carb dishes I've seen tend to ignore any vegetables which aren't broccoli and cauliflower (save me from one more bite of cauli-"rice" no matter how much curry powder it has in it). This book is full of tasty vegetables in addition to the staple duo of broccoli and cauliflower (although there are a few cauli-rice dishes ... the risotto was delicious and it almost made me love cauliflower - almost). 

Four stars. Well written and encouraging, beautifully photographed and nicely presented dishes. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

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