Women’s Heart Disease

Gizmo:

Rating

This cookbook is several inches thick and does not have pictures. Please don’t let that discourage you. If you’re serious about healthy, heart-friendly cooking, this is the cookbook you need. I’m an experienced cook and have tons of cookbooks, but I’m turning more and more to this “all-in-one” cookbook that I can trust to have a healthy recipe for just about anything I have a taste for that day/week. You will SO appreciate that they give heart-healthy recipes for “basics” (gravies, sauces, basic breads, basic salads, etc.). This morning I whipped up a quick bowl of tuna salad to have for my lunch today. It’s the best tuna salad I’ve ever made (and the healthiest), made with light mayo/nonfat yogurt, chopped tomatoes and green onions, cilantro, and lemon zest. There are hundreds of interesting entree recipes, mostly using ingredients you’ll already have on your shelves. When “special” ingredients are called for, the book often gives a more common substitution – but do yourself a huge favor and stock your pantry with as many special ingredients as you can and keep your fridge stocked with lots of fresh produce. I’ve found that the key to success in lowfat cooking is to be prepared to jazz up recipes with spices and various bottled items without having to run to the grocery store. Also, keep citrus on hand – lemons and limes are called for in many heart-friendly recipes and completely transform some foods (like the lemon zest in the tuna salad). Some of the recipe introductions also tell you how you can use the leftovers in another recipe – Sweet-Spice Glazed Chicken can become Island Chicken Salad with Mint later in the week. For a busy Mom who doesn’t want to always serve the same old boring meals to my family, those suggestions are helpful. It saves time hunting thru cookbooks and simplifies my grocery shopping. If you’re serious about cooking more healthfully, you’ll be happy you got this book!

Zinta Aistars:

Rating

When a heart important to my heart was told by his doctor that he has high blood pressure, my own went up. All priorities suddenly shift, and you realize there is nothing but nothing more important than the good health of those that you love. I immediately went on a hunt for a cookbook that would satisfy the palate but also keep us heart-healthy. I quickly came across this cookbook. What better sense than looking to an association that deals specifically with the health of the heart? Yes, but…. what about taste? A good diet is only as good as the tingle of the tastebud; it won’t do you any good at all if you don’t eat what’s good for you.

I’ve made meals from most all of the sections in this cookbook. Fish, poultry, vegetables, even dipped into the desserts. We have both been pleased with the tasteful results. Low on salt and fat, but high on flavor. Good sense paired with good food – that works! From chicken with broccoli and mushrooms in a creamy sauce, to zucchini stuffed with spicy vegetables, to a rice pudding that was all comfort food, we did not miss what was missing: that nasty stuff that clogs arteries and hammers the heart and adds the slops to the waistline. My only negative is purely an esthetic one… I love to see a photo of what I am about to prepare for the first time. No photos here. But that’s a small matter and not enough to keep me from going back to this cookbook again and again.

Best of all? My sweetheart is a healthy heart. Blood pressure is right where it belongs.

Bon appetit!