Clean Food: A Seasonal Guide to Eating Close to the Source with More Than 200 Recipes for a Healthy and Sustainable You
More than a cookbook, Clean Food is a feast for the senses that will nourish mind, body, soul…and the planet, too. With more than 200 fresh, seasonal, and tempting vegan recipes, it will help everyone eat the way the want: close to the source.From the White House kitchen to fast food restaurants, everyone’s discussing “the sustainable diet.” But what exactly does that mean? Terry Walters explains it all, and shows us how to eat seasonal, unprocessed, and locally-grown foods that are good for us and the environment. Walters’s emphasizes tastes as much as ingredients in delicious recipes that include whole grains, vegetables, legumes, sea vegetables, nuts, and seeds, and range from Crispy Chickpea Fritters to Spicy Thai Tempeh with Cashews to a vegan and sugar-free Chocolate Lover’s Tart that’s absolutely luscious! Since they’re arranged from spring to winter (with a chapter for “anytime at all”), it’s easy to find the right meals for every season of the year. Terry… More >>
Clean Food is a fantastic cookbook that uses straight forward, easy to create recipes along with a “eat locally and in season” philosophy as its backbone.
Terry Walters reaches those that are curious about changing their diets to seasoned pros who are looking for something new. Although the recipes in this book ARE vegan, there is not an obvious vegan manifesto. It invites all palates to indulge in these delicious and inviting recipes. This book is user friendly and very accessible. Buy it.
As a non-vegan, picking up and thumbing through a cookbook that doesn’t include beef, pork, chicken or lamb isn’t exactly an avid pastime for me. As a generally picky eater, I often find that cookbooks are filled with exotic (and complicated) recipes that try too hard to be unique – kind of like those weird outfits that you sometimes see from fashion designers.
So, in thumbing through the recipes in this book, I was actually amazed to find so many different recipes where I noted “I’d eat that” or “Now that looks interesting”. And the simplicity of so many of the recipes makes it much more likely I’ll use this book than use it as a paperweight or dust collector. I would like to have seen more recipes that complement other entrée choices to my personal choices but can adapt a number of recipes to suit personal preferences.
I particularly liked the salads and dressings which might suffice as a meal on a hot Arizona evening, but also compliment a non-vegan main course. And although I am not a big desert eater, there are a number of recipes that I’m dying to try.
The organization of the book by season was an interesting approach instead of the old appetizer, salads, soups, entrees, deserts organization you’ll see. I found the author’s notes to be warm, friendly and family-focused without being preachy like you see in so many other new age cookbooks. Given the simple goodness of the recipes, the lack of photos in no way reduces detracts from this book.
A great book for even those of us with a different tastes!
not sure what i would do without it. vegan or not, you will be impressed at the simple elegance of these dishes. too bad the other reviewer dismissed the book with two stars because of some insignificant anecdotal comments about the author’s personal experiences; i think the merits of the recipes stand for themselves. my husband and children are not vegetarian, and they would not choose nori as a preferred snack, either. they have, however, raved over dinners i have made from this book. and yes, while pictures would be nice, they are by no means necessary in a good cookbook. it is by far the best vegan cookbook, and one of the best overall cookbooks, i have ever purchased. give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised. and don’t miss the black bean soup recipe — it’s amazing!
I picked up a copy of Clean Food at a local organic food market and quickly became inspired by the author’s encouraging words and simple, easy to understand recipes. I also appreciate the helpful tips and now I feel more confident trying ingredients that I would have otherwise passed by. What a great way to sneak in some healthy, tasty and family-friendly foods into our lives! Also, the presentation itself is beautiful. The artwork and thick paper used is unusual in a cookbook, but makes me think of it as a sort of “coffee table book.” In fact, I do often leave it out on the table so I can look through it and plan ahead. I’ve now purchased several to give as gifts to friends and everyone loves it.
Clean Food is a delicious prescription for health and well-being. While presenting the basic principals of whole-foods cooking, the book also unveils the nutritional and medicinal qualities of “real” food.
The book begins with an interesting and informative section on the qualities of whole foods– referencing the nutritional contents and the physiological affect that these foods have on our bodies. Many of the easy-to-follow steps for the preparation of grains, legumes and other vegetables are simple and delicious. The recipes also contain added hints on how to enhance the natural flavor of the food while unlocking their vitamin and mineral contents.
Recipe chapters are seasonally organized with each beginning with a lovely quote and evocative abstract painting. The seasonal recipes emphasize locally available ingredients which are appropriate to warm or cool the body.
This book has been a great resource for me on my journey into looking for optimal health. Clean Food is a modern “classic” and I find it an invaluable resource in my kitchen.
I believe that eating clean food is a preventative measure . . . and in an age where formal healthcare is a huge issue — I think that self-care, eating clean food, living a balanced lifestyle is key to reducing the incidence of illness.