Favourite Cookbook(s)? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

practiceliving · 07-23-2007, 06:55 PM

Hi all!

I'm looking for cookbook recommendations! I prefer books with healthy (obvs!) recipes with a lot of variety - everything from sides to entrees, snacks to desserts.

One of my favourites is the Best of the Best (from the Best of Bridge series). It's got a good mix of healthy every-day recipes, and slightly less healthy "entertaining" recipes that are easy to adapt.

Another favourite is the Rebar cookbook - it's the book from a great vegetarian restaurant in my hometown. I make their salads all the time - great as sides or as dinner on their own!

As much as I love those two, I would like some others to mix up the rotation a little. The boyfriend and I are starting to get a little bored with the same set of recipes constantly being rotated.

So - your favourite cookbooks. Priority to the healthy ones, though I'll take any recommendations!

meowee · 07-23-2007, 09:06 PM

Hi Practice . . .

Have you taken a look at the three books by Canadians Janet and Greta Podleski ???? Not only full of good and healthy stuff, but also full of little tips and tidbits that will keep you chuckling as well.

Their three books are . . .

Looney Spoons
Crazy Plates
Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry

I also like just about anything by Sandra Woodruff, particularly her Good Carb Cookbook and her Secrets of Fat Free . . . . series.

All are available through Amazon.ca . . . don't forget to use the 3FC link to get to Amazon, of course.

Spinymouse · 07-23-2007, 09:25 PM

My very favorite is the Moosewood Cookbook. I know it is my favorite because although I must have a hundred cookbooks, this is the one with all the sauce spills all over it. I sauce-spilled up the original version and now am working on messing up the updated one "The New Moosewood Cookbook" (mostly updated to be lower fat I think.) I have never made a flop recipe from this. I have purchased other Moosewood and Mollie Katzen cookbooks that came out later but this one remains my fave!
Also Mollie Katzen (author) has a great website with recipes.

moxiesd · 07-23-2007, 09:45 PM

A great book is "Recipes To Lower Your Fat Thermostat" Copyright 1984.. I don't know if they have an up-dated version or no...but it is well worth acquiring. The information on it is: Vitality House International, Inc.
3707 North Canyon Road #8-C
Provo, Utah 84604

They give a telephone number: 1-800-637-0708 This is probably 25 year old number...so don't know whether it's still good, or whether the book is still in publication.

practiceliving · 07-24-2007, 12:28 PM

Thanks for the suggestions!

Meowee - I *love* the Podleski sisters' cookbooks, I just don't own them. I keep trying to steal them from my parents, but they won't let me!

I'm keeping an eye out for them at Costco, so hopefully I'll have them in the rotation soon.

Spinymouse - I know what you mean about the splattered books - that's how my Rebar one is! I'll look for the Moosewood, because I've heard good things about it before.

BlueToBlue · 08-02-2007, 03:51 AM

My favorite cookbook isn't a book; it's a magazine and a website--Cooking Light. I subscribe to the magazine and I use the website all the time as well. Almost every recipe comes out fabulous, they provide spot-on nutritional info, and most recipes easily fit into my calorie plan. Even my SO, who is not dieting and normally doesn't like "diet" foods, commented on how great the recipes are.

cottagebythesea · 08-02-2007, 06:11 AM

My favorite cookbooks are The South Beach Quick & Easy Cookbookand South Beach Taste of Summer Cookbook.
For cooking magazines, I love Cooking Light, Taste of Home, and Everyday Food. Most of the recipes in them can be easily adjusted to accomodate my diet, and always turn out great.

wisher · 08-02-2007, 08:46 AM

I also part of the "Cooking Light" fan club! I get the magazine but use the online recipes all the time! They have thousands of recipes and I've never made anything I didn't like from there, and as someone mentioned above they already figure out all the nutritional info for you! They also come out with full cookbooks you can order from their site or get in the bookstore.

shananigans · 08-02-2007, 10:09 AM

I have a lot of food blogs and websites I regularly visit for new ideas and inspiration, but my most used cookbook by far is Vegan with a Vengeance (often refered to as VwaV by the fans of the book) by Isa Chandra Moskowitz of the Post Punk Kitchen. This book made me a better cook and showed me how exciting and awesome vegan cooking can be. Even if you're not vegan it's a great way to branch out into more healthy animal-free fare. Not all the recipes are super healthy, but they can be easily modified. I end up using about 1/2 the amount of oil called for in recipes generally, I find most have more than you really need.

alinnell · 08-02-2007, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueToBlue

My favorite cookbook isn't a book; it's a magazine and a website--Cooking Light. I subscribe to the magazine and I use the website all the time as well. Almost every recipe comes out fabulous, they provide spot-on nutritional info, and most recipes easily fit into my calorie plan. Even my SO, who is not dieting and normally doesn't like "diet" foods, commented on how great the recipes are.

Me too!! You just have to be careful because the site also contains recipes from other publications that are not necessarily low fat/calorie. Some of those don't even give you the nutritional information (so I disregard anything that is not from Cooking Light).

baffled111 · 08-02-2007, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alinnell

Me too!! You just have to be careful because the site also contains recipes from other publications that are not necessarily low fat/calorie. Some of those don't even give you the nutritional information (so I disregard anything that is not from Cooking Light).

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the new website. But you can choose to search only in Cooking Light and not the other mags. Sometimes I'll include Sunset in my searches as well--their recipes tend to be pretty health conscious.

alinnell · 08-02-2007, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baffled111

Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the new website. But you can choose to search only in Cooking Light and not the other mags. Sometimes I'll include Sunset in my searches as well--their recipes tend to be pretty health conscious.

How do you choose? I've been trying to figure out a way to do that, but can't seem to. HELP!

baffled111 · 08-02-2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alinnell

How do you choose? I've been trying to figure out a way to do that, but can't seem to. HELP!

You need to search from the "Enhanced Search" page.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re...advancedSearch
I have that page, rather than the front page, saved as a bookmark. Down the bottom, below all the other options, you can choose which publications you'd like to search.

alinnell · 08-02-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baffled111

You need to search from the "Enhanced Search" page.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/re...advancedSearch
I have that page, rather than the front page, saved as a bookmark. Down the bottom, below all the other options, you can choose which publications you'd like to search.

Thanks! I knew there had to be a way!

WaterRat · 08-02-2007, 02:12 PM

Oh, thanks for the hint on searching the CL website. I've subscribed for years, and have 6 or 8 of their annual cookbooks as well! I have one WW cookbook that I like a lot Simply the Best, and I love to read Cook's Illustrated magazine, but their recipes are far from low cal! I do pick up some cooking hints though.