Greens Grains, by Molly Watson, Chronicle Books, 124 pages, $23.95
If you can, keep it secret and don't tell anyone how good these meals are for you.
The 45 recipes in this book explore the inclusion of a dynamic mix of grains combined with delicious greens. The result is a collection of meals that will delight both your taste buds and nutrition needs. Author Molly Watson provides a detailed description of the specific greens and grains she uses, and includes important information about their preparation and handling. The stinging nettles are likely the most difficult. With their well-earned name, they need to be handled with care and Watson's advice is to cook them right away and refrigerate. After her introduction, Watson presents the recipes in three chapters that focus on: salads, small plates and sides; soups; and main dishes. Only a few of the recipes include meat and almost all of the others are vegan-friendly.
From simple-to-prepare starters like the minty spelt purslane salad to more elaborate main dishes, such as pea greens and tofu over sesame brown rice, Watson guides you through each recipe.
30-Minute Paleo Meals, by Melissa Petitto, Race Point Publishing, 208 pages, $28
The Paleo diet has been growing support as people seek healthy alternatives.
Based on a model of gluten-free, GMO-free, organic products, this approach to meal preparation is meant to provide a nutritional combination that will fuel all your activities.
Melissa Petitto is a registered dietician and personal chef who has created these recipes adhering to the Paleo approach, but at the same time keeping things simple so that every meal can be made in 30 minutes or less.
She groups the recipes into eight categories: breakfast; salads and soups; fish and seafood; pork, lamb and beef; poultry game; vegetables and sides; baked goods and desserts. As an added bonus, Petitto provides a selection of recipes for creating your own sauces and condiments.
The recipes are laid out with all the ingredients, followed by the instructions and then statistics, which include calories, fat content, sodium and fibre. Colour photographs show most of the finished products.
