Author: Andrea Lynn
Publisher: Ulysses
Press (2012)

The DASH diet is recommended because of it’s emphasis on
fresh, whole foods and portion control. The basics of the diet are simple, and
essentially follow the “official” Food Guides out there – making this way of
eating one that most modern people should be following anyway. Where the DASH
diet sticks out as a “name” is it’s limits on salt – not a problem with those
used to mostly whole foods (since they don’t come pre-seasoned), but as
processed foods are laden with both salt and sugar the reduction might come as
a shock for others. Lynn does not eliminate salt in her cooking, by any means,
nor does she eschew the use of canned products (though she does stress
“low-sodium” varieties when they’re available). This practical, and in some
cases streamlined, approach to cooking allows many of the recipes in Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking to fit perfectly into weeknight dinners.
Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking opens with a
brief introduction to the nutritional basis of heart healthy eating, including
portion control and food group servings. Recipes are categorized into Appetizers
and Snacks, Salads and Soups, Sides, Pasta, Poultry, Meat, Fish and Shellfish,
Vegetarian and Desserts. This is a commendable array, though I do with more
variety was shown with the vegetarian features, including more vegan options,
and less emphasis was placed on meaty mains. While I have nothing against
eating meat, I do believe from a health and ecological perspective that a diet
of mostly plant based meals is beneficial. There is also a somewhat depressing
lack of desserts and sweets in Fresh & Healthy DASH Diet Cooking. While
I realize the bake-shoppe is less likely to be the home of excess salt (in
terms of home baking at least, given that packaged bread is the #1 source of
sodium in our diet), I do know that many people who are required to follow a
heart-health plan develop a sweet tooth and are always on the lookout for
options that fit with their doctor’s guidelines.
While a couple recipes in this book piqued my interest immediately,
I decided to make Lynn’s recipe for Spinach
Stuffed Shells (p. 62) first. What I liked about this recipe was that it
contained mashed tofu in place of some of the cheese, much like a lasagne
recipe I make. I did find a few adjustments necessary to make it applicable for
our groceries and tastes, not to mention our budget. Around here, the jumbo
pasta shells only come in 9 oz (not 12 oz) boxes, and while it’s called for in
the book, I have never seen a whole-grain variety in either Canada or the USA. My
family is not a huge fan of the fresh mozzarella called for in Lynn’s recipe,
as it lacks any distinct flavour on its own and I felt that both the taste and
texture of it combined with the tofu
would just be too much blandness. While I can appreciate the fact that
fresh cheese is generally lower in sodium, when it comes to eating healthfully
taste matters most. I opted for a blend of goat cheeses instead, which are
lower in sodium and easier for the digestive tract to handle than their cow-milk
counterparts while imparting a world of complex flavour. I also chose to add
fresh garlic, which enormously added to the dish and was fresher and healthier
than the granulated variety.


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1 comment:
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