YOU CAN HAVE IT! More Than 125 Decadent Diabetes-Friendly Recipes

YOU CAN HAVE IT! More Than 125 Decadent Diabetes-Friendly Recipes by Devin Alexander New York Times Bestselling Author March 20, 2018 Whether you’re managing diabetes, want to lose weight, or just plain want to be fit while eating insanely scrumptious meals, weight-loss expert Devin Alexander is here to assure you, “You Can Have It!” The celebrity chef on the hit series The Biggest Loser and the author of the New York Times bestselling The Biggest Loser Cookbook series and The Most Decadent Diet Ever!, Devin Alexander has created a collection of easy, diabetes-friendly recipes that seem simply too good—and too decadent—to be healthy. I've cracked the code for how to make decadent recipes that are actually approved by doctors, dietitians,and now the American Diabetes Association! These recipes are not the "diet food" I tried to eat when I first knew I needed to make a lifestyle change. These are recipes that I actually look forward to making and eating! And I know you will too!                     — Devin Alexander Using her chef secrets, tips, and techniques that helped contestants on the show lose weight and wowed customers in her restaurants, Devin has crafted easy, diabetes-friendly recipes that bust the myth that eating well means giving up the comfort foods you love. YOU CAN HAVE IT!: More Than 125 Decadent Diabetes-Friendly Recipes includes beautiful photographs, easy-to-follow tips and techniques, affordable ingredients, and mouthwatering meals; this is the cookbook every person who cares about their health (whether they have diabetes or not!) will want to own. A small sample of the sumptuous recipes inside includes: Gingerbread Overnight Oats Waffle Fry BBQ Bites Scrambled Eggs With Sautéed Shrimp Crockpot Chipotle Steak Simmer Bacon Ranch Flatbread Pizza Pulled Chicken Tacos with Papaya Slaw Cheesy Lasagna Rollups Bánh Mì Burger Sweet & Spicy Pomegranate Pork Perfect Pumpkin Pie-lets Watermelon Cupcakes Passionila Cocktail YOU CAN HAVE IT!: More Than 125 Decadent Diabetes-Friendly Recipes runs the gamut from savory snacks to delicious desserts with more than 125 recipes that celebrate pizza, burgers, and rich chocolate pudding—and help those who have diabetes live richer, fuller, more delicious lives. Whether you're managing diabetes, heart health, or trying to lose weight, no meal is "off limits" and no favorite is forbidden. With small tweaks and the right approach, Devin is here to tell you: You Can Have It!
	DEVIN ALEXANDER is a media personality, healthy comfort food chef, weight loss expert, and New York Times bestselling author. She was the chef of NBC’s The Biggest Loser and the author of 9 cookbooks including The Biggest Looser Cookbook series and The Most Decadent Diet Ever. Devin’s unique approach to healthy cooking and her motivational personal story have landed her regular appearances on talk, news, and weight loss and fitness shows for over a decade, making her America’s go-to expert for decadence without consequence. Devin has shared her secrets through frequent appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Biggest Loser, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, The View, FOX, CNN, and others, and through over 500 magazine features including those in Prevention, Men’s Health, and Shape. She’s coached thousands of pounds off others and has maintained her own 70-pound weight loss for close to 30 years. Devin truly lives and eats her message: you don’t have to deprive yourself to be fit and healthy.
	About the American Diabetes Association
	The American Diabetes Association® is leading the fight to STOP DIABETES® and its deadly consequences for those affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure, and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities; provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, its mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit www.diabetes.org. Information from both of these sources is available in English and Spanish.
	Social Media Coordinates
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YOU CAN HAVE IT! More Than 125 Decadent Diabetes-Friendly Recipes by Devin Alexander March 20, 2018 American Diabetes Association $22.95 Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-58040-683-3

Review: 
I had the chance to test out a few recipes from this book. The lasagna roll-ups were a huge hit, and while nothing was a hue "miss" the pomegranate pork didn't pack the flavour punch I expected with such expensive ingredients. By for the best recipe in my household's opinion was the  Thai Lime Quinoa Salad - bright and fresh, making it perfect for Summer. To make the meal more complete (since quinoa isn't really that rich in protein), I added a block of baked marinated tofu to the mix. It packs well for lunches or picnics and never gets soggy like greens can - I highly recommend dressing it warm so the quinoa can soak up the dressing.

My main complaint with this book was the lack of dessert or sweet options. The diabetics in my family have unabashed sweet teeth, and I was hoping this book would provide some ideas as to how to satisfy them while keeping their health in check. Unfortunately, most of the options were "immediate consumption only", and I was not able to logistically try them in my ever-mobile family.

Aquafabulous!

Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba

Author: Rebecca Coleman

Publisher: (2017)

Vegans and egg-free foodies are singing the praises of a new egg substitute. Aquafaba – also known as bean liquor or the brine found inside cans of legumes like chickpeas or cannellini beans – is versatile, low-calorie and found in almost every home. Instead of draining beans down the sink, aquafaba converts have turned the liquid into meringues, waffles, crepes and even mayonnaise. Rebecca Coleman has compiled a collection of vegan recipes using both aquafaba and the beans that make it in her book Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba.

As can be expected from any Robert Rose book, Aquafabulous! begins with a highly detailed introduction to the topic, including manufacturing and storing homemade aquafaba. Coleman also includes a “vegan pantry” listing of ingredients common in her recipes, including miso paste, nutritional yeast and tofu. While the book is exclusively vegan, even cooks new to the cuisine will be able to turn out flavourful and satisfying meals once they peruse the chapter. Each chapter has it’s own table of contents, making browsing through the book simple, and a well-referenced index helps users look up a specific recipe. The chapters are categorized by meal type (e.g. Breakfast, Baked Goods and Mains), although the author mentions her own three classifications of recipes in the introduction. Aquafabulous!, according to Coleman, can first be categorized into vegan “basics” – things like making your own aquafaba, non-dairy milks and other “recipes for recipes” that form components for meals later in the book. Second, there are recipes using the aquafaba itself – either in breading preparations (e.g. Grown-Up Tater Tots (p. 76)), as a binder (e.g. Vegetable Fritters (p. 60)) or for leavening (e.g. Chocolate Mousse (p. 173)). These recipes are what readers generally search for when they pick up a book on aquafaba – it’s one thing to loud the possibilities of this bean liquid, but quite another to put it to use practically. Lastly, Coleman provides recipes to use up the “by product” of aquafaba procurement: the beans themselves. Chickpea Curry (p. 100) is a bright, not-too-spicy main dish that uses exactly 1 (16 oz.) can of chickpeas – although those of us in Canada are more used to the 19 oz. cans, which work just fine.

The book is clear about where aquafaba’s strengths are: the baking world. The whipped foam was miraculously like beaten egg whites in cakes and muffins, adding lightness and a rather fine texture in most cases. Meringues (p. 144) were ethereally light – provided they were made on a dry day and not in the middle of a snowy winter day. Heavier batters, like the Lemon Rosemary Polenta Cake (p. 150), just weighed the foam down however, becoming a dense, somewhat oily but nevertheless tasty snack suitable for afternoon tea or as a sweet-savoury dessert after a heavy meal. However, I should note that with simple, relatively one-note flavours such as those in meringues, it is critical that a light, low-flavor bean is chosen. Cannellini and chickpea brine is ideal for most applications, as it adds neither colour nor any perceptible “bean” flavor. Black or kidney bean brine can be used, regardless of what mainstream aquafaba converts say, but they are best suited for richer flavours like chocolate (in Decadent Chocolate Brownies, p. 160) or spices (Carrot Cake, p. 152).

While there are certainly many aquafaba-containing recipes in this book, the star ingredient can be difficult to locate at times. Some recipes have the aforementioned “basic” components made from aquafaba as a condiment, others have no aquafaba or beans at all, which is highly confusing. If I am going to buy a book about a subject, I would expect a compilation of information and practical applications for the topic at hand. In this respect, Aquafabulous! is best described simply as a vegan cookbook, not one dedicated to the craft of cooking with the title ingredient.

Aquafabulous!: 100+ Egg-Free Vegan Recipes Using Aquafaba is definitely a good buy for those embracing a vegan diet, or who wish to find an innovative way to bake egg-free. There are enough aquafaba recipes to be useful for beginners, but those looking for a more in-depth manual will find the information and innovation lacking. Rebecca Coleman shows promise as a cookbook author and I look forward to seeing further cookbooks from her.

Available on Amazon