Book Club

Book Club: Great Summer Food Reads

By / Photography By | June 01, 2015
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Book Club

Searching for your next great food-related read? Look no further. Tuck one of these books in your beach bag and dive in!

“FOOD GUILT NO MORE”

Pittsburgh’s Food Mood Girl Lindsey Smith teaches us how to bring positive energy and love to our food in her latest book. She writes, “Can you think of a time when you experienced butterflies in your stomach, perhaps when you were anxious or stressed about giving a speech or completing a project? That’s because 95 percent of your body’s stress hormones sit in your gut, making your stomach the first responder to stress, hence the fluttering butterflies.” Smith doesn’t deprive her readers, but rather steers them on a path of overcoming food guilt, taming cravings, and eating their way to happiness (which includes “chocolate meditation!”). She fills the pages with 70-plus recipes, including a mocktail of fresh kale, banana, fresh mint, and lime. Cheers! Available at foodmoodgirl.com.

“THE DORITO EFFECT: THE SURPRISING NEW TRUTH ABOUT FOOD AND FLAVOR”

Journalist Mark Schatzker tackles America’s flavor problem, noting that everything we grow is bigger and cheaper… and blander. Schatzker addresses how we have interfered with a highly sophisticated chemical language that has evolved to guide our nutrition. “Evolution did not program us to get fat — we’ve simply tricked ourselves into craving the wrong foods.” This well-researched read explains a forward-thinking solution to living longer and eating flavorfully. Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.

“HEALTHY PASTA: THE SEXY, SKINNY, AND SMART WAY TO EAT YOUR FAVORITE FOOD”

Have you ever read a cookbook like a novel just to unwind? You should! Celebrity chef and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich’s son, Joe, and daughter, Tanya, have cohered their expertise to create this compilation of 100 recipes, all under 500 calories per serving. This simple guide to enjoying more of the food you love in ways that are good for you provides tips on pairing particular grains with sauces, the health benefits of cooking pasta al dente, and why you shouldn’t rinse your bell peppers after peeling off the charred skins. Let these ideas simmer! Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.

“EAT CLEAN LIVE WELL”

“My family thought I was crazy when I threw avocado halves on the grill, until I filled them with this salsa,” writes Terry Walters. “One taste and they were hooked on eating avocados out of the shells, too.” Walters’ recipe for Grilled Avocado with Tomato Peach Salsa is just one of many, sectioned by season, to inspire your journey to better health. Accompanying her easy instructions are personal stories, traditions, and annual approaches to clean food cooking and healthy living. Walters shows us the way to keep our bodies in balance with the cycles of the seasons. Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.

“OH GUSSIE! COOKING AND VISITING IN KIMBERLY’S SOUTHERN KITCHEN”

Country music superstar Kimberly Schlapman of the Grammywinning band Little Big Town and James Beard Award-winning author Martha Foose bring us Southern cooking and soul-stirring stories from Schlapman’s roots. From Pecan-Stuffed Mushrooms to Cheddar Bacon Biscuits, the recipes are divided into chapters, such as “Family,” “Music,” and “Home.” Schlapman’s singing talents were first discovered in the kitchen, along with her passion for cooking. See how she finds her harmonies while whipping up these staples. Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.

“MY PARIS KITCHEN”

Author, professional cook, and popular blogger David Lebovitz picked up and moved to Paris 10 years ago with his most treasured cookbooks, a well-worn cast-iron skillet, and his laptop in tow. In his newest creation, he remasters the classics the way modern Parisians eat today. From coq au vin, to coffee crème brûlée and duck fat cookies, Lebovitz shares his trademark wit, revealing the quirks, trials, beauty, and joys of Parisian life — not to mention, the addition of lush photography and personal stories. Anglophones alike will feast on this read day or night, in and out of the kitchen. Take “le weekend” and treat yourself. Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.

“COGNITIVE COOKING WITH CHEF WATSON”

IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education teamed up to develop groundbreaking, cognitive cooking technology that helps cooks create tasty recipes with unusual ingredient combinations that man alone might never imagine. Chef Watson first proposed a pastry — the Spanish Almond Crescent — in 2013, made of pepper, saffron, honey, yeast, egg, coconut milk, cocoa, lemon extract, almond, pastry flour, heavy cream, and oil. He partnered with Chef James Biscione, who suggested the addition of butter to create a more stable dough. Thus, creating crescent success! These colorful pages feature more than 65 original recipes exploding with irresistible new flavors and perfected for “pleasantness,” “surprise,” and “synergy.” Available at Barnes & Noble and amazon.com.