The Wholesome Kitchen [Hardcover]

Heard about this cookbook via Ready Made Magazine. It had some recipes and a mini article on author. I wanted to throw a dinner party so I could cook all the recipes.

Fast forward a few weeks. Bought the cookbook and am glad I did. There's a good mix of meat and vegetarian items and the author even offers advice how to cook some of the recipes vegetarian.

I've cooked about 8 recipes since buying this (which is a lot since I'm a full-time mom of 2). My toddler has loved everything we've made.

I wish there was more quinoa recipes in here, but I can always substitute.

The beautiful photos inspire me to want to cook everything.

I purchased this cookbook on a whim . . . my entire family enjoys ethnic foods, and the recipes were from all over the world. I have owned it for 3 days now, and the book has already more than paid for itself! So far, I've made 7 of the dishes, and we have all raved over them. Our daughters, ages 21 and 19, carefully divided the leftovers for lunches, making sure that they each got their share the following day . . . then they wolfed their portions down!

The lentil and artichoke salad w/salsa verde is our favorite recipe so far. I did omit the anchovies, but the capers, fresh herbs, Dijon mustard, made for a very savory salsa that was perfect with the black lentils and artichoke hearts. The salsa would also go well on many different dishes, including fish or chicken.

The Greek salad with butter beans, feta, olives, etc. was superb, and the quinoa, corn and tuna salad was inspired. I used smoked trout in the hot smoked salmon and cannellini bean salad with gremolata, and the substitution worked quite well! I will know to make double batches of these salads in the future, and I would be proud to offer any of them to guests.

The lemon and cardamom basmati rice was great, although I did replace the rice bran oil with toasted peanut oil and added a tad of cumin and cayenne to give the dish a little more punch. I also cooled the rice thoroughly before assembly, which made for a nice side dish on a very hot day.

The spicy cornbread is a robust, flavorful take on a family favorite. It would go particularly well with several of the middle Eastern soups and stews in the book. The chocolate and aduki bean paste phyllo fingers look delicious, as does the recipe for Lebanese rose and pistachio rice pudding. I am going to enjoy trying many of these recipes, over the next several weeks and months. I have a very extensive cookbook collection, and this one has already climbed into my 'top five favorites' list.

I've always been on the search for a Cookbook that involves healthy cooking, but limited on the Tofu, Seitan, and Quinoa (don't care for it). This is the book! Easy, simple recipes to follow, with easy to find ingredients. I found a recipe by Mr. Dobson on Tastespotting and had to buy the book. It was the chicken, chick pea, and black olive salad. So delicious!! Following these recipes is a great tool for people trying to incorporate more whole grains and/or beans into their diet. Definitely a 5 star book.