The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781439120231)

From the award-winning champion of conscious eating and author of the bestselling Food Matters comes The Food Matters Cookbook, offering the most comprehensive and straightforward ideas yet for cooking easy, delicious foods that are as good for you as they are for the planet.

The Food Matters Cookbook is the essential encyclopedia and guidebook to responsible eating, with more than 500 recipes that capture Bittman's typically relaxed approach to everything in the kitchen. There is no finger-wagging here, just a no-nonsense and highly flexible case for eating more plants while cutting back on animal products, processed food, and of course junk. But for Bittman, flipping the ratio of your diet to something more virtuous and better for your body doesn't involve avoiding any foods--indeed, there is no sacrifice here.

Since his own health prompted him to change his diet, Bittman has perfected cooking tasty, creative, and forward-thinking dishes based on vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Meat and other animal products are often included--but no longer as the centerpiece. In fact the majority of these recipes include fish, poultry, meat, eggs, or dairy, using them for their flavor, texture, and satisfying nature without depending on them for bulk. Roasted Pork Shoulder with Potatoes, Apples, and Onions and Linguine with Cherry Tomatoes and Clams are perfect examples. Many sound downright decadent: Pasta with Asparagus, Bacon, and Egg; Stuffed Pizza with Broccoli, White Beans, and Sausage; or Roasted Butternut Chowder with Apples and Bacon, for example.

There are vegetarian recipes, too, and they have flair without being complicated--recipes like Beet Tartare, Lentil "Caviar" with All the Trimmings, Radish-Walnut Tea Sandwiches, and Succotash Salad. Bittman is a firm believer in snacking, but in the right way. Instead of packaged cookies or greasy chips, Bittman suggests Seasoned Popcorn with Grated Parmesan or Fruit and Cereal Bites. Nor does he skimp on desserts; rather, he focuses on fruit, good-quality chocolate, nuts, and whole-grain flours, using minimal amounts of eggs, butter, and other fats. That allows for a whole chapter devoted to sweets, including Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies, Apricot Polenta Cake, Brownie Cake, and Coconut Tart with Chocolate Smear.

True to the fuss-free style that has made him famous, Bittman offers plenty of variations and substitutions that let you take advantage of foods that are in season--or those that just happen to be in the fridge. A quick-but-complete rundown on ingredients tells you how to find sustainable and flavorful meat and shop for dairy products, grains, and vegetables without wasting money on fancy organic labels. He indicates which recipes you can make ahead, those that are sure to become pantry staples, and which ones can be put together in a flash. And because Bittman is always comprehensive, he makes sure to include the building-block recipes for the basics of home cooking: from fast stocks, roasted garlic, pizza dough, and granola to pots of cooked rice and beans and whole-grain quick breads.

With a tone that is easygoing and non-doctrinaire, Bittman demonstrates the satisfaction and pleasure in mindful eating. The result is not just better health for you, but for the world we all share.

Author: Mark Bittman
ISBN-10: 1439120234
ISBN-13: 9781439120231
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Language: English
Published: 09/21/2010
Pages: 656
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.73lbs
Size: 9.43h x 7.63w x 1.50d
Award: IACP Crystal Whisk Award - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal Prepub Alert 05/15/2010 pg. 61
Publishers Weekly 08/02/2010
Booklist 08/01/2010 pg. 4
New York Times Book Review 12/05/2010 pg. 17
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/08/2010 pg. 30

About the Author
Mark Bittman is the author of thrity books, including Food Matters, How to Cook Everything, Dinner for Everyone, How to Eat, and Animal, Vegetable, Junk. He worked on the weekly New York Times column, The Minimalist and his work has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines. He has made many televison appearances on shows such as CBS's The Dish and the Today show. Bittman is currently Special Advisor on Food Policy at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, where he teaches and hosts a lecture series called Food, Public Health, and Social Justice.