Archive for the 'Cooking, Food and Wine' Category

Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web

Teaming with Microbes: A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life-not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web-the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.
Customer Review: Teaming with Microbes
This is a detailed description of organisms in the soil, what kind you need for different types of plants, and how to get and keep them. It explains why organic gardening is more efficient, and eventually an easier way to grow. It is well written and informative.
Customer Review: A must for the organic gardener!
A beautifully written book. This book is simple and highly informative. It is a must read for everybody who is interested in organic gardening. Once you have read the book you will have a deep appreciation and understanding of soil.

The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods: Creating Old Favorites with the New Flours

The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Comfort Foods: Creating Old Favorites with the New Flours

The latest addition to the bestselling series of cookbooks that have sold more than 350,000 copiesnow in paperback

In this latest addition to the Gluten-free Gourmet series, Bette Hagman turns her hand to hearty, filling foods that were once off-limits to celiacs. Using the new gluten-free flours that are now available she puts old favorites such as macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie, and lasagna back on the menu. Best of all, these more than two hundred all-new recipes are so mouthwatering delicious you won’t believe they’re gluten free.

The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life

The Thrive Diet: The Whole Food Way to Lose Weight, Reduce Stress, and Stay Healthy for Life

The Thrive Diet is a long-term eating plan that will help you develop a lean body, sharp mind, and everlasting energy, whether you’re a professional athlete or simply looking to boost your physical and mental health. One of the few professional athletes on an entirely plant-based diet, Brendan Brazier researched and developed this easy-to-follow program to enhance his performance as an elite endurance athlete.Brazier clearly describes why it’s easier for the body to utilize nutrient-rich foods in their natural state than refined, processed foods and how to choose nutritionally-efficient, stress-busting whole foods to maximize energy and health. And because plant-based foods are more environmentally friendly to produce, you’ll also help the planet while improving your personal health.The Thrive Diet features a 12-week whole foods meal plan, over 100 easy-to-make recipes with raw food options that are free of dairy, gluten, soy, wheat, corn, refined sugar, including exercise-specific recipes for pre-workout snacks, energy gels, sport drinks, and recovery foods, and an easy-to-follow exercise plan that compliments the Thrive Diet program. With The Thrive Diet, you can lower body fat and increase muscle tone; diminish visible signs of aging; increase energy and mental clarity; sleep better and more restfully; experience better moods; build a stronger immune system; lower cholesterol; and eliminate junk-food cravings.

Customer Review: It gets easier
I just finished my second marathon season, and am ready to take a step up in the laziest manner possible. ha ha! My previous diet was vegetarian, no dairy, but fish and eggs were included because I didn’t feel like I was getting the right fats and protein. What I like about this book is that Brendan gives you the info to dive right into a vegan diet, but he also gives you the basics for someone that wants to slowly ease in, with regards to effort. I have started by adding to my intake every day: a veggie rich salad, a smoothie, and an energy bar. They were pretty simple, and did not involve spending $237 at whole foods (beside, I found a great co-op which is way cheaper). I pick a few things, and then shop only for the ingredient they require. I have tried sprouting quinoa and buckwheat, and the quinoa has become a new favorite in salads and energy bars. I’m also a big fan of BOKU Superfood powder, which has a lot of the ingredients he talks about like Chlorella, Sea Vegetables, and other good stuff. I don’t spend much time cooking during the week, so I prep all my veggies, salad items, and energy bars on Sundays, and then everything is really fast during the week. I’m not much of a dinner person either… I often go out with friends and follow his eating out tips, and or myself eating a bowl of cooked psuedograins for dinner, and that’s enough. After a few weeks, I’m down from 130lbs to about 127, and my body fat has decreased about 2% as well. Weightloss is appealing, but its not really my priority, mind you. Its all easy enough, becomes easier after you try recipes a few times, and you feel very good since you’re getting proper nutrition for once without crazy supplements! This is a lifestyle change and something I feel like I can do on an ongoing basis.
Customer Review: THRIVE on the food nature intended for us
“The cornerstone of the Thrive Diet is high net-gain foods. It’s that simple. By eating more high net-gain foods, your energy will rise, body fat will decrease, mental clarity will be enhanced, and cravings for refined foods will fade.” ~ Brendan Brazier from “The Thrive Diet”

The Complete Book of Food Counts, 7th edition (Complete Book of Food Counts)

The Complete Book of Food Counts, 7th edition (Complete Book of Food Counts) Featuring thousands of new listings—and thousands more choices—than ever before, this completely revised seventh edition of The Complete Book of Food Counts is the most up-to-date reference you can buy. Featuring all-new information on a wide variety of new products, here are essential counts for generic and brand-name foods PLUS the latest gourmet and health foods, including hundreds of ethnic foods. From fast-food salads to gourmet pizza, from Mexican to Japanese to Indian cuisines, this authoritative reference gives you all the nutritional information you need, whether you’re walking the supermarket aisles or checking out your local natural food and gourmet shops!
Customer Review: Nutrition Information
The Complete Book of Food Counts is exactly what I was looking for. Yes, it has more info than I really need, but has all that I wanted. Excellant choice for anyone who needs to keep up with carb, cholesterol, sodium, and etc. counts. Glad I got it. Delivery time was incredibly fast! Thanks, Deb Evans
Customer Review: complete source of information
this book has everything you need to know about food and all grocery products. Can’t wait until the 8th edition come out in december 2008.