The Healthy Hedonist

Book excerpt: How would you like to prepare and savor a delicious meal that's also nourishing and healthful? In The Healthy Hedonist, chef, teacher, and cookbook author Myra Kornfeld offers home cooks more than two hundred mouthwatering flexitarian recipes designed to satisfy all kinds of appetites -- without leaving you feeling stuffed and guilty afterward! So, what is a flexitarian? A flexitarian is anyone interested in eating healthy, primarily vegetarian cuisine without cutting meat and fish entirely from his or her diet. The Healthy Hedonist is the ideal cookbook for people with a variety of eating habits: the recipes are readily adapted to suit vegetarians, omnivores, and everyone in between. The emphasis here is on real food: fresh, natural, and, of course, delicious ingredients are used to create unique and healthful meals. Aside from soups, appetizers, salads, chicken and fish dishes, vegetarian entrees, grains, and vegetables, there are tempting recipes for pizza, alternative burgers, and naturally sweetened desserts. You can indulge yourself and feel virtuous at the same time with delectable fare such as: Portobello Mushroom Tapenade Wilted Spinach Salad with Orange-Curry Dressing Crispy Thai Wontons Potato Salad with Caramelized Onions Roast Chicken with Maple Glaze Coconut Green Beans with Mustard Seeds Lacquered Carrots with Coriander Gazpacho Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette Red Snapper Provencale Marrakesh Minestrone with Cilantro Puree Tamarind Chickpeas Asparagus, Leek, and Barley Risotto Barbeque Spice -- Rubbed Tofu Seared Sesame-Crusted Tuna Zucchini Latkes Salmon Medallions with Lime-Mustard Teriyaki Citrus Compote Supreme Roasted Peaches with Caramel Sauce Chocolate Lovers' Brownies Pomegranate-Pear Cornmeal Tart Throughout the book are plenty of helpful suggestions for substituting ingredients to suit your taste or dietary preference and for cooking for large groups or smaller gatherings, along with preparation tips and menu ideas. In addition, easy-to-follow illustrations guide you toward creating superb meals sure to appeal to every palate. For any and all food lovers, The Healthy Hedonist is the healthy, scrumptious way to enjoy sensational feasts every day.