The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life Hardcover – January 15, 2008

I feel a little redundant reviewing THE FOOD YOU CRAVE because I doubt I have anything new to add to all of these positive reviews. But after using this cookbook for over a year, I really wanted to show my respect and gratitude by offering my own plug.I own almost 100 cookbooks, and in the year I've owned this one, I think I've used it the most. Every recipe I've tried is something I have added to my repertoire to be made again (and again). This recently includes Steak Tacos with Cucumber-Avocado Salsa, Macaroni and Four Cheeses, Aromatic Noodles with Lime-Peanut Sauce, and Fettuccine Bolognese. This is healthy cooking? Yes! And I'm grateful for it.I love to cook, and although I consider myself fairly experienced, I do not gravitate toward recipes with exotic, hard-to-find ingredients or hours-long preparation. This book is chock-full of recipes that are tempting in both flavor and ease. There are a few involved recipes that I'm looking to try, but most (by far) are approachable and inviting to a cook who, like me, wants to make something good-looking and delicious without spending an entire day shopping, cooking, and cleaning multiple pots, pans, bowls, and appliances.All recipes come with very detailed nutritional information. I especially like the fact that she identifies each recipe as an "excellent" (at least 20% of the daily value) or "good" (at least 10% of the daily value) source of certain nutrients, both obvious (such as various vitamins, like A, C, and E) and less "famous" (such as molybdenum and pantothenic acid). By the way, if you're wondering what any of the nutrients are, she lists them and their functions in the first, pre-recipe chapter.The book is filled with color pictures, although from my unscientific calculation, it only comes to about one color picture for every three recipes. The pictures are so enticing; I wish all the recipes came with one.I spent the week perusing my cookbooks and trying to decide on something new to make. I kept coming back to an untried recipe in this book even though I feel a little guilty for neglecting my other cookbooks. :-) Nevertheless, THE FOOD YOU CRAVE is a great cookbook for me to use as my "go-to" cookbook for healthy, comfort-type food.

I'm a bit of a cookbook nut. I collect them and enjoy just reading them from cover to cover. Since I'd seen Ellie's show on Food Network a few times and lately I've been on a mission to cook healthy things, I decided to give this book a try. It really is a beautiful book and met my needs for a cookbook to just look at. It's well laid out and has some nice photographs. Ellie gives us a little anecdote about each recipe which I think is really the best part about cookbooks since it gives you an idea of what the recipe will be like beyond the ingredients and the picture and makes you feel like you're making something really special even if it's very easy. As soon as this arrived, I flipped through the whole thing and there were very few recipes in here that I didn't want to try. I've made 4 now and all have been delicious and easy and made with everyday ingredients that are easy to find. I can't wait to try all the others that caught my eye as I was flipping through the book.Note that this book is not about weight loss at all. It's about healthy eating. Ellie focuses alot on the nutrients that you get from certain foods and even lists for each recipe which nutrients are abundant in the dish. She talks too about the nutritional bang you get for your buck (i.e. How many nutrients you get compared to how many calories/fat it has). She states that she tries to base her recipes on foods that are nutrient dense and basically complements them with all the others. I agree completely with her philosophy that healthy food should taste great and that is the cooking style that I am trying to develop. This book is definitely helping me in that endeavor.

The title of this book hits it on the head: it is full of truly craveable dishes. What I love about Ellie's dishes is that even though they are very healthy and packed to the gills with nutritious ingredients like whole grains, fruits, and veggies, she still has a careful eye for flavor. What results is good mix of classic comfort food as well as dishes drawing on more worldly flavors.Even with all of these upsides I was skeptical of whether I needed to buy the book since it features many of the recipes Ellie has made on her Food Network show. I wasn't sure why I should pay for it when I could find them online for free. However, one look at the book won me over. It is full of beautiful full color pictures that make cooking from the book much more enjoyable and user friendly than going to the website. Best of all, I have had wonderful luck with everything I've tried. So far my favorites are The Cornmeal Crusted Ratatouille Tart, Whole Wheat Pancakes and Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame and Tofu. I have also tried many of her recipes from the Food Network website that were not included in the book (like her Five Layer Mexican Dip, Aromatic Noodles with Lime Peanut Sauce and Soba Noodle-Vegetable Salad and all have been worth repeating.)Her recipes also do not require a great amount of effort or specialty ingredients. Just delicious food without a ton of hard work.Bottom line, this isn't just a cookbook that is beautiful to look at, but also one that produces perfectly delicious recipes you really will crave. If the reviews here haven't sold you I highly recommend you check out some of her recipes on the Food Network and won't be surprised if you purchase it too.