If It Makes You Healthy: More than 100 Delicious Recipes Inspired by the Seasons

More personal and more enlightening than the typical celebrity cookbook, this health-focused collection from Sheryl Crow and her personal chef is a refreshing addition to an increasingly crowded field. When the singer-songwriter was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, she reassessed her eating habits, which consisted of on-the-run tuna sandwiches and catered dressing-room food. The self-admitted noncook consulted with a nutritionist and hired chef Chuck White to cook for her on the road. This collection of recipes represents his greatest hits—a warm hummus soup with cilantro pesto and garlic pita chips, and a tuna salad freshened up with green apple. Though Crow has not adopted a vegan lifestyle, many of these dishes are meatless, emphasizing colorful vegetables and fresh preparations. Exotic inventions include a sophisticated spin on peanut butter and jelly that incorporates cashew butter and fruit. Other dishes swap out ingredients to make comfort foods more wholesome and nutritious: a vegan reuben made with "corned beef seitan" and a chocolate mousse made from whipped avocado. Crow's nutritionist, Rachel Beller, offers tips throughout to educate readers. White's easy-to-follow recipes, coupled with Crow's down-to-earth narrative, make their collaboration a successful duet. Photos. (Apr.)