cover image The Healthy Slow Cooker: Second Edition: More than 135 Gluten-Free Recipes for Health and Wellness

The Healthy Slow Cooker: Second Edition: More than 135 Gluten-Free Recipes for Health and Wellness

Judith Finlayson. Robert Rose Inc., $24.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7788-0479-6

Finlayson's extensively revised second edition of 2006's highly successful Healthy Slow Cooker reflects the changes in how healthy eating is now defined. Rather than focusing on low-fat, low-calorie recipes, this book addresses, among other things, the issue of wheat consumption and the fact that many diseases are now associated with gluten. The author explains that "the strategy for healthy eating is quite simple: eliminate processed foods from your diet and habitually eat a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods, including an abundance of vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds."Included is a wide range of recipes for breakfast, soups, starters and snacks, vegetarian entrees and main dishes made with poultry, fish, beef, and lamb. She adds nutritional analysis for recipes as well as "bits of recipe-relevant information (for example, the ginger in Carrot Soup with Orange and Parsley is a great digestive)" "Make Ahead" tips are also given to allow home cooks to take "full advantage of the convenience provided by a slow cooker."Some of the delicious dishes include Black Sticky Rice Congee with Coconut, Nettle and Asparagus Soup, Moroccan-Style chicken with Prunes and Quinoa, Ribs with Hominy and Kaleand Vegetable Curry with Lentils and Spinach. An extremely informative, well laid out volume with dishes that are straightforward and easy to execute, this book makes it possible for every home chef to easily cook and eat healthier. (Mar.)