My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure

McCormick (My Kitchen Cure) presents an informative cookbook of 120 do-your-body-good recipes with a Southern twist, inspired by fare served at her Tennessee biodynamic farm restaurant. McCormick offers a thorough introduction to the science of gut health, praising the power of probiotics, superfoods, and diet diversity. Re-fashioned classic Southern fare featured in her restaurant menu includes flexible gluten-free recipes designed to deliver “gut happiness” and manage digestive disorders (leaky gut, celiac disease, food sensitivities) without sacrificing flavor. The author’s farm-to-table approach leans heavily on vegetarian dishes, but meat lovers will find recipes for short ribs, fried chicken, and “Mee-ified” organic grass-fed burgers tweaked with hijiki seaweed, tamari, and grated sweet potato. There are black-eyed pea croquettes; quick pickled okra, which can top customizable Buddha Bowls; carrot ginger soup, which features nondairy coconut cream; and roasted Carrot Wieners Pinewood-Style, marinated in vegetable broth, cider and rice vinegars, liquid smoke, and half a dozen spices. Desserts showcase gluten-free cobblers, vegan brownies, and apple hand pies, while charts explain gluten-free flours, preparation for beans and grains, and sugar substitutes, and there’s even a section on the sea vegetables (dulse, kombu, nori). McCormick’s upbeat approach and food-as-medicine philosophy make for an accessible intro to healthy comfort food. (Apr.)