Health Nut: A Feel-Good Cookbook

A FREAKING HIT
I dog eared almost every page in this book and have already cooked through many recipes. They’re all fire! As a cookbook author myself, I am honestly offended by the 2 star review person who didn’t like this book because of the fat content (you try writing a book!!!). Healthy does not have to mean low fat, these recipes are loaded with nutritiously dense foods, encourage eating more veggies than you probably would otherwise, and does it all with grace and whimsy. It’s the best health food book around, it reminds me so much of my favorite cookbooks from the 70s and 80s but is modernized in the perfect way. Just buy it already!!!

Great variety, easy to use.
These recipes are easy to follow and the photography in this book is excellent! There is such a variety of ingredients included here it would be impossible to get bored with these recipes.

veggie-forward and delicious
Obligatory disclaimer: I’m a big fan of SALAD FREAK, Jess Damuck’s first cookbook which was also, coincidentally, plant-based. Having made more than 50% of all the recipes from the previous cookbook, I was very optimistic: I liked the recipes, I liked her approach to food, and I really, really liked Jess’s writing style. I also had the chance to attend this book’s presentation and talk with the author herself, which made me all the more excited to crack it open and start cooking.This book is indeed, exactly as hippie as advertised: you can see not only in the design of colorful pages and photographs of California scenery and beautiful people, but also the nostalgic recipes themselves. However, it’s not always quite as exciting as I was hoping: a few of the recipes are designed to showcase good produce and so are very simple (read: asparagus cooked in its own juice) and taste a little bland. I’ve tried to get as many seasonal and organic vegetables, but still had this problem with, say, cucumber and feta salad. I understand that both of the dishes I mentioned are advertised as sides, but they still left me wanting more.Having heard the author and guest authors wax poetic about “vibrant and flavorful”, and learning that the working title was “vegetable freak”, I was expecting something ottolenghi-ish, and my expectations fell flat.Additionally, the colored pages are fun, but I found the text very hard to read, especially on green ones.What I did love very much: the staples and the grain guides. The cups and grams measurements. Vegan baklava ice cream. Chocolate-covered stuffed dates (a lot more work than you’d imagine, but so worth it). Sweet potato bread with miso tahini butter (which, as the author said, was the recipe that gave birth to the idea of this cookbook).I struggled with rating this book, but ultimately I decided to go with 4/5, as I can see some of the recipes becoming staples in our kitchen, and the variety of the recipes makes up for some of my disappointment. I would recommend this cookbook.

Health Nut
It’s a rare event in life when I get to order a book that was written and created by an Author that I have known of since before they were born. I have been privileged to watch Jess grow and create from a far her whole life.I love this book. I’ve made the green pasta and some smoothies. There is cornbread in the oven right now.My first thought was this cookbook has different ideas in cooking than I am use to. I was wrong. The language of the table is just a little different. What a pleasure to learn something new but not complicated.So in closing. The book is wonderful and so is the author. Jess Damuck comes from good people and this book represents her dreams , hard work , and deep commitment. Take a chance. I think you will find the experience worthwhile.