"Giada's Feel Good Food" by Giada De Laurentiis

In her new cookbook Giada’s Feel Good Food, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis answers the question she is so often asked - how does she cook and eat all that delicious food on television and still look so fabulous?

To do this she is sharing 120 of her favourite healthy recipes as well as all of her beauty and health secrets.  This is a fantastic, comprehensive book for both experienced cooks and those who are new to the kitchen.  It covers meal, drinks, snacks, and desserts, and there is something in for everyone - including vegetarians, vegans, and those who are dairy or gluten-free.

As someone who is not very skilled in the kitchen, I love cookbooks for new ideas but am often thrown off by how difficult or time-consuming a lot of the recipes can be.  But this book does not have any of that intimidation factor for me.  There are tons of simple recipes like Oatmeal with Cinnamon Sugar; Citrus Parfaits; Cinnamon Kettle Corn; Chewy Granola Bars; California Turkey Chilli; Sole with Lemon-Basil Pesto; and Blueberry Frozen Yogurt. 

And in case your mouth isn’t watering yet, check out some of these recipes that just sound delicious - Chicken, Mango, and Black Beans with Lime-Almond Dressing; Grilled Salmon and Pineapple with Avocado Dressing; Swiss Chard Rolls with Wild and Brown Rice and Indian Spices; Mahimahi with Mango-Vanilla Sauce, and the list goes on.

As a vegetarian, I really appreciated how this book included more than just one vegetable side dish recipe.  There are a ton of recipes here and a variety of them as well, both vegetarian and vegan.  I really liked the recipe My Mom’s Vegetable “Meatloaf” with Checca Sauce.  It is lentils, brown rice, and vegetables with lots of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese in meatloaf form, I absolutely loved it.  My husband and I are smoothie people and there are some great recipes for them in here.  One that is new to us is her Kale, Apple and Cucumber Smoothie.  Even though we had to add a banana to ours to make it a bit more palatable, we really liked the combination.  And the Avocado-Chocolate Mousse is just heavenly!

No matter what your diet, you’ll find more than enough recipes to keep you satisfied in this book.  And it’s okay because there is no guilt when it comes to these foods.  Giada also shares her wonderful tips about beauty and exercise, making this more than just a cookbook  but a lifestyle book.