RECIPES FROM EAT WELL BE WELL WITH PERMISSION FROM STERLING EPICURE, AN IMPRINT OF STERLING PUBLISHING CO., INC. (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) APPLE CARROT CAKE MUFFINS, STRAWBERRY BANANA CHIA, CAULIFLOWER EGG SALAD. PHOTOS: JANA CRISTOFANO

Staying healthy in these turbulent times could not be more important than it is today. Even if you have been the chief cook for years, there is always room for improvement in healthy ingredient choices and cooking techniques.

We offer four new cookbooks in our latest issue of Healthy Aging Magazine to pique your appetite and culinary skills and bolster your healthy food choices.

Here is one of them:

The interest in dropping meat from the diet seems to continue to climb. One survey showed the millennials lead the charge, with nearly 40 percent identifying as “vegan.” Boomers and Generation X were the next largest group, followed by a small group of more senior adults.

Reasons vary from thinking a plant-based diet can be healthier for you to environmental concerns.

Whatever the reason, if you are looking for gluten-free, plant-based/vegan, and refined sugar-free, the 100 plus recipes in Jana Cristofano’s first cookbook, Eat Well Be Well, is for you.

Cristofano compiled this book with many recipes from her popular blog, Nutritionicity. Recipe developer, food photographer, wine enthusiast, and self-described “healthy foodie,” Cristofano’s book is designed to “meet individual needs while sacrificing neither taste nor the culinary experience in the process,” she said.

“Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or dairy allergies, are looking to take steps toward general well-being, hope to achieve weight loss, or want to consume a kinder and more environmentally friendly diet, this collection is for you,” Cristofano said.

Here is a sampling of recipes from Eat Well Be Well: Apple carrot cake muffins (below), Strawberry Banana Chia, and Cauliflower egg salad.

Apple Carrot Cake Muffins
Makes 12 servings

2 tablespoons golden flaxseed meal
2 cups almond meal
1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/4 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon finely ground sea salt
1 large extra-ripe banana, mashed, about 1/2 cup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and diced into 1/4-inch cubes, about 1 cup
3/4 cup grated carrot

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners.

In a small bowl, stir or whisk together the golden flaxseed meal and plant-based milk. Set aside.

In a medium or large mixing bowl, stir or whisk together the almond meal, gluten-free oats, arrowroot, coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda, and sea salt.

Add the mashed banana, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar to the flax egg and whisk together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine well with a wooden spoon. This may take a minute or two as the batter is very dense. Gently stir in the apple and carrot. If the batter is too thick to combine, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of plant-based milk to loosen.

Using a standard ice cream scoop or a spoon, place about 1/4 cup of batter in each muffin cup. Since the batter is thick, you will need to press it down into the muffin cups with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, until the muffins begin to show brownish peaks, and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove the muffin tin from the oven and cool the muffins in the tin for 15 minutes, then remove from the tin and place on a cooling rack. They will keep for 1 week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Reprinted from Eat Well, Be Well © 2020 by Jana Cristofano, with permission from Sterling Epicure, an imprint of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.