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 to pique your appetite and culinary skills and bolster your healthy food choices.

Enjoy!

1. The Whole Smiths Real Food Every Day

Michelle Smith, star of the food blog, The Whole Smiths, and author of the best-selling The Whole Smiths Good Food Cookbook, shares more of her family-friendly, healthy recipes.

Using readily available, minimally processed ingredients, Smith offers ideas that you will find to be creative and delicious additions to your weeknight menus.

“If you’re going to press me to describe my food preferences, I’d say that day-to-day we eat high-quality animal proteins, lots of produce, and minimally processed foods. We incorporate quality dairy products into our meals but not regularly and some gluten-free grains (because I’m gluten intolerant and gluten sends my body into a tailspin).”

The recipes reference diets like Paleo, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. Smith offers timely recipes using the latest culinary equipment trends like the sheet pan and Instant Pot.

The Best Damn Paleo Brownies (c) Michelle Smith and Jennifer Skog.

Three we found innovative and delicious are Sweet Potato Hash Egg Cups, Dairy-Free Rice Pudding, and The Best Damn Paleo Brownies (that earned “a thumbs up from Barbra Streisand no less!” Smith said.)

2. Eat Well Be Well  

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.

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

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 (below) from Eat Well Be Well: Strawberry Banana Chia, Cauliflower egg salad, Apple carrot cake muffins.

3. The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook

What is inflammation, and how can the diet affect it? According to the National Cancer Institute, inflammation is a normal physiological response that causes injured tissue to heal. An inflammatory process starts when the damaged tissue releases chemicals. In response, white blood cells make substances that cause cells to divide and grow to rebuild tissue to help repair the injury. Once the wound is healed, the inflammatory process ends.

In chronic inflammation, the inflammatory process may begin even if there is no injury, and it does not end when it should. Why the inflammation continues is not always known. Chronic inflammation may be caused by infections that don’t go away, abnormal immune reactions to normal tissues, or conditions such as obesity. Over time, chronic inflammation can cause DNA damage and lead to cancer. For example, people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, have an increased risk of colon cancer.

(Clockwise from left) Green Oil, Meatball and Escarole Soup, Tempeh Sticks with Cilantro Dip.

It’s well-known that inflammation-fighting foods like avocadoes, berries, and broccoli are just some that help keep the immune system strong. More information on how to incorporate anti-inflammatory foods into the daily diet can be found in The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook by a physician-chef collaboration of authors. Combining science, art, and the practice of anti-inflammatory eating into a user-guide, the cookbook offers 100 easy-to-follow, healthy recipes, many with beautiful color photographs.

The author group includes Stefania Patinella, Alexandra Romey, and Johnathan Deutsch – all chefs with expertise in culinary nutrition, herbalism, food product development, menu design, and education. Pediatricians Dr. Hilary McClafferty and Dr. Maria Mascarenhas are experts in integrative health and preventive medicine.

Try the Green Oil, an herb mixture of parsley, rosemary, chives, and garlic. The authors say that parsley is “said to be especially good for kidney health and a good source of antioxidants. Tempeh Sticks with Cilantro Oil incorporates cilantro, rich in vitamins A and K. Meatball and Escarole Soup combines chickpeas and turkey for the meatballs in a delicious stew of carrots, celery, red potatoes, and escarole.

Three recipes we like from the book are Green Oil, Meatball and Escarole Soup and Tempeh Sticks with Cilantro Dip.

(Recipes excerpted from The Anti-Inflammatory Family Cookbook by Stefania Patinella; Alexandra Romey; Hilary McClafferty, MD, FAAP; Jonathan Deutsch, Ph.D.; and Maria Mascarenhas, MBBS. Copyright © 2021 by Stefania Patinella, Alexandra Romey, Hilary McClafferty, Jonathan Deutsch, and Maria Mascarenhas. Photographs by Harper Point Photography. Used with permission of the publisher, Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.)

4. Jacques Pepin Quick Simple

Famed chef, cookbook author, and star of the PBS cooking series, Jacques Pepin, has done it again. The author of twenty-nine cookbooks shares his latest collection of 225 recipes in Jacques Pepin Quick & Simple. We love Jacques Pepin (Check out the cover feature of Jacques Pepin Healthy Aging® Magazine/fall 2019 to learn more about his amazing culinary career and other books).

According to Pepin, “This book is intended to make your life easier. I share streamlined cooking techniques, teach you how to make use of good quality convenience foods, suggest supplies for a well-stocked freezer and pantry, and specify the most useful cooking equipment and utensils. … the book celebrates simple, satisfying fare that can be prepared easily and cooked quickly at the end of a busy day.”

(Left to right) Mom’s Cheese and Spinach Soufflé, Chunky vegetable soup, and Mussels in hot sauce. Excerpted from JACQUES PÉPIN QUICK & SIMPLE© 2020 by Jacques Pépin. Photography © 2020 by Tom Hopkins. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

As in many of Pepin’s book, you will find the beautiful photography by Tom Hopkins. Recent additions to Pepin’s books are his own artwork, also seen on the inside covers and throughout the book. Three of our favorites are Mom’s Cheese and Spinach Soufflé, Chunky vegetable soup, and Mussels in hot sauce. See the recipes below.