The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health

I just received this cookbook and I couldn't be happier. The recipes look delicious and I cannot wait to start cooking! These are not quick recipes but they are not difficult, the time it takes to prep the natural, whole ingredients is well worth a little time. As an added bonus I bought the book used from Amazon vender Crossroads Books, saved money and it's in like new condition. Years ago I purchased the first Mediterranean cookbook written by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and we enjoyed the recipes so much, it introduced us to delicious new flavors and healthier food. That book was misplaced in a couple of moves so I also ordered a used copy to replace it. So happy to have the Mediterranean Diet Cookbook in hand again and get so much bang for my buck when money is tight.

The benefits of a Mediterranean Diet have long been known. It was not until the 1980's that the real benefits were derived from research. Americans are obese, and if we follow most of the rules of the Mediterranean Diet, we should be on our way to amore healthy lifestyle.A good definition of a Mediterranean Diet from the University of Athens in Greece is:A high intake of vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts, and cereals.A high intake of olive oil but a low intake of unsaturated lipids.A moderately high intake of fish.A low to moderate intake of diary products, mostly in the form of cheese and yogurt.A low intake of meat and poultry.A low to moderate intake of ethanol, primarily in the form of wine and during meal time.This is a very substantial cookbook and diet plan. From introduction of the plan through making the change, you are expertly guided. There are many discussions of methods, materials and ingredients. The next nine chapters are about the recipes, how to prepare the food, and where to find some ingredients. The book goes from Small Dishes of the Mediterranean, Soups, Breads, Pizzas; Pasta, Rice, Beans; Dressings Sauces, Condiments; Vegetable Dishes; Fish and seafood; Poultry and Meat; and finally to A Few Sweets. There are over 496 pages of information and recipes.One of the issues for me is the lack of pictures. No color, so use of your imagination is important. The other issue is that there are several recipes on each page. One recipe runs over to the next page, and a new recipe starts. I found most of the recipes I tried were easy. I am an experienced cook, and a few were time consuming, but not overly so. The ingredients could all be found at my Food COOP. I love fresh vegetables and always use olive oil. By the way, there is a very useful explanation of what kind of olive oil to use, where to,purchase the oil and how to read the label so you know you are purchasing the best of the olive oils. I have found my use of butter has drastically decreased. Last night I made Baked haddock with olives and it was delicious. Lots of new recipes for vegetables that are so tasty.I am very enthused with the Mediterranean method of eating, it is delicious, healthy and I feel so good!Highly Recommended. prisrob 03-06-13

I checked this book out of the library yesterday to give it a test drive before buying it. Well, this is a pretty short test drive -- I'm here at the dealer's lot. I'm sold!The book has a lot of ideas that I've just not seen before. Last night I served the grilled asparagus with bitter orange and it was a refreshing change from the usual puddle of olive oil. Tonight I'm trying the fish and spinach au gratin. Tomorrow, the swordfish with almond sauce. These are three dishes I hadn't seen even though I have several cookbooks from the Mediterranean region. And the book is loaded with recipes for next week. What to try next? I'm a happy man and my family is going to be happier.One of the features that makes the book work for me is the stories that accompany each recipe. This is such a diverse region with differing food traditions and palates that the introductory paragraphs help set a context for each recipe.I agree with others that pictures would be nice. In 2009 there are a bunch of books on the market where the pictures are better than the recipes. But even if a picture is worth a thousand words, in the end I need the ingredients, steps, and times to put the dish together, so I can't take away a star for leaving the pictures out.

Many recipes, most of them need ingredients that i had to go get like chickpeas, tahini and smoked paprika but that is why i got it - to try more different dishes. It's not for quick meals, it is actual cooking with many steps and ingredients. Arrived in good condition.

This book is full of information and good recipes, but it is not set up in a traditional cook book format of Title,Picture, recipe etc. The recipes are buried in text and makes it difficult to find them and not very appealing.

I've read over a half dozen books on the Mediterranean diet and this is BY FAR the best of the lot. Some of the others are boring, didactic nutrition guides with little new information, others nostalgic self-centered reminiscences about summers in Tuscany or Provence, and many are just tired collections of the same uninspired recipes. This one, however, is so well written that I couldn't put it down. It's one you'll want to curl up with and read cover-to-cover. It has a great introduction by Marion Nestle. The book itself is exceedingly well written and I learned several things I didn't know about food history and Mediterranean culture, despite being well acquainted with both. The recipes are a blend of familiar and simple everyday dishes and more complex special occasion affairs. If you're looking for a Mediterranean cookbook that you can both read for pleasure and use as a meal-planning resource, I recommend buying only this one. The others really pale by comparison.

Healthy delicious recipies

Very interesting book

Full of detailed recipes, clearly written by someone with an intimate knowledge of - and a great love for - the regions they are from.Pictures would have been helpful, but I've had success in looking up the recipe names in Google Images to give me an idea of what the end product might look like.

Good information. Wonderful recipes that are easy to make. I just bought it last week and have already made about 5 recipes.

I actually returned this cookbook - all the recipes were written in American terminology; both the ingredients and the quantities. Also, for something as visual as food there were no pictures - If this makes me a bit plebian I hold my hands up, but I like pictures!