Thanks again to TimesonLine for the picture. And yes, read the article! And remember, I don't really mean what the title of this entry says. There can never be too many books. Ever.
The first cookbook for this review is a dandy little book entitled Spice Up Your Life by Bindu Grandhi. Its subtitle is "The Flexitarian Way." Also known as "the flex cook," here's her site. But first, what's a flexitarian? Here's what wikipedia says, including its first use in October of 1992 by a newspaper in Texas. And yes, it more or less means I am vegetarian -- except not always. Or, as MSNBC put it, meat eating vegetarians. A paradox? Yes. A foodie movement? Yes. And in Spice Up Your Life, Bindu Grandhi is just that: a meat eating vegetarian. (And also the daughter of a cookbook author, Vasantha Prasad, author of Indian Vegetarian Cooking from an American Kitchen, and a physician author father, author of Stop Overeating for Good). Between this heritage and her MBA from NYU, no wonder this cookbook is out there available for us all to purchase! And yes, this is a flexitarian cookbook with an Indian flair. With 2 of 7 chapters devoted to animal products (chicken and shrimp), the remainder of the cookbook focuses on various vegetarian Indian foods (for the most part), ranging from breads (nan, pooris) and chutneys to side dishes like red cabbage with green chilies or various curries, from drinks like lassis or chai to desserts of various sorts (both indian and not). I love Indian flavors and some of these look very easy so I may in fact try them; for example, there is a baked broccoli with spices that looks like a tasty treat. Hmmm.
The second cookbook for this entry has an ISBN number but I cannot get it to pop up on the side bar, so reading this is your only chance to get to know it! It is a spiral bound book entitled Amrit: Luscious and Heart Healthy Indian Meals, authored by Purnima Nandkishore. And, as its front cover notes, the "nutritional analysis" is by Karen Yee, MS, RD, LN. It is available from www.AmritForHeart.com where it is described as a cookbook featuring "MediterrAsian fusion" to promote "better heart health among people of South Asian origin." As the site (and the book) make evident, the cookbook's origins lie with a personal encounter with the risks of high cholestrol and heart problems in the author's family. As she writes "In [the] US alone, one in three American adults - 80 million people live with some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2009, $475 billion will be spent on its treatment and related loss in productivity. The population from the Indian subcontinent (which includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal) has the highest rates of CVD worldwide. The incidence of diabetes among south Asians living in the UK and US is as high as twelve to fifteen percent, compared to three to five percent in people of European ancestry. Recent studies have stated that Asian Indians in the United States and globally have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality because of coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes."
Perhaps you knew this? I did not. In any case, that's what has led to this interestingly multicultural cookbook -- with recipes for hummus with cilantro and brussell sprouts with artichokes or asparagus and beets with fennel viagrette as well as loads of other foods which emphasize nutritionally useful foods which focus on heart health, and spiced with a truly Indian flair. The potato fenugreek frittata is mouthwateringly wonderful sounding. And, the directions are clear. I confess, I am likely to ignore completely the educational aspect -- each recipe is followed with an analysis of the healthiness of the ingredients. And there is a very broad ranging bibliography as well as websites that focus on heart health. Yet muffins made with fenugreek greens (aka methi) -- well that might lead me back to the kitchen out of sheer curiosity.
So: two health oriented books with a South Asian focus -- or, perhaps more accurately -- a South Asian/American focus?
