New Adult Non-Fiction

 

The How Not to Diet Cookbook is by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM and the recipes come from Robin Robertson. This book features more than one hundred plant-based recipes meant to help with healthy, permanent weight loss. Dr. Greger’s introductory chapter explains what he means by the title and which foods are best for his approach to weight loss and healthy eating. He also includes his “Daily Dozen” list to help you make sure you get the nutrients and exercise necessary for optimum health. Things like beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, greens, cruciferous veggies, hydration, and exercise comprise most of the list. There is a helpful chart you can photocopy so that you can remember how many servings of each you need per day. There is also a chart of “21Tweaks” that will help you hack your weight loss by reminding you what to do at each meal, every day, and every night. Flipping through the book, I have found that there may be ingredients that would be difficult to find in our area, but there are plenty of simple, delicious-looking recipes to choose from, so you are sure to find something to suit your taste. 

It’s almost the time of year to start that garden and we have the perfect book for you: Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden by Jessica Walliser. Veteran gardeners and scientists know that intentionally growing certain plants together can benefit the whole garden. Jessica Walliser teaches you about the modern understanding of the web of connections happening in your garden and how to use them to create the results you want. These plant partnerships will offer strategies for breaking up heavy soils, combating weeds and disease, keeping pests away, attracting beneficial insects and improving pollination. For instance, did you know that chamomile discourages cabbageworm butterflies from laying their eggs? Or, if your potato patch is overrun with weeds, a cover crop of rapeseed (canola) may help you out? If you are a novice gardener, or if you just want to learn more about plants, then this is a very informative and interesting read. Who knows, you may improve your green thumb. 

The latest cookbook from infamous chef Gordon Ramsay is called Quick and Delicious. There are no difficult recipes or unusual ingredients here. Our favorite foul-mouth chef has gathered together one hundred recipes that can be cooked in thirty minutes or less. Ramsay shares the tips he has learned over the years to cut down on cooking times, but he never skimps on flavor. The introduction gives the home cook advice about faster, better cooking as well as an equipment list and an ingredient list that will help you punch up the flavor. With recipes like Moroccan Chicken and Couscous, Lamb Sirloin Roast with Creamed Cannellini Beans, and Dark Chocolate and Coffee Mousse, you can’t go wrong with giving a few of these a try. 

Author/photographer Brandon Stanton created Humans of New York in 2010. “What began as a photographic census of life in New York City soon evolved into a storytelling phenomenon.” Millions of people all over the world began following HONY on a daily basis. In this book, Humans, Stanton broadens his lens to include people from across the world. He traveled to more than forty countries and conducted interviews across continents, borders, and language barriers. These faces and locations may vary from page to page, but the stories that are told are shared by us all. These shared experiences range from the joyous to the sorrowful, the spectacular to the mundane, but they are all told with a candor and intimacy that makes them universal. 

Celebrated pastry chef Kelly Fields (with Kate Heddings) brings us The Good Book of Southern Baking. The subtitle—A Revival of Biscuits, Cakes, and Cornbread—lets us know right off that we are in for a treat. Fields begins her cookbook with a brief overview of the ingredients, techniques, and equipment that she thinks are most important for successful baking. She also says that, for the most part, you can use whatever suits you, but it is suggested you read the introduction so you can make the best choices for your baked goods. Fields has filled her book with all sorts of goodies: quick breads, muffins, biscuits, puddings, custards, cookies, bars, pies, cakes, and cobblers. This book is certainly chocked full of enough recipes to satisfy any sweet tooth or bread lover. Why not try the Praline Brownies, Bananas Foster Bread Pudding, or the Sweet Potato and Toasted Honey Marshmallow Pie?