Andrew Weil is a healthy life-style guru, and I have purchased several of his books. It's clear to me that several of the reviewers have been given complimentary copies of the book to review and they simply proceeded to write a book report without having made any of the recipes. Often times, as in this case, the recipes for a restaurant quantities are not accurately translated for home use. For a seasoned pro, this may not be a problem. However, if you plan on giving this gift to a beginning cook, they may have problems with it. I have made 12 recipes so far, and the wonderful part about most of them is the abundant use of fresh whole foods, and the frugal use of fats, salt and sugar.
If I had edited the book in advance, I would have advised that a "crustless quiche" is more commonly known as frittata on page 25. I would suggest you omit the baking soda in the Carrot-Parsnip-Zucchini Bread on page 26,and add 1 Tablespoon of baking powder instead. One medium carrot and one medium parsnip and one small zucchini does not mean anything. I used 4 cups total shredded vegetables. That works. Also,you must line your bread pans with paper if you are using olive oil instead of butter to keep the bread from sticking. Or use non-stick pans.
The Fattoush Salad on page 70 is a winner and will appeal to almost everyone. The Moroccan Chicken Salad on page 87 is the best low fat version of chicken salad you will ever find. You will never guess that it has so little mayonnaise! The Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup is wonderful but 3 quarts of water to 5 vegetables has got to be an error. If you double the amount of vegetables you will be fine, otherwise you will end up with a lot of extra broth and nothing like the photograph!
The Bison Chili on page 110 is excellent, with a flavor profile enhanced by a wide array of herbs, spices, and chocolate! The Miso-Marinated Black Cod on page 132 was not worth all the trouble when the fresh fish would have tasted better if it were naked! I would only mask the fish if it were not perfectly fresh.
The Chicken Enchiladas on page 145 were fabulous. The fresh tomatillo salsa is easy and incredibly delicious. You may want to double the recipe and make a blender full. The recipe neglected to tell you what to do with the corn after you browned it, but assumes you will figure it out. Contrary to the recipe you will need 3/4 cup of salsa, not 1/4 for the bottom of the pan, which should be 9 X 12 since they didn't specify. And you will have plenty of filling for 12 6" tortillas, not just 6 as the recipe reads.
The photography is beautiful but doesn't always relate to the recipe. Why show steel cut oats next to a recipe for granola that calls for old-fashioned rolled oats?
"True Foods", is evidence that Andrew Weil's recipes have evolved to the point where there is absolutely no sacrificing flavor for health. True Food will introduce you to new techniques, new food combinations, and new ingredients. That's a big accomplishment for any cookbook!
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