The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre, MS, CN

You know a cookbook is going to be a keeper when you crack it open for the third time in one week, and some of the pages are stuck together with cookie dough. And so began my journey with The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook.
The book begins with 90 pages of “primer” information, including a Discussion on Gluten, Eggs, and Dairy; The Basics of a Whole Foods Diet; Organics, Your Health, and the Planet; Diet and Global Warming; Making the Change; Sample 7 Days Menu, Stocking your Pantry, Essential Cooking Equipment; and Definition of Cooking Techniques. It then continues on to everyone’s favorite part – the Recipes!

To note, this cookbook is 100% gluten-free. Even though I am not strictly gluten-free, I like this feature. There are a few recipes here and there that call for eggs or dairy (milk products), but overall I would recommend the book to anyone seeking to avoid eggs, dairy, and / or gluten. I didn’t have any problems finding tons of great recipes, and the ones with dairy look pretty easy to modify. This cookbook is not 100% vegetarian either, but because it is plant-heavy, vegans and vegetarians looking toward a whole foods lifestyle will likely enjoy it immensely.

Right from the start I was impressed with the whole food ingredients used, yet I wasn’t the least bit intimidated. The recipes looked very approachable, with most using everyday ingredients. But, once you are ready to get a bit more adventurous, there are some new-to-many recipes within. For example, simple favorites like Warming Miso Soup, Pumpkin Pudding, Cinnamon Spiced Granola, and Oven Fries are mixed in among equally simple, but less common recipes like Hijiki Carrot Salad, Raw Chocolate Hazelnut Brownies, and Kombucha.

The recipes I trialed first included …

Balsamic Roasted Beets

(Delicious and naturally sweet)

Coconut Cashew Cookies

(I altered them to create Maple Chocolate Chip Cashew Cookies; see the recipe here)

Collard Green and Hummus Roll-ups

(this cookbook is great for finding recipes to use with unexpected vegetables from CSA’s!)

The following recipes are on deck for my kitchen adventures: Easy Gluten-Free Biscuits, Gingered Carrot Soup, Coconut Lime Chicken w/ Almond Dipping Sauce, and Raw Energy Balls ... but there are many, many more to choose from (over 200 recipes in total).

This book has been added to my Top Ten Recommended Books – these are the books that see the most mileage in my kitchen, so the commendation is not given lightly. I am also now an avid follower of Alissa and Tom’s blog, Nourishing Meals.

This is a third party review by Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide & Cookbook.The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook is available from Amazon.

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