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The South Beach Diet Cookbook by Arthur Agatston, M.D.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
While I initially had a hard time following the diet's two-week Phase 1 (because there are some foods that are completely off limits, like all fruit for example) I did manage to shed a few pounds. Still, I have never been the type to follow most conventional diet plans, so I decided to put my focus on changing my eating habits and to just try to start eating healthier.
My mother bought me The South Beach Diet Cookbook because she knew that it was full of healthy, low-fat recipes. In fact, my mom was first introduced to The South Beach Diet Cookbook at a dinner party--- my aunt had served her a delicious meal that came from this cook book, so my mom knew ahead of time that the recipes would be good.
If you are not familiar with the "rules" of the South beach Diet, The South Beach Diet Cookbook starts out with an overview of the diet plan, including how to incorporate the good fats (like extra virgin olive oil and omega 3 fish oils) into your diet and how to distinguish good carbs (like fruits, vegetables, and beans) from bad carbs (like white bread and instant white rice).
The next chapter teaches you how to stock your kitchen the South Beach way. I really like this chapter, because it starts with a kitchen clean out-- that is, it tells you how to go through your pantry and refrigerator and get rid of all of the bad foods. There is a list of everything you should get rid of-- mostly sugary, processed and fat laden foods (some of the taboo foods may even surprise you-- like fat free mayonnaises, where the fat is replaced with refined carbohydrates).
Next up is a complete shopping list for your healthy kitchen. I like how this is set up, because it makes it very easy for grocery shopping and it even includes a list of low calories snacks (foods that are less than 75 calories per serving). A question and answer chapter is next, and most of the pertinent issues are addressed, such as questions about putting children on the South Beach eating plan.
Then comes the meat of the book-- the recipes. The recipe chapters are grouped by meal type. It starts out with breakfast recipes, then goes through appetizers and snacks, soups and salads, side dishes, fish, shellfish and poultry, meats, vegetarian entrees and finally dessert.
Between my mom and me, we have made many, many recipes from this cookbook and we have both been pleasantly surprised by how delicious they all are.
I often make my husband a fruit smoothie in the morning, because although he knows how healthy blueberries and strawberries are, he doesn't like the texture of them. I would always whir them up in a blender with some other fruits and some orange juice and ice. The South Beach Diet Cookbook has an Oat Smoothie recipe, which has berries in it but also oat bran and fat free yogurt. This has turned out to be a much heartier (and healthier) type of smoothie for my husband and now I make it for him several times a week.
Some of my other favorite recipes include the Apple Walnut Muffins (which my kids actually eat), the Black Bean Dip, Homestyle Green Bean Casserole, Tuna and Bean Salad and my husband's favorite-- the Oven Fried Chicken with Almonds. I have also made several of the salad dressing recipes including the Green Goddess Dressing and the Herbed Vinaigrette (and homemade dressing always tastes better than store bought).
The book also includes some healthy recipes from some famous Miami Beach restaurants-- like Smith & Wollensky's Grilled Filet Mignon with Roasted Garlic and Chipotle Peppers. The dessert recipes are also delicious, like the Peachy Walnut Torte and Chocolate Silk Pie with Crispy Peanut Butter Crust.
This book is great for every day cooking and also for those times when you want to serve something extra special for your family and friends.
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