36 Diet Cookbooks: Lose Weight and Feel Great!

I love cookbooks!  Healthy vegan cooking is my latest interest, ever since my beloved jumped feet first into a plant-based diet.  He's now lost 40 lbs. without even trying!  Rather than take my chances and buy cookbooks that I may never use, I audition them, thanks to my local library.  Test drive before you buy.

Click on the titles listed below for a description of each cookbook.  Our library allows us to reserve books online for free, which is one of the best deals around!

Stack #1:

• The Kind Diet 
• You Won't Believe It's Vegan
• This Crazy Vegan Life
• Blissful Bites 
• The 30 Minute Vegan
• Vegan Indian Cooking 
• New Vegetarian Cooking
• Vegan Cooking for Carnivores (this is the first book from those auditioned that I bought.  It's written by Ellen's personal chef.  Other than it being a little light on the spices, everything I have made has been delicious).  
  

Stack #2:

• Vegan Holiday Kitchen
• Short-Cut Vegan
• Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons
• The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of the East 
• The Vegan Table 
• Simple Vegan 
• The Inspired Vegan

Stack #3:

• The Accidental Vegan
• Refresh 
• Vegan Family Meals 
• Sweet Vegan 
• Babycakes Covers the Classics 
• How it All Vegan 
• Quick and Easy Vegan Bake Sale 
• Appetite for Reduction 
• The Sexy Vegan Cookbook (This is my daughter's favorite of the bunch.  She made the pumpkin roll, which is to die for!)
• Vegan Soul Kitchen 
• Vegan Lunch Box

Stack #4:

• 125 Best Vegan Recipes 
• The Vegan Family Cookbook 
• The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet 
• Main Street Vegan 
• Let Them Eat Vegan 
• Sweet & Easy Vegan 
• Speed Vegan 
• Gluten-Free Vegan Comfort Food 
• Great Chefs Cook Vegan

Here's to healthy cooking and eating!

~Merrill ♥    

Recipe: Spinach Salad with Chicken and Avocado

Savor the end of summer with this quick and easy salad that is perfect for any weeknight (or, weekend).  We serve it as a main course all year round.  Omit the chicken for a vegetarian version, and the cheese for vegan style.

Click HERE for Printable version 

SPINACH SALAD:

8 cups chopped spinach (1 bag)
2 large tomatoes, diced
½ cup corn (frozen, canned or cut off the cob)
1½ cups chopped cooked chicken (a Costco or grocery store rotisserie chicken is the easiest way to go)
1 or 2 avocados, sliced (we looove avocado so I usually use two)

⅓ cup crumbled goat or feta cheese (personal preference or whichever you have on hand)
¼ cup toasted pine nuts

DRESSING:

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all salad ingredients in large bowl.  Toss.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over individual plates of salad (that way, if there is any salad leftover, it will keep until the next day.  Not so if the dressing is added to the entire bowl).

Serve.  Enjoy!

~Merrill ♥ 

Meatless Monday: Everyday Quinoa Salad

I could eat quinoa salad every single day, it is THAT good!  It is one of my favorite lunches.

Quinoa is not a whole grain but a seed from South America.  It can be prepared like a whole grain, such as rice, and cooks in only 15 minutes.  It is gluten-free, cholesterol-free and has more protein than whole grains.  I buy the big bag at Costco, natch.

  

INGREDIENTS

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
Pinch of salt
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (or any ripe tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup chopped cucumber
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup feta cheese (this is optional – omit for vegan recipe)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

DRESSING
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Place quinoa is fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water.  In a medium pot, bring quinoa, water and salt to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let quinoa cool to room temperature (if you can wait that long).

2. In a large bowl, combine cooked quinoa with remaining ingredients up to dressing. 

3. For the dressing, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano in a small bowl and pour over the salad.  Toss.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Enjoy! ♥

These are tomatoes from our garden that I used in my quinoa salad.  Garden fresh vegetables are the best!

  

 Click HERE to check out all of my yummy Meatless Monday recipes. 

~Merrill ♥

Recipe: Mediterranean Summer Salad

My herb garden is already overflowing with fragrant parsley, mint and basil.  Here's a quick and easy recipe that takes advantage of living herbs.  It's light, refreshing and, paired with a skewer of grilled shrimp and fresh fruit salad, makes the perfect summer dinner.

 Ingredients

• 10 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored and 1/2-inch-diced
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and 1/2-inch-diced
• 1 can or jar (12 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon garlic (3 cloves), minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 ounces feta cheese, diced

Directions

Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, mint and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in olive oil. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat all the vegetables.  Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss gently.  Enjoy! 

Click HERE for more vegetarian recipes. 

~Merrill ♥

Recipe: Grilled Portobello Mushroom Spinach Salad

For many of us, summer is synonymous with grilling and outdoor barbecues.  Burgers and hot dogs have their place, however we are most fond of vegetables prepared on the grill, with mushrooms topping the list.

Spinach Salad 

Spinach serves as the base for this salad.  Add any of the following that strike your fancy:

• Grilled mushrooms (see instructions below)
• Toasted nuts (such as walnuts, pine nuts, sliced almonds,...)
• Chopped and whole fresh herbs (such as parsley, tarragon, chives, basil, thyme,...) 
• Crumbled feta, bleu or goat cheese
• Hard boiled eggs, sliced
• Red onion, halved and finely sliced
• Mandarin oranges and/or sliced fresh strawberries 

Grilled Mushrooms 

Marinate portobellos in equal parts balsamic vinegar and olive oil.  Grill over high heat, turning frequently, until tender.  Grind fresh black pepper on top.  Slice.  [TIP: Can be sliced first and then grilled, using a grill basket like the one found HERE.]

 Hot Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing

• Bacon, cut in small pieces and cooked in skillet - our personal preference is for turkey bacon [TIP:  cut bacon using scissors]
• Tbsp. minced shallot
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. olive oil

Fry bacon until crisp and remove from pan.  Pour off all but 1 Tbsp. fat; sauté shallots, whisk in brown sugar, Dijon, vinegar and oil.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Crumble bacon and other toppings of your choice over salad and toss to coat.

Enjoy!

~Merrill ♥