About a month ago (during my little break), I was contacted about reviewing a new healthy cookbook. I LOVE cookbooks and am slowly growing quite the collection, but I find that there aren’t too many great healthy cookbooks out there and I’m always looking for new inspiration. What arrived at my office a few days later had an intriguing name… The Real Food Diet cookbook. Diet? All right, let’s see what this is all about. I’m definitely all for real food at least.
The book starts with an outline of Dr. Axe’s diet, defining “real food” and “fake food.” I didn’t really care for the tone of it – it seemed a little gimmicky with claims like “refined sugar is lethal when ingested by humans!” (yeah, ok!) which in my opinion actually undermined some of the good messages like avoiding hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners and focusing on hormone/antibiotic free, organic meats and eggs vs. their conventional counterparts. Some of the suggestions also lacked sufficient rationale. For example, the diet allows for small portions of grains but they must be unprocessed and glutten-free. I didn’t understand why glutten-free (for people that do not have glutten allergies) was recommended and further why some recipes in the cookbook portion called for glutten-free pancake mix. Is that unprocessed? Again, why is it better than whole wheat flour?
The book and I generally didn’t get off on the right foot but I was mostly interested in the cookbook portion and that’s what I set out to review. Majority of the recipes included nice looking photos, which I always appreciate (although a few of them did not match the description entirely… a bit sloppy). I also liked the little shortcut signs for meals that are quick, pre/post workout, low on energy, kid-friendly, etc.
Most of the recipes appeared pretty simple and straight forward and many of them sounded (and looked) delicious. Perhaps because of the intro section, for the most part I felt like this was a diet book (first) with supplemental recipes (second), rather than a cookbook with certain nutritional guidelines. The one clear miss in the cookbook section was the fact that there were no serving sizes noted. In some cases it’s obvious, but for things like shakes, for example – I had no idea whether I was going to get a whole pitcher or just one glass.
Recipe review time!
Chicken Bryan
This called for 4 tablespoons of oil and 1/2 cup of butter for 2lbs of chicken. I’m all for not being scared of healthy fats but that confused me and I just couldn’t do it. The end result with significantly less fat, was still pretty delicious. I found the bitterness of the lemon rind a bit too strong on day 1, but it actually mellowed out in a few days in the fridge so the leftovers tasted better. 
Egg Tahini Salad
A bit of a misnomer because it was actually a salad with eggs… not an egg salad. Am I too anal? Again it was a bit annoying that serving sizes were not included but I made a portion and while I had to thin the dressing out with some water, it was quite flavorful and I enjoyed it (the addition of tomatoes was my own and I thought it was brilliant! 
)
Next up I made the kale shake which I thought was vile. There is no picture here because after 2 sips (I forced a second one just to make sure I wasn’t crazy), the whole thing went down the drain. I usually force myself to eat whatever I make because I hate wasting food but this one was no go. The ingredients list included kale, cayenne peppers and bananas – this was either going to be genius or well, a disaster. You know what I thought of it by now 
I’m happy to say it was smooth sailing from here. The rest of the recipes I tried were super flavorful, easy and very satisfying.
I made the raw marinara sauce with ground grass-fed beef (which I pan fried before mixing with the rest of the sauce) and served it over whole wheat gnocchi. The base of the sauce is sun-dried tomatoes which packed so much flavor. Loved this!!
The rest of the ground beef went into the making of the bison burgers. I know beef isn’t bison but I thought the spices that went into the patties were delicious – I’m sure they’d work great with bison! (Note: the roasted butternut squash and cream cheese additions were my own).
Next up, I made the blueberry bliss snack bars. I don’t know how many the recipes was supposed to make – I shaped them into 2 and had a fun little photo shoot. 
These were sweet yet wholesome. I chopped my almonds coarsely and enjoyed their crunch. I also think that making bars into rounds makes them feel like cookies and extra special. I sure felt special eating these
The last recipe I tried was of the avocado mango salsa. It wasn’t much different from other avocado mango salsas I’ve tried but I was happy to have this sweet/sour combo again. It paired beautifully with grilled shrimp with I served over red quinoa.
At the end of it all, I think Dr. Axe got some of my trust back. We had a rocky start (and that kale shake is seriously disgusting!) but all these eats were clean, fresh and delivered strong flavors. I bookmarked a lot of the recipes for a potential review and definitely still plan on trying them out!
Would you like to try the recipes yourself? I have one free copy to giveaway!
Here are the rules; there are 6 ways to enter.
1) Leave a comment on this post – tell me what your favorite cookbook is and why.
2+3) Follow me on Twitter (please tell me in the comments what your twitter name is so I can confirm). For an additional entry, you can also tweet about this giveaway (my twitter name must be included to qualify – that’s @elinacooks fyi)
4) Like Healthy and Sane on Facebook.
5) Add Healthy and Sane to your blogroll.
6) Link to this post on your blog, if you have one. If you don’t, let someone else know about this giveaway and tell me so in the comments section after they’ve entered the giveaway.
Please leave a separate comment for each entry. The giveaway is open to US residents only (sorry) and will end on December 11. I will randomly choose a winner using random.org and announce him/her on Sunday. Good luck! 
I love how you shaped your snack bars into cookies! Very cute. Recipes look good! I’m particularly interested in the gnocchi one….YUM!
my favorite cookbook is my jill o’connor dessert book (sticky, chewy, messy, gooey) because everything is fun and delicious…. obviously a different category from this one!
My favorite cookbook is anything by Ina Garten — I love the Barefoot Contessa and her easy, delicious recipes.
… and you’re already on my blogroll.
I’m not a cook but I have Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” as a coffee table book. It really is a bible!
That book looks great
My all-time favorite cookbook is Joy of Cooking because it is so versatile and it was a gift from my grandma. I also love Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.
Already a facebook fan.
Already on my blogroll
My favorite cookbook is by Cooks Illustrated. Included are their trial and error attempts to make the best dish – you learn so much! While I’m not a great dieter, I’d love to try it out… I follow you on twitter already (@acambridgestory).
Great review! I’m also super confused about the gluten-free component of this “diet.” Did you ever find out why that would be recommended for someone without a gluten allergy? I have no idea!
The bluberry snack bars look super tasty, too
I have a tie between my two favorite cookbooks: one is the Moosewood Restaurant’s Low-Fat Favorites, and the other is Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (I could live out of this cookbook if I didn’t have some self-restraint!)
A thorough and well-written review! My favorite cookbook is “How To Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman. The title says it all!
Great review. I love trying new healthy recipes! I don’t have a favorite cookbook for recipes but I do have my grandmother’s very old (1940, second edition) Joy of Cooking cookbook which I love.
I follow you on Twitter already, @AmateurGastro.
Joy of Cooking is my favorite cookbook. I feel like it can never do me wrong. But I think this could be interesting for healthy and quicker-to-prepare midweek meals.
I’d be interested to try out some of these recipes, but I’m 100% with you when it comes to using gluten-free mixes. It seems going gluten-free has become a trend for too many people for whom it is not a medical necessity. I don’t understand why people think it’s healthier to go out of their way to avoid gluten when they’re body can process it just fine.
How is the marinara sauce raw if you use cooked meat in it?
My favourite cookbook is Molto Italiano by Mario Batali. I’ve NEVER made a bad recipe from it. Not only that but all the recipes I’ve made are some of my favourites!
Samantha – the marinara sauce is raw on its own… but of course my end result wasn’t with the addition of meat.
I follow you on twitter
And I tweeted!
I’m a big fan of “How to Cook Everything”. It’s my go-to because it’s failproof.
Healthy and Sane is on my Google Reader.
I have a lot of cookbooks, but the one I always go back to for inspiration is the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It has a little bit of everything in it, is organized by categories, and is really easy to read. A lot of their recipes aren’t the healthiest, but I can usually modify them to make them a little better.
And you’re already on my blogroll
I love the “Eat this, not that” cookbook. It is soo so good. I have made several recipes from it and am always impressed.
Hi Elina-
My favorite cookbook is the Eat Clean Diet- most recipes are pretty easy and everything tastes great!
You’re on my google reader
My favorite cookbook is actually the red Better Homes & Gardens classic cookbook. You just can’t go wron!
I follow you on twitter: @christinaorso
I just liked you on fb
So far, my favorite is Veganomicon, though I also own one Sweedish one with recipes involving deer, ha ha.
I don’t really have a favorite cookbook – I find most of my recipes online! I like recipes that are simple and use ingredients I’m likely to have in my pantry.
I already like you on FB.
Also, Twitter follower = @nobel4lit
This may disqualify me but I have to say my favorite cookbooks are magazines. Always something new, fresh, seasonal. I find them so inspiring! Cooking Light, Eating Well and Clean Eating are my favorites.
I do have a question. I created a facebook page for my blog but how do you get your posts to auto feed to the page? Is that even possible?
Yes, it’s possible. Check out Wordbooker.
No wonder I like your blog so much–we have some similiarites.
I, also, am anal–and I can’t throw food away either! I made a squash gratin a few weeks ago that was so nasty I was literally gagging it down…my husband thought I was crazy, but I just couldn’t dump it in the garbage. I’m glad to know I’m not alone!
My favorite cookbook is deceptively delicious. It’s a great way to sneak in some veggies.
The King Arthur’s Flour Cookie cookbook! I know that probably wasn’t what you were thinking, but it has some fantastic cookies and lots of variations on the traditional ones.
interesting, some of the stances they take… but i guess we all chose which battles to fight! i still love the flavor bible, even though it’s a little less cookbook it’s the one i’ve found myself opening more and more
I am still searching for my favorite cookbook!! I really like a bunch of different ones.
I follow you on twitter – I am @jeninRL
that raw marinara sauce photo looks incredible. i’m (again) drooling. i like you on fb
I always come back to this Martha Stewart Cookbook: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0517703351/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0609607502&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1V8XH6K4RRYNS9P1ERQE
great giveaway!
I don’t have a favorite cookbook, but I love Real Simple for recipes.
already following you on Twitter!
…just tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/poiseinparma/status/12274934776594432
I love all of the Cooking Light cookbooks – I can always find something delicious in those!
Hey girly! Thanks for the heads-up about this giveaway, I can always use more cookbooks! Currently my favorite is the newest Taste Of Home one…it just has so many recipes in every category!
I love my Food & Wine cookbook – the recipes are all so different and always interesting!
following you on twitter now too! @cookinfanatic1
[...] The real food diet cookbook–review and giveaway [...]
I love my Best of Cooking Light cookbook – from 2006, I think.
I love the Joy of Cooking-it may be old, but it is an excellent reference for everything!
thanks for hosting this giveaway! my favorite cookbook is the Zuni Cafe cookbook. It uses real ingredients and focuses on letting the flavor of fresh produce take center stage. I also love how simple and flavorful the recipes are!
you’re on my google reader!
Great photos! Makes me wanna jump right at cooking but I bet it won’t be as yummy and good looking as yours.
Hi Elina,
Just wanted to say thanks for your honest review of my cookbook and hosting the giveaway! I wanted to address the gluten free issue.
First, 1 out of 7 people are actually gluten intolerant, and some people don’t realize it until their late 20′s or 30′s. The bonus of using gluten free ingredients, even if you aren’t gluten-intolerant, is that they’re typically made out of brown rice which puts it lower on the glycemic index (If you remember there’s a glycemic load/glycemic index section in the front of the book… which you loved so much
. This means it won’t affect your blood sugar as much and typically it’s going to be easier to digest.
Hope this helps. Thanks again for your thorough review, I’m bookmarking your post for revisions to make when we reprint.
Dr. Josh Axe