Peace, Love and Fibre: Over 100 Fibre-Rich Recipes for the Whole Family by Mairlyn SmithMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Mairlyn Smith, who has recently gained traction for her #FartWalk initiative (yes, you read that right) making the rounds on social media, is a professional Home Economist and former member of the Second City Comedy Troupe. Her winsome personality, that shines through in her videos, is no less present in the text of this cookbook. More than just recipes, Smith offers a practical (and humorous) way to incorporate more fiber in your diet. She warns that an increase in fiber needs to be gradual, coupled with an increase (usually) in water intake.
She weighs in on sugar and salt too, reminding us that table salt is not such a bad thing when you look at iodine needs. Ultimately, she offers a gameplan for the "Big Picture" by offering 10 healthy habits (that range from diet, exercise, to emotional well-being), and suggests picking one a month. After 10 months, you can perhaps find two good habits of your own devising, and you'll have a year's journey toward a healthy lifestyle. And no, I'm not sharing which habit I'm starting with.
There's a pragmatism behind Smith's advice that makes it seem achievable and her joie de vivre leaps off the page, whether it is her prose, or a photo of one of her prized teacups.
Since it is a cookbook, I've done my standard "3 recipes before reviewing" practice, although I have to say it is really 2.5 in this case. I used her "Potato & Asparagus Salad with Basil & Arugula Pesto" as a base recipe to use up some frozen Fennel frond pesto (from Hetty McKinnon), so I can't comment on the pesto in the recipe. The salad itself, however, was terrifically easy to put together (steaming baby potatoes is a great option rather than boiling), and it seems like it would adapt to most green pestos.
Next I made the "Chorizo, Brown Rice, and Lentils" and wow...this was terrific. High quality chorizo from a local butcher and Rancho Gordo's French-Style Green Lentils shone through and the spices were beautiful. While not light, it was surprisingly not as heavy as you might think--which was good since for some reason I felt like August was a good time to make it. I'll be returning to it in the fall!
And then "Traditional Overnight Oats for the Steel-Cut Purists"--I'm new to the concept of cooking overnight oats the next morning (which absolutely makes sense with steel-cut rather than rolled oats), and once again Smith's practicality comes into play -- after a couple 1 minute cycles in the microwave, the concoction sits for 15 minutes while "you run around getting ready for your day."
Each recipe comes with truly helpful and informative nutrition data per serving (newsflash: overnight oats have a lot of calories!), including fat breakdown, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, protein, potassium, and of course... fiber! If you are looking to make healthy changes to your diet and life, Smith offers some really sage (and fun) advice in this book.
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(Crossposted to Lady of Shallots)
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