Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish

by Dean Ornish

Do you think you have to choose between good food and good health? Between foods that might help you live longer -- or just make it seem longer? Between fast, high-fat foods and time-consuming, low-fat meals? Now you don't. In "Everyday Cooking with Dr. Dean Ornish," Dr. Ornish teaches you that you don't have to make compromises in your diet. You can enjoy fast, easy-to-prepare meals that are delicious and nutritious, made with familiar, inexpensive, and easy-to-find ingredients. Dr. Ornish and his colleagues present simple yet extraordinary recipes for making fresh, delicious, everyday meals. These time-saving recipes are organized into seasonal menus to take advantage of the freshest ingredients. In addition to offering a tempting selection of recipes, Dr. Ornish gives clear, detailed instructions that interweave techniques, and helpful sidebars; advice on using leftovers, suggestions for alternative ways to season or serve a dish, how to keep a plentiful pantry, a shop-smart guide with supermarket tips and traps, how to equip your low-fat kitchen, how to cook legumes and grains, how to pack a better lunch box, how to choose better bread, and scores of other helpful tips. For the millions who were inspired by Dr. Ornish's previous books, this companion audio makes his way of eating fast and fun, easy and extra ordinary. Drawing on his work training others to adopt his program, Dr. Ornish presents recipes that are extremely low in fat and cholesterol and high in flavor. These simple choices may result in powerful changes in your health and well-being.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Health, Nonfiction, Cooking, Reference, Science

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Dean Ornish is an American physician and researcher. He is the president and founder of the nonprofit Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California and a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is a well-known advocate for using a plant-based diet and healthy lifestyle changes to treat and prevent heart disease.

Dean Ornish earned a B.A. in Humanities summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Austin, where he gave the baccalaureate address. He received his M.D. from the Baylor College of Medicine, he was a clinical fellow in medicine at Harvard Medical School, and he completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Reviews

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up from the library, because we are trying to eat healthier--more plant-based, and at least slightly lower in fat. I don't like this cookbook, though. It's exactly the kind of lowfat cooking I cringe from, where low-fat dairy and egg substitutes are used. The recipes sound...pale? to me. Just weak and unappealing. instead of replacing what you can't/ aren't having (full fat dairy, whole eggs, etc.) with weak substitutes, just cook without them. That way you're not constantly reminded of what you can't have, and the recipes you DO make taste great because that's how they were meant to. At least that's my approach to dietary changes, and considering I've had to go first gluten free, and then dairy free as well, and now we want to go vegan--I think I know a few things about changing my diet. :) Thin soups and lots of pasta, much less desserts using fruit juice concentrates and canned pie filling, aren't going to cut it for me.
I managed to find a little over a dozen recipes in here that I found appealing and am going to try, but I definitely wouldn't buy this book.
Recipes I plan to try:
Pineapple Compote with Candied Ginger, Carrot-Cauliflower Soup with Tarragon, Zucchini Potato Soup, Risotto with Corn and Red Peppers, White Bean Salad with Zucchini, Tomato, and Basil, Spiced Poached Peaches, Cucumber and Potato Soup with Dill, Gazpacho with White Beans, Corn Lover's Vegetable Stew, Zucchini Brownies (he really seems to like zucchini. which is fine. it's prolific. I can grow plenty of it.), Stuffed Cabbage with Lentils and Brown Rice, Potato Pancakes with Warm Applesauce, White Bean Soup with Winter Greens, Baked Sweet Potatoes with Thyme, and Braised Brussel Sprouts and Chestnuts. Soups, when full of hearty vegetable ingredients and flavorful herbs/ spices, are a really good way to eat a restricted diet and still feel satisfied, which is why most of the recipes that I thought thought looked decent here were soups.

[Katrina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the nutritional advice in this 1995 cookbook is probably dated, especially his ideas regarding the use of healthy fats such as EVOO and avocados. Unfortunately, it is not vegan. There are numerous recipes requiring non-fat dairy and eggs. The Chickpea Stew with Couscous, Zucchini Brownies (no eggs or dairy), Cabbage and Green Apple Slaw, Carrot-Cauliflower Soup with Tarragon and Wild Rice and White Bean Salad recipes look worthy of a try-out however!

[Satie A]

Being a kinda sorta innate seasonal vegetarian usually during the warmer season, I am finding this book to be useful, but seasoning is the key to creating a fullness in flavor. I love to cook with wine and smoked paprika in savory meals..it is a great way to bring out a more dynamic flavor resulting in a mimicked infusion of smoked meat and, the irreplaceable deliciousness of the embodiment of cooked wines. The object of this book is to improve cardiovascular and anti-carcinogenic health, so it is my hope that I will glean something from it on that level with a more dedicated adherence to it...here goes....I began with the Tuscan Vegetable Minestrone on page 69 since the recipe contained ingredients I already had. I made some omissions and additions that did not offset the healthiness of the meal to suit my taste preferences and it was divine. A yummy first start....

[Ramona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every good cookbook will have its good points, that includes easy-to-make recipes, cooking hints and tidbits, and personal glimpses into the author's life. that are unique. I will keep this one in my cookbook library, as a favorite go-to, for low-fat recipes.

[Charles Lichtenwalner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Recipes require too many ingredients. Most recipes use nightshade family vegetables.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn’t like this book since I’m on a whole food plant based diet and there was all purpose flour and sugar in some of the recipes.

[Donura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that I got this book. I find that there are a lot of recipes that I would have never thought of doing as a way of saving fat. I think this will help incorporate variety into the diet. Flavor has always been important to me so I like that he uses things like capers and high flavor seasonings. I love the shopping lists and specific brand names, it saves a lot of time. I am currently going through several different books with recipes and plans and trying to incorporate them to a full plan.

[Andreas Michaelides · Rating 5 out of 5]

An every day cooking book with 150 easy to make recipes that because they are low fat they promote health and give you energy to cope with everyday challenges, nice plant based recipes with high flavour will make you come back for more.
An excellent cook book, if you really care about your health and happiness then you should buy this book. Highly recommended.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipes are good, the facts about plant based diets are good....... organization is POOR. It's like they took the book and put the sections in a randomizer.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. Great recipes.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The recipes have been pretty good and I like that the book is organized into seasonal menus. All the recipes are pretty easy and for everyday which is great!

[hissi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good recipes in there. Considering buying the book!