Healthy Pleasures: Great Tastes from Canadian Dietitians and Chefs

Eve Challoner Pella is a MPP constituency assistant and a past Executive
Committee member of the PTA in Toronto.

Canadian nutritionists and chefs joined forces to produce this cookbook,
which offers more than 200 recipes that reflect culturally diverse
cuisines, including Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, American Indian,
and French. The recipes, which adhere to Health Canada’s guidelines
for a healthy diet, and use local or easily obtainable products, call
for a well-stocked cupboard of herbs, spices, and sauces (plus a few
bottles of wine). Equal emphasis is given to taste and nutritional
content, and low-fat alternatives are provided.

The book is extremely well produced, with clear and simple preparation
instructions and lots of tempting photos of finished products.
Individual recipes vary in terms of culinary expertise required and
preparation time. Unfortunately, estimated preparation and cooking times
are not provided at the beginning of each recipe. Nutritional
information per serving is included, although not on sugar and
saturated-fat contents. Many main courses give not only the main protein
element, but also suggestions for suitable vegetable and grain
accompaniments. All the recipes have been tested by home economists and
modified for home use.