The Longevity Kitchen

February 25, 2013
Asparagus. Avocado. Basil. Blueberries. Those are the first four items on the "Super Sixteen," a list of the foods that offer, in the author's words, "the highest levels of antioxidants" and the "premier sources of healthy omega-3 fats, probiotics, and other body-boosting phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals." While Katz and Edelson (The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen) don't offer scientific proof of these claims, it's easy to believe that the ultra-healthy ingredients they recommend are good for the body. The recipes that follow introductory material on the various properties of the Super Sixteen run the gamut from appetizers to desserts, and most seem, perhaps surprisingly, delicious, from Lemony Lentil and Quinoa Salad to Maple-Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Caraway. It's worth noting that this is not a vegetarian cookbook, as made clear by the inclusion of several chicken or lamb recipes. The authors' introductions to each recipe can be tiresomely silly, so readers should skip straight to the ingredient list and start cooking up something healthy and delicious. 60 color photos.

February 1, 2013
Classify this collection in the good-for-you, wholesomeness sectionbut with a few differences. Author-chef and certified nutritionist (The Cancer Kitchen, 2009, is one of her books) Katz, with the help of writer Edelson, tries to tame our never-ending struggle between the healing foodstuffs (antioxidants and the like) and the I got a taste for this American diet. The solution? It's called compromise. Though the white ingredients, like sugar and flour, are verboten, Katz does find many ways to infuse flavor into more than 100 dishes that will tempt our taste buds. Poultry and fish make a more than occasional appearancefor instance, in chicken tortilla soup and smoked-salmon nori rolls. There's little to no preaching about the badness of the foods we tend to eat but an emphasis, instead, on the 16 power foods, such as asparagus, coffee, green tea, kale, wild salmonwith appropriate scientific backup. There's a mini chapter devoted to Sweet Bites, the best part of any meal.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)