Eating from Our Roots

January 2, 2023
“Disentangling ourselves from restrictive eating patterns and focusing on sustainable and enjoyable nourishment is liberating,” declares dietitian Feller (Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook) in this wide-ranging exploration of healthy eating. Her intention to decolonize accepted notions of mindful eating is clear from the start, and she includes dishes and practices from the African diaspora and other non-Western cuisines to spotlight the foods that “have often been left out of health and culinary conversations.” Feller enlists the help of seven expert chefs, offering creative dishes like savory French toast imbued with Indian spice and stuffed with cashew cream, or watermelon “steaks” treated to a marinade of beets, tamarind, and hibiscus leaves to intensify their color and add tart flavor notes. Her own Caribbean heritage is celebrated in several ways, including a coconut quick bread from Trinidad and Tobago and the vegetarian diet of Jamaica’s Rastafarians, whose Ital stew contains pumpkin, plantains, okra, split peas, corn, and habanero pepper. Sprinkled throughout are essays that explore histories of global cuisines and track the ways ingredients spread through trade and enslavement. A helpful chart of plant-based substitutions for meat and dairy ingredients adds to the richness of this well-researched guide. Those seeking healthy recipes and culturally diverse fare will be pleased. Agent: Josanne Lopez, Lopez Talent Management.

January 1, 2023
Nutritionist and cookbook author Feller (Southern Comfort Food Diabetes Cookbook, 2019) teaches readers about the importance of nutrition, using foods from various cultures. Nutrition is an ever-evolving science, she explains, not a rule written in stone, and nutritional goals can be met by eating more of the foods that we already enjoy. Readers will appreciate Feller's helpful tips, such as advice on how to stock a pantry, with a section on understanding processed foods, and a helpful chart for plant-based alternatives to meat, dairy, and eggs. Some recipes are local, such as griddlecakes from the northeastern U.S., while others boast more international roots: coconut bake from Trinidad and Tobago, French branzino bouillabaisse, and sweet potato and leek soup from West and Central Africa. Recipes are about a page long and include a summary about the dish as well as occasional historical commentary and ingredient-based highlights. A perfect book for health-conscious readers and armchair-traveling foodies.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.