A review by crystalisreading
The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook: Over 125 Delicious, Life-Changing, Plant-Based Recipes by Ann Crile Esselstyn, Jane Esselstyn

2.0

I was really excited to pick up a copy of this from the library. I was expecting something along the lines of the Happy Herbivore or the Forks Over Knives cookbooks or even Dreena Burton. Instead, this book is much more what the title implies--a book of recipes to prevent and reverse heart disease. What that means is that the recipes at least seem from reading them (since I didn't actually try cooking any of them) very austere. No nuts, in addition to the little refined oil. Little salt, sugar, etc. And LOTS of gluten and oatmeal. I can't have either, so while I commend the authors for healthy recipes, the breakfast section was almost totally useless to me, as it was primarily oatmeal recipes. And many of the entrees, the loafs and burgers and such, were also oatmeal-dependent. That's fine. Oatmeal is extremely nutritious, and there are plenty of people who can eat it. But I can't, even gluten-free oats, and so the recipes just mostly frustrated me, in addition to not looking very tasty. I'm going to take this back to the library so someone who needs the cookbook can use it, and I'm going to go back to some of my whole-foods, plant-based cookbooks like the ones I mentioned above. It was worth a try. Just not worth a buy (for me).