Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite: 125 Super-Fresh Recipes for a High-Energy Life [Paperback]

I have quite a few Gordon Ramsey books and I consider myself to be a more than competent cook at home. Modest I know. I like to cook for people and I have a strong interest (some would say obsesession bordering on fetish) in food, where foods comes from, breeds, varieties, seasons etc. However, I do find that a lot of cook books out on the market, particularly from chefs yet alone Michellin starred chefs go too far. They seek to give tangible copies of the fantasy of their restaurants in your home, initially in hard back.

This is the first of his books that I have found myself using almost daily. I have a girlfriend who is on WeightWatchers at the moment and if any of you are going through that experience of looking at ingredients, trying to manage your points, you don't believe that X ingredient can be tasty etc then this book is really an asset in order to see what combination work well and do not compromise taste. What I like about this book is that I think it really reflects that kind of things that I eat for myself anyway and it either provides a different way of making/presenting things or it just simply gives me new ideas.

Ramsey is very clear that this is not a diet book as discussed by another reviewer. It is not a diet book. Not at all. But it is a book to keep close to you when you have seen things in supermarkets and you're either not sure what they are or you would like to know what to do with them. I am not a baker but I have made so many of his muffin recommendations since I have bought the book much to the delight of my housemate and, again, said girlfriend.

I would highly recommend this book over many of his others if not for the fact that it is far more practical and I would encourage anyone to have a crack at some of the recipes in it. I do raise an eyebrow at the dessert section of any book claiming to be healthy but I think that again he has made an admirable effort here and should be commended for it.

GORDON RAMSAY'S HEALTHY APPETITE is a must have for those who want great tasting food without all the calories and fat. It seems some have been put off by the fact that this is not a diet book. No one ever said it was. Rather, it is a healthy approach to eating without blowing your entire way of living out of the water. What Ramsay wants to make clear (I believe) is that there are several factors involved in healthy eating: proportion, moderation, seasoning, and the right combination of foods, just to name a few.

Highlights for me include the "Four Cabbage Coleslaw," the "Penne Primavera," and the "Pot roast sirloin of beef." Other may warm to the "Glazed Gammon with pineapple Salsa," which I haven't tried yet but will soon.

While the recipes are the main thing, there's also chapters on the "bad" fats and getting the right balance of things on the plate. Overall a great cookbook, on the same par for me as DELIA'S HOW TO CHEAT and THE KITCHEN DIARIES. Anyway you slice it, Ramsay has it going on, hands down!

But......if a 'Herb Omelette with Cherry Tomatoes' is more your breakfast choice.......the good news is.....that is here, too!
Based on that, I think, it would be fair to say that Healthy Appetite is unlikely to disappoint many!

'After all, a big part of living a good life is the enjoyment of food', and you can't say fairer than that, in my opinion!

Gordon isn't the first and he won't be the last to quote:
'What you are is what you eat' or words to that effect...

From the introduction:

'Healthy eating is a topic close to my heart.
I've been passionate about leaving a healthy lifestyle for many years now...

Now let me clarify: this is not a diet book.

Those who know me know that I don't believe in faddy diets.
I do, however, believe that I can prepare and serve healthy food without jeopardising taste and flavour, or drastically changing my style of cooking. Whether it's an elegant dinner party or a simple mid-week supper, a few simple adjustments are all that's needed to make our favourite meals that bit more balanced...lower in fat and calories yet rich in energy-giving nutrients.
Choosing the right ingredients is the core of healthy eating. It's not just a matter of selecting the leanest cuts of meat and reducing the amount of fat we consume, it helps to know which ingredients are at their peak at any given time, both in terms of flavour and nutrition.........
When it comes to putting a healthy dish together, balance and moderation are key. It's not simply a matter of putting the right types of food on a plate. How the food is cooked and seasoned and how the whole menu comes together are just as important.
And I don't advocate cutting out butter and cream completely, just using a little here and there where it will really enhance the flavour of a dish....'

An eye-catching book in its own right, with bright lime green covers and white titling.....(see above image - if you would rather not have GR peeking out over the top of his leafy greens on the dust-jacket).....opens to 256 high quality matt pages split over main chapters:

1. Healthy breakfast
2. Healthy brunch/lunch
3. Healthy working lunch
4. Healthy Sunday lunch
5. Healthy barbecues
6. Healthy suppers
7. Healthy kids
8. Healthy entertaining
9. Healthy desserts

plus an introduction, which includes a 'Healthy Cooking Techniques' section, a 'Healthy Basics' section, finishing with a concise index and a page of acknowledgments.

Over 125 recipes laid out in the familiar GR format as seen in his other best sellers, 'Fast Food' and 'Sunday Lunch', where this book follows on from.
The useful '5 ways with' sections are here, e.g.:

* Oats
* Tomatoes

along with useful information sections, e.g.:

* Omega-3 boost
* Avoid the bad fats
* Getting the right balance

Each recipe is clearly laid out with the title, the number of servings, a list of ingredients and the clearly presented method.
The majority have a photograph(s) and more often than not a useful note or two, e.g.:

* 'Melon and Berry Salad'
* 'Rich in Vitamin C to boost your immunity'

There are a number of 'on location' shots, also.

A taste of the other recipes within:

* Berry and yoghurt smoothie
* Seeded honey loaf
* Cod and tomato chowder
* Smoked trout, orange and wild rocket salad
* Spinach and goat's cheese soufflé
* Spaghetti vongole
* Borscht
* Mango, avocado and smoked chicken salad
* Roast chicken with baby vegetables
* Sticky baked chicken drumsticks
* Spicy beef curry
* Venison pie with sweet potato topping
* Glazed gammon with pineapple salsa
* Lamb kebabs with peppers and tomatoes
* Four cabbage coleslaw
* Glazed ling with sweet `n' sour shallots
* Steamed prawns with black bean sauce
* Vietnamese beef and noodle soup
* Braised pork with leeks and pak choi
* Calves liver with caramelised onions
* Penne primavera
* Lunchbox dips and dunkers
* Stir-fried duck in lettuce cups
* Mixed fish sashimi
* Pot-roast sirloin of beef with root vegetables
* Vanilla pannacotta with blueberry sauce
* Spiced apple cake
* Pavlova with roasted rhubarb fool
* Poached pears in mulled wine
* Lime mousse
* Chocolate mousse - 'a lighter version of my cook-along recipe'

My only criticism is that I do miss the quick reference recipe list at the front, but this is just habit from my very regular use of Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food: Recipes from "The F Word"!