Mediterranean Light

Lots of soup and salad, heavy on the tomato. Fish will need substitutes. Lots of beans, thin on vegetable varieties. Italian, French, Greek with a smattering of other countries. Very heavy! No pictures (I don't care, you might). Recipes look reasonable and tasty. I will likely cull favorites and pass it on.

I received my first book without a book cover. I’m surprised by how disappointed I was when this perfect condition book arrived with the bank cover. Other than that, I’m pretty sure the book had never been touched. As far as the cookbook itself goes, its format includes education and an orientation into Shulman’s healthy focus for the series. I’m very happy with this book. Love the author! 5 stars for the book.

I decided it was time to write a review about the marvels of this book when I returned from a weekend of cooking 3 meals a day for my Step-Mother-in-Law (and other in-laws)in a little cabin over a long weekend. They loved everything I made from this book. The recipes are delicious, easy to fix, and easy to follow. Not only have I had success cooking for the inlaws but my family has also loved every recipe. I have notation after notation that says "great" in the index so I can easily go back and find favorites. So far, there's nothing that says "bad" or "bland" next to a recipe title. I am loosing weight using these recipes and my family is eating healthier too. Some favorite recipes: Spinach with Chickpeas, Green bean and Garlic soup, and Tuna and Italian bean salad. Her broiled eggplant with garlic and rosemary turned my husband into a eggplant eater after a lifelong aversion to it.

I have lots of cookbooks but few are as reliable as this one by Ms. Shulman. The lower-fat hummus recipe alone is worth the price of the book. (Another favorite is the Swiss chard soup.) This book was obviously a labor of love for the author. Thanks!

I wrote in April of 2000 that I had lost 50 lbs. I've lost another 20 lbs - 70 in all and maintain that loss now for almost 4 years using this cookbook. I have given it to many friends and relatives. It has changed my eating style for the better for life. Every time there's a news story about the best way to eat it mirrors what Ms Shulman teaches in her books. It's no chore eating this way. I love it. I wrote that review 4 years ago. In July 1999 I weighed 240 lbs. Now February 2007 I weigh 145 lbs. Yes, almost 100 lbs loss. I now have Mexican Light and Provencial Light too and I love all of them. It's still easy to eat this way for life.

My rule of thumb is, if you get three recipes that you cook regularly out of a cookbook, and you otherwise enjoy it, it has earned its selling price. Let's see: I use the recipes for hummus, white bean and tuna salad, tabouleh, semolina bread, that thing with chard and fish . . . and there's lots more. The author explains how to do it all from scratch, which is always good to know, but I've saved some time substituting already cooked beans and, when I don't have any I've made myself, I've used commercially produced, fat-reduced chicken stock. Nutritional data is provided for each dish.

I've lost 50 lbs since I began using the book last July (It's April now). Ms Schulman's book has taught me to cook with less fat and choose foods that are very tasty but with no fat or less fat than I was used to before.The foods are spicy, but I LOVE spicy. This is a Great book. I've given it to several friends and family members.