Secrets of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine

If you EVER get to Sioux Falls, look up her restaurant - it's fantastic! The recipes in her book are the same ones she serves on the menu. There's something to the way Sanaa approaches food - I highly doubt real-life Syrian food is like the stuff she creates because if it were, there'd be Syrian restaurants on every street corner. Instead, Sanaa is a brilliant chef who draws upon her Mediterranean heritage to create food that makes franchise-fare seem positively inedible.

As an American married to a Syrian, I always have a hard time finding authentic *Syrian*, *not* Lebanese, recipes. Most Middle Eastern cookbooks tend to focus on Lebanese which is fine if you don't know the difference, but those Damascenes are discriminating! :) This is not only a Syrian cookbook, but the author's modifications of traditional recipes to make them healthier is wonderful! (The author is a nutritionist.) No gobs of that awful "samne arabii" to be found here, only lesser amounts of healthier oils. I also LOVE her recollections of growing up in Syria, and her time spent in both rural Syria and in Damascus. Shukran, Sanaa!

In Secrets Of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine, Sanaa Abourezk offers savory Levantine recipes as interpreted by an accomplished chef and nutritionist. The kitchen cook will appreciate her extensive information on basic nutrition, the nutritional labeling system, healthy cooking tips, and detailed information on the selection and use of spices. From Bulgur Wheat Salad, Eggplant Stew, and Stuffed Zucchini in Yogurt Soup, to Roasted Potatoes, Sweet Peas with Chicken, and Pancakes stuffed with Ricotta, Secrets Of Healthy Middle Eastern Cuisine showcases 150 delicious recipes that range from appetizers to salads to main dishes to desserts. Exotic, nutritious, and highly recommended.

This is an awesome book for those who care about your health and for those who enjoy the finer things in life. These recipes are top notch and the most unbelievable part is that they are really easy to make. Sanaa is an incredible cook (I have had the honor of eating a meal from this book in her home) and this book definitely should be on every gourmets shelf, or better yet, on their counter!