To begin, or to be successful, in a healthy eating regime, a person requires a few things in his or her toolbox: some vegetables and fruits, some motivation, some interest in health, some kitchen equipment, and some recipe ideas. That’s where this book comes in.

I really can’t say enough good things about Clean Food, Terry Walter’s “seasonal guide to eating close to the source.” Outside of purchasing your groceries and sticking a spatula in your hand, this book covers all the bases. I reach for this beautiful collection of recipes on a regular basis. There aren’t many cookbooks where seemingly every recipe seems like something I’d want to make and, perhaps more importantly, want to eat, with ingredients and seasonings I am easily able to find and flavours that are widely appealing. Clean Food is divided into four sections, one for each season. Each section opens with a beautiful line of poetry or statement about the season, and the recipes, as I’ve noted above, are simple, fresh, healthy, clean, and easy. Each seasonal chapter of recipes includes a range of ideas from dips and dressings, to soups, to legumes, to salads, and so on. Did I also mention each section includes a range of fabulous dessert recipes? Oh yes. I don’t go for cookbooks without some dessert ideas. Many of the dessert recipes are raw, and all are naturally-sweetened. Oh, and all recipes are vegan too, and most are gluten-free. So, there you go. Check, check, and check.

Clean Food also contains a fairly extensive introduction that talks about the whys and wherefores of balanced eating, so it works for you if you are just beginning your journey to eating a cleaner, more sustainable diet, or are already well-versed in dietary choices and just love reading as much as possible on the subject.

Now, I’m pretty fortunate in that my local library seems to have a copy available pretty much all the time, so I can have one in my home on most days, no purchase required. If you don’t have access to it through other means, though, this is one book that would certainly be worth the financial investment.

Some recipe titles, to get your mind buzzing:

Spring:

• Green Goddess Dip
• Crispy Sesame Carrots
• Sweet Potato, Corn, and Kale Chowder
• Raisin Nut Bars

Summer:

• Pineapple Tempeh Kabobs
• Herbal Iced Tea
• Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing
• Nuts over Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Autumn:

• Lentil Walnut Pate
• Apple Squash Soup
• Baked Maple Mustard Tempeh
• Maple Poached Pears

Winter:

• Super Strengthening Stew
• Butternut Squash Casserole
• Lentil Apple Walnut Loaf
• Chocolate Pecan Pie

Bam! There you have it. Wait..is ‘bam’ what Emeril says? If so, I’d best change my catchphrase. How about… whah-pow?

Okay, so, whah-pow! Add this wise, beautiful, and instructive cookbook to your collection and watch your clean eating habits blossom. You’ll learn helpful kitchen and healthy eating tips, and discover recipes that will become part of your regular rotation while inspiring you to greater culinary heights. Phew. That’s a lot for one book. But this one can do it.

Happy cooking!

Reading List: Clean Food by Terry Walters

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