Slim & Scrumptious

by: Joy Bauer

Publisher: William Morrow Cookbooks

256 pages

The first time I was introduced to Joy Bauer’s Slim and Scrumptious Cookbook, I thought it would be just another “light cooking” cookbook with okay recipes. I can proudly say that this cookbook over delivered. Just in case you missed them, go back and take a look at my blog posts featuring two of the recipes I decided to profile (click photos for links to posts):

Besides those recipes, I also made Soft-baked Chocolate-Cherry Oatmeal Cookies and  Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions. The cookies were pretty much as expected for a low calorie oatmeal cookie. When I took the first few bites out of the oven, I thought they were okay. Later that day, after they had softened up in the cookie jar, something great happened. All of the flavors melded very well and the sweet/tart of the cranberries (I used cranberries but you could also use cherries) really finished the cookies.

The balsamic glazed onions were absolutely delicious. A fabulous side dish, I ate these by themselves. I tasted one. Then another. Then, before I knew it, I ate half the bowl. Four ingredients and insanely good.

So what’s the skinny? This cookbook is great. Of the four recipes I made, I loved three of them and the cookies were above average. The book is made up of nine sections including: Breakfast & Brunch, Soups & Salads, Hearty Stews, Chilis & Burgers, Pasta, Poultry, Beef & Pork, Fish & Seafood, Veggie Sides, and Snacks & Sweets.

For a “skinny” cookbook, this exceeded my expectations, and there is still a list of “must make” items that I have picked out. I would recommend this one.

Joy Bauer is the TODAY Show resident nutritionist and author of many other best selling books including, Food Cures and Your Inner Skinny.