Some really Good Regular Recipes ( )

January is a great time to cook and serve comfort foods. Traditional comfort foods are tasty and familiar foods that often evoke pleasant memories of childhood. Usually these are home-cooked meals that "stick to your bones" and boost both mood and energy.

But what about all the saturated fat and salt associated with comfort foods? The gooey cheeses, meats, and creamed sauces common to comfort foods might not seem compatible with healthy eating at first glance. However, the staff at EatingWell have taken many of our favorites and made them healthier.

EatingWell Comfort Foods Made Healthy: The Classic Makeover Cookbook includes an introductory chapter for those new to healthy cooking. There are plentiful tips for healthy eaters including: principles of healthy cooking, stocking a healthy pantry, reading nutritional labels, and suggestions for portion size. There are 10 recipe chapters including everything from appetizers to salads, meat dishes to vegetarian, and don't forget desserts. Recipes include classics like Hot Artichoke Dip, Caesar Salad, Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich, Old-fashioned Chicken & Dumplings, Au Gratin Potatoes, French Silk Pie, and my personal favorite, Chicken-Fried Steak & Gravy. Indexes for Makeover Tips and Recipes are included too.

The Bottom Line: EatingWell Comfort Foods Made Healthy: The Classic Makeover Cookbook features easy step-by-step directions for each recipe. The book has plenty of appetizing color photos. Additionally, nutrition information is provided for each recipe. While the paperback lays flat and makes for easy reading while cooking, the only drawback is that the binding is not very sturdy; thus, pages tend to fall out easily. Enthusiastically recommended for home cooks of all levels.

This review first appeared in the Mini Book Bytes Blog: http://minibookbytes.blogspot.com/ ( )