Lauren Braun

I can't believe I'm the only one (as of 30 Oct. '06) who owns this book!

It's GREAT!

I got it in Houston, Tx. for my father-in-law's heart attack recovery after seeing it in the newspaper down there. The poor guy had to go from a hearty (no pun intended) German diet to no fat and very low salt over night. The paper featured "Southwestern Butternut Squash Soup" (pg. 50 in the cook book). I took a chance and made it for him - he loved it and started to believe his new menu might not be so bad after all.

Ok, that's the final product; you probably want to know about the layout, etc.

Fantastic!

Seven reasons why:
• Easy instructions: Most are on a single page with the two-pagers adjacent to each other (no flipping back and forth – YES!).
• Quick reference guide at the top of each recipe, "Low carb, Smart fat, Low calorie, etc."
• The index is organized the same way along with the usual alphabetic index.
• There's complete Nutritional Information at the bottom.
• She's got special notes and suggestions in a column next to recipes.
• The last chapter is on wine and other drinks to accompany.
• The pictures are beautiful (though I couldn't get my soups to come out the same colors).

My two quibbles:
• I wish she'd included possible substitutions for exotic ingredients. Ever try finding 'curry leaves'(Madras Red Lentil Soup pp. 74-75) in Houston when you're not even from Texas? The Mole was easier to find in Texas but not so easy in Southern Maryland. Anyhow, as Laura Esquivel points out every woman's mole is unique. It would have been nice to have a suggested mole recipe in with the other basics.
• The price was a pinch even with my B&N discount. But it was much less than dinner for two!

Quibbling aside, if you like soup - get this book. Bona Appetito!… (más)