Amy Riolo

On Hoopla, this book is 479 pages long and only contains 100 or so recipes. If I had seen it in physical form in the library, I wouldn't have borrowed it.

There are too many pages spent talking about natural foods, diabetes as a condition, and culinary history. There is space given to a long list of the health benefits of drinking hot beverages, none of which really have to do with diabetes.

The author does not believe in artificial sweeteners, so there are recipes containing natural show more sweeteners such as honey and date sugar, which add carbs. There is a spice cake that contains 45 grams of carbs per serving. The author says it is a healthier dessert that you can enjoy after a balanced meal. However, if you're trying to keep to 45 grams of carbs at one sitting, you can't have any carbs at all in your "balanced meal".

I had found only two recipes that I might actually use, the pie crust and angel food cake. However, when I went to write down the angel food cake recipe, I noticed that the directions say to add water, which isn't in the ingredient list! So that recipe is unusable, as I'm not going to risk guessing how much water to add in a recipe that uses 12 eggs. show less

The Italian Diabetes Cookbook: Delicious and Healthful Dishes from Venice to Sicily and Beyond by Amy Riolo is a well-organized and executed cookbook. It is almost as though Riolo has been using cookbooks for so long as a cook that she knows exactly what cooks are looking for.

What do I mean by that? First, she organizes her recipes by course beginning with appetizers. But, she takes into account the modern cook’s desire to maximize flavor by cooking with seasonal vegetables, so she show more provides a seasonal menu. She also provides a small collection of recipe basics, those items you make again and again as ingredients in other recipes. Last but not least, she provides a list of pantry essentials for Italian cooking though it would take a pantry larger than my wee kitchen, a glossary of Italian cooking terms and a list of source to look for the more esoteric items.

Each recipe has a short introduction and a comment about Italian tradition such mixing up a double batch so the vegetables can be used with pasta the next day or how to pick the best oranges in the market. The recipes are well-organized and easy to understand, with exchange & nutritional information provided for every recipe

However, the only way to really review a cookbook is to try a couple of recipes. For supper last night, I made the carrot and zucchini ribbons and plan on making the lentil soup tonight. For lunch today, I made her Asparagus, Orange and Fennel Salad except being allergic to oranges, I used grapefruit. It worked anyway, though I imagine the much sweeter oranges would give a sweeter result. Riolo’s commentary and introductions show her flexibility and freedom in the kitchen, suggesting she would not mind one bit that I made that substitution. She frequently suggests substitutions herself. Most of her recipes serve 6, so I had to cut them down, a simple thing to do. The recipes worked, were delicious and her prep times are accurate.

For the rest of the review, see my blog.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2016/04/02/italian-diabetes-cookbook...

I received my copy of Italian Diabetes Cookbook as a review galley from Edelweiss show less

The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Amy Riolo will be a great addition to any library and particularly to anyone wanting to stick to such a diet.

The recipes included are simple to prepare, even for a middling cook such as myself, and will please any palate. The recipes call for a good deal of prep simply because they use fresh vegetables but there are some instances where Riolo offers prepared alternatives (the strained tomatoes in the pizza recipe comes to mind because it was the show more first recipe I made). She also tells us how long things will last either in the refrigerator or freezer which will help when making shopping and/or meal plans.

While this book does not have an extremely large number of recipes I found that to be a plus for it. I can easily become overwhelmed when a cookbook has so many recipes and I am trying to make a decision for now or tomorrow. With the variations she suggests for them (such as gluten-free as well as ingredient substitutions) there are more ideas here than first apparent. Add in the tendency most of us have to make our own (often ill-advised) changes this collection of recipes will allow a new Mediterranean diet follower to ease into a delicious diet or simply offer the cook who wants something different some great alternatives.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys eating and also enjoys preparing healthy delicious meals. The ways in which the flavors blend are absolutely delightful and will please everyone from children to the pickiest guest.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. show less

The comments on cultural aspects make this an interesting cookbook. While I'm not a huge fan of chickpeas which figure prominently in Egyptian cuisine, I could find a few recipes that seemed interesting enough to consider making. I'm most likely to try some of the ones which really were simple dishes and similar to recipes of other cultures with a little twist. The author included recipes significant to several religions practiced in Egypt. She also included recipes for other celebrations in show more the country's life. show less