Book Review - The Flax Cookbook by Elaine Magee, M.P.H., R.D.

The Flax Cookbook by Elaine Magee, M.P.H., R.D.

This is a nice paperback cookbook with a pretty, sturdy cover. I would be careful with the pages as they are not coated at all and will absorb whatever you spill on them.  The book is laid out with nine chapters: The Convincing Case for Flaxseed, Flaxseed 101, A Muffin a Day and Other Breakfasts, There’s Something about Smoothies, Bread Therapy, Make Your Own Power Bars, Flaxseed Starters, Awesome Entrées, and Decadent Deserts.  The book is written for beginner cooks/bakers. The cookbook has 184 pages, 84 recipes, and sells for $14.95. It is a good value for the information you are getting. I think it is a great resource to have on hand if you are trying to make your meals healthier.  I like her ideas and how she incorporates flax into everyday meals and baked goods.  

All of the ingredients called for in the recipes you should be able to find at a large grocery store, your local health food store or Amazon.com.  I tried several of the recipes in the book. The recipes are easy to follow with very simple instructions. Her muffins were great, the smoothies were easy to put together, as were the appetizers and main courses.  However each recipe is broken out with complete nutritional values and Weight Watchers points. Unfortunately there are no pictures of any of the recipes.

I really enjoyed this book.  I found it to be very versatile and inspiring. If you are new to using flax chapter 1 goes into great detail over the benefits of having flax in your diet. Not only can you use her recipes but she tells you, in chapter 2, how to use flax in your own recipes.  On average Flaxseed has 1.5g of Omega-3 fatty acids per tablespoon. This is a great way to get Omega-3’s into your diet. Also, if you use the ground golden flax you can’t see it in your baked goods. I personally use both the light and dark depending on what look I want.  They both taste the same.  I would definitely recommend this book to any of my health conscious friends, and for those wanting to be more health conscious. It is very easy to beef up your baked goods with wholesome flaxseed and not even have your kids notice a difference in taste.