An interesting premise, but uses a lot of uncommon ingredients that I've never heard of. I liked the tone and writing, but would have preferred more practical and still healthy recipes. Not my style, but if you are more adventurous in the kitchen give this a try.

Lovely photos accompany staple recipes that will inspire even the most hesitant to cook.

Shut Up and Cook by Erica Reid is a cookbook that encourages people to stop making excuses and just cook. I appreciated how a few of the recipes offer options for vegetarians and meat eaters. The book has a wide variety of recipes that are fairly simple. My favorite chapter is the one on dressing and sauces. I was most disappointed by the pizza chapter. Pizza dough and sauce are two easy to make items. Store bought dough appeared in all of the recipes including one for focaccia. This book would be best for people looking to add some vegetarian/vegan dishes to their diet. I am afraid vegetarians/vegans would find too many animal products for this book to be useful.

I enjoyed the author's story and liked the reasons for writing this cookbook. However, I don't think she does a great job explaining why she avoids certain meats and not others. Also, the nightshade vegetables argument seems a little crazy to me. However, the recipes look good - not fabulous though.

I love that Reid created a resource that simply provides healthy recipes without all the negativity toward the foods she has reduced or eliminated (meats, nuts, gluten, etc) which can be off putting to many people. These recipes are unique and refreshing- from the Porridge to the Hollywood Bowl the recipes are vibrant and flavorful. Reid also included many interesting facts about what makes the ingredients good for you and how it can affect your health. The intuitive moments in which Reid made this come across as a personal journal at times not only lets a reader get to know Reid more personally but also provides personal inspiration.

I absolutely love to cook and bake. I meal prep every week for my kids so they have healthy meals to take on the go with them to school or work. That being said, I was really excited when I first downloaded this cookbook by Erica Reid. I love trying out new recipes! But, oh wow, this was not what I expected. There were a handful of hmmm, that might be okay but definitely not a single recipe to take a screenshot of and save for later.

WHY WOULD I PUT KALE IN MY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?

‘Nuff said.

Thank you to NetGalley, Erica Reid, and BenBella Books for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were not many recipes in this book I would try. It was more like a special diet book than a healthy alternative book. She talked about egg, dairy, and nut restrictions. It is described as a book for healthy alternatives and none of those ingredients are unhealthy, in-fact nuts have loads of health benefits. There were lots of ingredients that would probably be hard to find as well, such as garbanzo bean flour.

The pictures in this book are stunning! I do not eat meat or fish so I cannot attest to those sections of the book, but the breakfast, vegetarian, snacks, and desserts sections had some great looking recipes. Some of them do call for eggs so if you are vegan, you will need to adapt those, but they are dairy-free. I also appreciate that she uses whole grains like spelt, oat, etc. I am looking forward to trying the Chocolate Chip Spelt Muffins, Rice-Free Cauliflower Sushi Rolls, Mother Earth Collard Green Wraps, Nana's Rolls and Chocolate Chip Cookies with Crispy Kale. I personally would not buy this book since the many meat and fish chapters would never be touched, but it would be a great starter cookbook for someone you know who is looking for a way to make their meals healthier.

*Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley. However, all opinions are my own.*

The author is cooking for herself and her family, and so this would suit those with similar palates/food restrictions. She lists many food restrictions, (table salt (Sea Salt is OK), eggs, red meat, nuts, gluten, dairy, nightshade vegetables and corn) which you might think means that those foods will not appear in recipes within the book, be aware that they sometimes do appear in the book.

The recipes were not very unusual, excepting the Chocolate Chip Cookies with Kale . That may mean that this book might work well as a beginner's cookbook. This book does not seem to take itself very seriously. One of the recipes for pizza consists only of 'store-bought pizza crust, jarred pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil.

Throughout the book, 'helpful' hints and tips appear in a red box, with red typeface, titled 'Shut up and Listen.' I was not thrilled to continuously be advised to Shut up.

I did like the section of how to make chips: Mushroom chips, beet chips, zucchini chips and Brussels sprouts chips!

Not my favorite cookbook.

While I am not enamored by the title Shut Up and Cook! I can understand why the author, Erica Reid, chose it after reading her book. She chose the title as she believes people should shut, get over your fear of cooking and cook. That I love as I believe everyone should know how to cook as home cooked food is better for you.

I didn't always agree with everything wrote. For example she says she likes to use a bamboo cutting board instead of plastic cutting board. From a food safety standpoint it's better to use the plastic board as it's easier to clean and sanitize a plastic cutting board.

I also didn't always agree with her elimination diet. Perhaps she learned what her kids were sensitive to, and perhaps her kids were sensitive to what she discovered, but it's far better to see a trained allergist to determine if you have food allergies/sensitivities. That's my personal opinion as I do b believe in fact-based allergy tests rather than guesses.

Some of the recipes you'll find in her cookbook include:

Carrot Raisin Muffins (uses coconut oil and spelt flour)
Huevos Rancheros with Black Beans (uses tofu instead of eggs)
Backyard Pickled Vegetables
Fry-Free Veggie Spring Rolls
Family Turkey Meatloaf
Brussels Sprouts Chips
Chocolate Chips with Krispy Kale (uses brown rice flour and garbanzo fava flour)

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

You've got to try the Non-dairy Strawberry Ice Cream!
Whilst I was not particularly keen on the title of this book, the recipes it contained were definitely inspiring.
Having the book on my Kindle meant that I could bookmark those that caught my eye and then select what to cook that day.

Unfortunately, not every recipe is illustrated, hence the four, rather than five stars, but there are a good number of vegetarian choices and all of the recipes are dairy free, which suits my family. I also liked that ideas for on-the-go snacks are marked with a little plane icon.

So far I have tried the Non-dairy Strawberry Ice Cream (even without an ice-cream maker my daughter declared it the best ice cream she had ever tasted!) Also, the Avocado Carrot Salad - though I think I'd reduce the cumin a bit next time, and the Black Bean Burgers.
Next on my list to try are Gypsy Girl Guacamole, Avocado Kale Smoothie and The Hollywood Bowl

There's quite an extensive introduction, which I confess I skipped, but it does include a useful list of the less common ingredients.
So, at 15% the recipes begin with Breakfast (9 recipes), then Vegetarian (23), Poultry (9), Lamb and Other Meats (3), Fish (4), Dressings and Sauces (6), Soups (6), Pizza (3), Snacks (11), Desserts 14), Drinks (5), a grand total of 93 options, many of which are vegetarian and dairy-free.

I love a good cookbook and read them cover to cover like a novel. I was just disappointed to see all the tofu and that type of recipes. Not a bad book, just not for me

Recently I committed myself to a 21-day low-carb challenge. Following the challenge I not only had lost 11 pounds but felt great. I decided to continue eating this way. The thing about eating low-carb is that it requires you to get creative in the kitchen. As someone who enjoys cooking, although not difficult, it can sometimes feel daunting to find/try new things.

Reid's book provided a new spin (to me) on some of my kitchen staples. From the Load 'em Up Vegetable Stir-Fry to the Fry-Free Veggie Spring Rolls I was able to stick to my low-carb choices (or easily modify) and try something new. My favorite was that there were also a few snack recipes. As a big fan of parsnips I was very excited to see and try the parsnip fries!

This is a great book if you're looking to teach an old dog, or cook, some new tricks.