The fourth edition of Cooking à la Heart by registered dietitian nutritionists Linda Hachfeld and Amy Myrdal Miller promises 500 easy and delicious heart-healthy recipes. The recipes have been inspired by the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets and are intended to improve health by reducing processed foods, sugar, salt, and saturated fat while increasing consumption of whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, healthy protein (particularly seafood), and olive oil.

The first two chapters provide helpful science-based nutrition information and explain the principles that this cookbook follows. Charts include a guide to cooking fats and a comparison of different protein sources. The writing is easy to understand and I love the practical, encouraging tone. The authors emphasize that eating should be a pleasurable experience and encourage readers to avoid perfectionism.

The recipes are organized into 18 chapters, such as seasonings, sauces, soups, salads, pasta, vegetables, seafood, and desserts. Each chapter begins with a list of recipes for that chapter. Recipes are clearly written with helpful notes and include number of servings and detailed nutrition information per serving. Most of the ingredients should be easy to find.

Those who are motivated to cook by seeing photos of the finished product will be disappointed. This book does contain attractive photographs of a few dishes, but most recipes are not pictured. There are no process photos either, but most of the recipes are simple to make if you have basic cooking skills.

I’ve enjoyed all of the recipes I’ve tried so far. The Honey Balsamic Onion Jam is a delicious condiment. The Hearty Clam Chowder is much healthier than the version I am used to, while still offering good flavor. Rice Noodles with Snow Peas and Shrimp are dressed up with fresh herbs, although the next time I make this dish, I will add even more vegetables. Simply Roasted Carrots, Simply Roasted Green Beans, and Simply Smashed Potatoes are easy sides that can all be baked at the same time and temperature. We served them as sides to accompany Lemon Chicken with Smoked Paprika, which also bakes at the same time and temperature for an easy and delicious meal. The South African Lamb Pie (Bobotie) with its creamy custard topping was a delight. The Cranberry-Pear Crisp topped with Spiced Ginger Cream was not too sweet but a very satisfying dessert for a chilly evening. The Wine-Poached Pears were so good—a nutritious, easy to make treat that tasted delicious and made my kitchen smell great. And as suggested, the poaching liquid made a fantastic warm beverage.

The back matter includes references and an index that includes both ingredients and recipe names.

This cookbook is educational and offers simple, delicious recipes for those wanting to improve their health. I highly recommend it.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

Very thorough heart-health oriented cookbook with scientific bases for recommendations, practical details on what to buy, and many recipes in various categories.

I am blown away by this book. A cookbook, yes, but it is so much more. The introductory chapters are full of information! I consider myself fairly knowledgeable on what foods are healthy but this book takes it to another level altogether; for example, a chart on the pros and cons of every type of fast I could think of! The book begins with five principles for heart healthy eating. Everything that follows comes from these principles and exudes a spirit of abundance, health, and taking joy in our food and its preparation. 500 recipes address divided between 18 chapters including seasonings, sauces and dressings, soups and stews, breakfast and brunch, and individual chapters on veggies, grains, pasta, burgers, and more. And not to be left out: it includes appetizers and desserts (Olive Oil Brownies, anyone?). There are some pictures in the book but nowhere near one for each recipe, for those of you for whom that's important. I love this and wait to keep coming from it, pictures or no.

I would like to thank The Experiment and NetGalley for a reviews copy to read.

Looking for ways to improve your heart health? Cooking à la Heart, Fourth Edition: 500 Easy and Delicious Recipes for Heart-Conscious, Healthy Meals has enough mouthwatering recipe to keep you healthy and satisfied for at least a year with enough recipes for even the pickiest eaters to choose appealing dishes. In fact, the number of recipes is almost overwhelming.

This huge cookbook is well-organized and has chapters on everything from spice blends to sauces and condiments, to breakfasts, and the usual meats, seafood, vegetables, chicken, desserts, and the list goes on and on. Every recipe has been developed for heart health, but they do have enough fat and flavor to satisfy even the pickiest of eaters. The recipes are written in traditional form, and are easy to follow. They call for ingredients that are easy to find at any regular grocery store, so there is no need to visit the high-priced specialty grocery stores.

The one drawback is that there are very few photographs, and the ones that are included aren’t particularly inspiring. Cooks will have to use their imagination as to how the finished recipe will look. The authors are professional medical people, and their focus is obviously re-educating us to eat in a heart healthy way.

While it would be better if there were photographs, there are hundreds of excellent recipes to choose from and this cookbook is one that should be on the shelf of anyone who wants to improve the health of those they cook for. It will be oft used.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

This is a very comprehensive cookbook containing over 500 healthy recipes based on the DASH diet. I liked the way it was organized, by topic, type of food, meal/ snack, etc. There were many recipes that I might try. The only drawback, in my opinion, is the lack of photographs. I enjoy seeing a good visual of food- it is what draws me in. A paragraph of words, most of the time doesn’t do it for me, unless the description sounds amazing. So for lack of photographs, I have to subtract 2 stars, since I feel so strongly about a beautiful cookbook..

500 recipes! There’s something for everyone. Some of them are not authentic recipes, they’re modified/new version, so keep that in mind when trying these recipes. I don’t know how many aren’t authentic but the ones I read it tells you on the top of the recipe. For example, the Chicken Tikka Masala, it says on the top that this is a non traditional version which I won’t be trying because I was expecting the authentic one. There are lots of seasonings recipes so you can make your own at home, then there are recipes for sauces, stocks and soups, breads, breakfast, salads, entrees, burgers, pizzas, pasta, legumes, vegetables, fish, chicken and turkey, beef, pork and lamb, appetizers, snacks, and desserts. I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Very helpful cookbook.
This is one I will be buying and using a lot.

I do recommend this one to everyone

This cookbook has so many options. I am beginning my journey on heart healthy eating due to higher cholesterol in my family. I love the breakdown of categories. Most of these are definitely attainable; not a crazy cookbook with lots of weird ingredients.

Focus on flavor and use less salt. Use more spice blends that don't rely on salt. Use more grain flours in your baking. Use more fruit and vegetables in all forms. Choose healthy sources of protein from plants and animals. Eat more seafood and snack on nuts. Enjoy desserts with better-for-you ingredients. Stop hypertension, reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimers disease. Sections in the book include Healthiest for our hearts., 500 delicious health-promoting recipes, Nutrition facts for calories, protein carbs, fiber, sugars, fat, saturated fats, omega 3's, sodium and potassium. Eating healthy isn't boring anymore. Thanks to The Experiment and NetGalley for a copy for an honest review.

This cookbook is for anyone is who is trying to eat healthier in the new year. If you suffer from any health issues, the author will steer you into trying healthier alternatives to some of your favorite foods. I like that she has lots of ways to make healthy dressings and sauces. She also explains in the book why it is beneficial to cut back on foods such as cheese.

Cooking à la Heart has 500 recipes that are designed with heart health in mind. It is divided into multiple sections, such as The Science & Cultures Behind Heart Healthy Eating Patterns, Stocks, Soups, & Stews, Pasta, Whole Grains, Legumes, Chicken & Turkey, and Desserts & Sweet Treats, just to name a few.

I really wanted to like this cookbook, as healthy eating has always been, and always will be, a lifetime goal of mine. The first two sections really go into the science behind eating healthy, but border a bit on preaching. For those who do not have much knowledge into heart healthy eating, the information in this cookbook could be beneficial.

As far as the recipes go, the biggest problem is the volume. There are so many recipes that the gems get lost in the shuffle. Coupled with no pictures of the finished dishes, this cookbook is not all that inspiring. I did find some dishes that I would make, bookmarking several to try in the future. Overall, I am a cookbook connoisseur, but I would hesitate to recommend Cooking à la Heart to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy by NetGalley and the publisher. The decision to read and review this cookbook was entirely my own.

I tried some of the recipes and my family liked them. There are also some recipes that I probably wouldn’t make. There are also some helpful hints/ideas. All in all a good cookbook. Thank you to NetGalley. This is my own opinion.

I'm always looking for easy ways to be healthier in my eating habits, so when I saw this cookbook I knew I had to check it out. It's very informative without being preachy, which I always appreciate, and there are tons of recipes for all sort of meals, snacks, and desserts.

I haven't had a chance to try any of the recipes yet but there are so many that I'm eager to test out and I can definitely see adding some of these to my usual rotation.

I do wish there were more pictures; the aesthetic of the book is pretty basic, but I think this is going to be a great resource for people!

Thank you to The Experiment and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This cookbook is full of healthy recipes that give numerous ideas for mealtimes. Unfortunately, with the prices of food soaring, many middle income people are looking for inexpensive and cheap groceries. Low income families are receiving groceries from food pantries, which often have items that are processed. This book is loaded with items that not only cost more but are not available at my local grocery store (e.g. tofu). I live in a rural area and try to eat food grown locally but not every type of food is available. Though this is a good cookbook, it will not be popular in my area.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I love cookbooks and finding one with heart healthy recipes on NetGalley I had to read it. This cookbook includes easy to follow explanations about various heart healthy diets including the DASH diet and Mediterranean diet. Information is presented clearly with no preaching about what not to eat. Recipes are arranged by meal/protein and directions/ingredients are concise and clear.

Personally cannot wait to try the recipe for “light-hearted clotted cream” using Greek yogurt. Yum. Also appreciate the chapter with homemade spice mixes, sauces, and salad dressings.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

Lots of ideas and recipes! While there are a lot I will use - there are many that are just not my type or things my family would revolt over!
While I know how important healthy eating is - I need other ways to win them over. Time will tell if this book will help! I will definitely buy this book and give it a try!

Easy to follow recipes, but no pictures. A lot of recipes with ingredients I have or can easily obtain that sound good. I really enjoyed Mock risotto with zucchini.
Wish there were pictures

I highly recommend this wonderful book filled with extremely important information about heart health and how to impact it in a positive way with 500 delicious recipes. Just the spice mixes alone are worth getting this book! And, you don't have to be a chef to incorporate these dishes into your everyday. It is a very practical, helpful cookbook plus!

I can finally give away some of my cookbooks! What is so great about this cookbook is it combines DASH diet (low sodium), MIND and Mediterranean diet into these heart healthy recipes -- whereas before I felt I had to pick and choose recipes from various books. This book has a great educational chapter up-front, and throughout there are helpful guidelines on what to choose in terms of oils, etc. The books lays out five key principles for considering while reading the book and provides research into why this way of eating has tremendous health benefits. There are recipes to create your own seasonings, rubs, sauces, stocks and dressings. Not only is there incredible variety of recipes, there is also a listing of key nutritional detail such as calories, protein, carbs, dietary fiber, sugars, fat, sodium. The recipes are easy to follow. I recommend this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and The Experiment for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine 500 good recipes all in one book. What a great resource! The authors base this book on “plant forward eating” and care about healthy food; this does not in any way mean that the food will not be delicious. This was clear from the book’s first photo of Olive Oil Brownies.

Here are recipes for everything from quick breads to desserts, from appetizers to pizzas and so much more. In addition there is a lot of information about healthy eating.

I would enjoy a day where I begin with Apple Dutch Baby for breakfast. Perhaps I would follow this later in the day with Mock Risotto with Zucchini or Chicken Tandoori Skewers. For dessert, I might have those aforementioned brownies.

All in all, this book appears to be a great resource and just right for those who have resolved to eat more healthfully in 2023.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for this title. All opinions are my own.