Nice cookbook, recipes are clear and consice and I would definietley try some more in the future. Love the nice, clear cover too.

The recipes in this book are to die for! They have inspired me on my weightloss journey and have really helped me "clean up" my diet. Wonderful photography and scrummy recipes, this will be a permanent fixture on my recipe book shelf!

I like the idea of this.
However, I wouldn't buy it for myself. I would recommend it for a beginner though.
Nice photos and layout. But the recipes were to basic for me.

I really appreciate the underlying philosophy behind this book...don't follow a diet, just eat real food. And real food is anything that isn't highly processed and that can include things like pizza and more. Also don't beat yourself up for eating pasta or hamburgers just eat real pasta and real hamburgers but maybe not every day. I liked that a lot of the recipes were vegan or gluten free or paleo but that wasn't the point of the book.

I most enjoyed the photographs of the recipes and the recipes in this title. I don't really buy into the whole 'clean eating' philosophy, but it made for an interesting read.

Great photography, interesting recipes. I liked knowing the stuff I would eat from this cookbook would be good for me. Helped during my Whole 30 diet!

Great easy recipes to make! The cover and the photos inside make you want try everyone!

I don't read a lot of cookery books but this one really appealed to my interest in whole foods. I found it accessible and got a lot of good ideas from it.

Oxmoor General and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of 100% Real. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Sam Talbot, a chef made familiar by his appearances on Top Chef, has fashioned this cookbook based on his personal philosophy about food. As a Type 1 diabetic, his health stays in check by eating a mostly plant based diet, filled with the freshest of ingredients. Although 100% Real does not fall into any one cookbook category, be it vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, etc., it includes only recipes that can be made without the highly processed foods that have been overtaking the grocery store shelves. The chef is quick to point out that some canned and frozen foods are healthy and can be used liberally, such as tinned fish, as well as frozen fruit and vegetables.

There are many tips and hints on how to make the switch to a healthier diet, with my favorite page being the one titled "Sam's Game-changing Substitutions." Here you can find substitutions for popular, more unhealthy ingredients for ones that are better for your overall health. If you are looking for a standard cookbook with a lot of recipes, 100% Real is not the cookbook for you. There is equal time spent between information and recipes, with information about different ingredients spread throughout the book.

There are beautiful photographs dotting the pages and some good staple recipes, such as World's Fluffiest Waffles, p. 29; Souffle Omelet with Swiss Chard and Mixed Herbs, p. 43; Flatbread with Pesto, Mozzarella, Tomato, and Arugula, p. 126; Marinated Tri-Tip Steak with Yam Fries and Dijonnaise, p. 147; Eggplant and Zucchini Parmigiana, p. 193; and Blackberry Shortcakes with Almond Cream, p. 225. Regardless of your personal health, 100% Real is a great cookbook to bring readers back to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains. The only issue that I had with the cookbook is that many of the ingredients are quite expensive and might not fit into many grocery budgets. That being said, 100% Real is very inspiring and can be a guideline for those looking to improve their diets.

I would like to thank Time Inc. Books for providing me with a free electronic ARC, via Netgalley, of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.

Regular readers of my reviews will come to know I am very much into wholefoods, local foods, in season foods and eating as a part of life rather than a fad or trend… And so should realise that when I say I really loved this cook book, that it contains all of the above!

So what is 100% Real all about? It’s a cook book (duh!) that helps give a better understanding to just eating real food and enjoying it. And by real it isn’t meaning living off kale, mung beans and organic tofu…. Though hey - don’t knock them until you’ve tried them. ;-)

No, 100% Real explains how pizza, pasta, burgers, cakes…. is all real! Well, it CAN be if made from the right ingredients. Ditch the synthetic substitutes, manufactured meat and other rather nasty things. Choose fresh, local, in season fruits and veg, choose good artisan bread free of all the bleaches and preservatives, choose ethical raised and finished meats, choose unrefined sugars. Eat what you like - in moderation of course - but make sure you choose the real version and not the man made fake version.

This is almost identical to my own food beliefs and so I found this book very inspiring, great to read (the non-recipes bits as well as the recipes) and honestly feel this is what cook books should be about today. Actually - cooking books, cooking shows, cooking lessons - they should all be about this simple 100% Real approach to food.

Though I will say here and now not all the recipes were appealing to me - yes my food intolerances and allergies got in the road. Won’t anyone think of we the allium intolerant? When you are lumbered with needing to cook/eat wheat, barley, rye, dairy, seafood, lamb and allium free (before we get into the fussy food issues) - you can really come across as a PITA (Pain In The Arse) when looking through a cook book. But I am getting used to it and so know when to skip a recipe or study it for modification to a ‘Janis friendlier’ option. I’m a big girl, I can do it. And so, when I say not all the recipes are appealing to me… that doesn’t mean everyone is going to screw their noses up at them. It just means I am more limited to what I can eat, not that the recipes themselves sucked. They didn’t - it is totally my fault. :-D

Though, I will have to say there was one recipe that is all about roasting your own veg, making a sauce from scratch, etc… that then calls for a shop bought pre-cooked chicken. And that made me pause a moment. Why? I would much rather buy a local truly free range ethical chook (that’s chicken in Australian by the way) and cook it along with the veg… But hey, it’s not as if I HAVE to buy a pre-cooked chook. I could roast it myself and still rock it at that recipe!

That is what I am trying to say - the book allows to you to be flexible while still showing you how to cook and keep food 100% Real. Yes, follow the recipes to the letter to ensure you get as close to the same results as Mr Talbot as possible. But the recipes also seem to say - cook to suit yourself, as long as you keep it 100% Real. So, to me, this is a very user friendly cook book for home cooks of any level.

Oh, and I will add that Mr Talbot also tries to accommodate for the more main stream food intolerances and allergies and a lot of the recipes listed are gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan… sometimes a combination of these. So, although it’s not a book written to cater for any specific dietary requirement, they are still considered and easily recognised by the clear symbols at the top of each recipe. The introduction to 100% Real also explains all this - which is why people should really read ALL of a cook book and not just the recipes. Just saying. ;-)

As for the review from a layout point of view - it is clear, precise and easy to read and follow, and each recipe has a gorgeous photo of the finished items to entice you into making it. Although the recipes are all in imperial measurements, there are a few different conversion charts at the back of the book so we on the metric system have been thought of. ;-)

Would I recommend this book to others?

Yes I would. This really is the sort of cooking and therefore cook book we should all be following. It doesn’t dictate a trend, fad or what I call a “Foodism” - a food faith so out there it comes across as similar to a fanatic religion. No, this book is what the title says it is. 100% Real. And no, you don’t need to be diabetic to buy and use this book! I’m not (yet… genetics indicate type two likely) but love cooking with whole foods, local foods and real foods. I love unrefined sugars, making my own nut butters and all the fun things this gorgeous cook book encourages. This is not a diabetes cook book - it is a cook book on keeping EVERYONE’S food 100% Real. And so a very big YES to me recommending it to people.

Would I buy this book for myself?

Here I am torn as I really don’t know. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I LOVED most of the recipes and if we weren’t in single digits Celsius right now that avocado melon Lassi would be my morning tea! But I am still a very tactile person when it comes to cook books and so prefer playing about with them in paper version (but only half the cook books I am sent are in paper format). So as much as I want to play with the recipes in 100% Real more, and test some of the ones I would need to modify out… I would want to be playing with it as paper form. So, for now, would consider this something I would rather borrow from a library to see how we got along together in my kitchen before I would buy it.

But that is simply due to me being weird, and the amount of recipes I just can’t eat in their current form due to my own food issues. It has NOTHING to do with the quality of the book. This book looks awesome! I just need to get to know it a little better first before giving it a permanent space on my limited physical book shelves. I hope Mr Talbot understands and can forgive me for being so fickle. ;-)

In summary: This is what cook books should be like - explaining why foods should be real, local, in season and ethical as well as showing how easy they are to cook with. Great book!

What a lovely book! It is full of interesting, tasty food that is all based on good wholesome ingredients. Just the kind of food I love to cook and enjoy sharing with my family. Just the kind of cookery book I would like to give to all my family and friends.

There are a lot of things that I like about Sam Talbot's 100% Real. If I had to distill it down to just one thing... it would be his knack for showcasing inventive & healthy food in a enjoyable and non-judgmental way. In 100% Real, Chef Sam lays out a methodology for eating well that is simple and approachable. In a world where we're being overrun with information, it it nice to read something and think "Yes... OK. That makes sense. I can do that."

True, many of the recipes might require you to retool how you think about preparing food. Example the World's Fluffiest Waffles calls for a combination of rice flour, chickpea flour, tapioca flour, and coconut flour. Forget about the all purpose flour if you're planning to make these recipes as written. Still, that isn't insurmountable. It really just requires a change in how you think about food and what you would consider to be a pantry staple.

Much of Chef Sam's philosophy towards food makes sense to me. He's a Type 1 diabetic, which means his approach to the 100% Real lifestyle also means watching processed and refined carbs and sweeteners. I think that's something I can get behind. I find that I do best on a Paleo-ish food plan and a lot of this meshes with that. His food is interesting and inventive. I can't wait to dive in and start cooking!

On My 'To Make' List

Snap Salad with Strawberries, Spearmint, and Lemongrass
Marinated Melon with Squash, Ricotta, and Arugula
White Bean and Cilantro Hummus
Mini Falafel Pocket Sandwiches
Sweet Potato Hash Brown Open-Face Sandwich with Am and Cranberry-Dijon Brussels Slaw
Pear, Brie, and Ham Toasts
Easy Cauliflower Rice with Roasted Vegetables and Chicken
Miso-Peanut Kale Chips
Cinnamon and Coconut Chickpeas
All The Way Up Energy Bars
Warm Camembert Cheese
Chicken Sticks with Zucchini and Apples
Sweet and Spicy Pork
Maple and Turmeric-Marinated Pork Chops with Pickled Carrots and Daikon
Teriyaki Cucumbers with Lime, Jalapeño, and Cilantro
Grilled Marinated Melon with Bok Choo, Roasted Shallots, and Coconut Milk Vinaigrette
Apples Foster with Coconut and Whiskey Caramel
Gluten-Free Berry Espresso Buckle

Would have loved to read it, but I was approved this afternoon and it's no longer available to download!

When my editor suggested I request this book to review I jumped at the chance. I knew that it would be a great cookbook just from the description, but I didn’t know that it would be quite so amazing. Every recipe is clean and filled with fresh ingredients. This cookbook blew me away.

After flipping through it, I wanted to cook every recipe in this book. I managed to narrow it down to a few. The ones I will tell you about were huge hits with everyone that ate them. Starters: I did the Warm Camembert Cheese as an appetizer for a Mother’s Day get-together. It was absolutely heavenly. I did substitute in Brie instead which the author recommends as a fill in. It was the perfect melding of sweet from the strawberries the slight tang of the onions mixed with the tartness of the white wine. I did reduce the spice he calls for because there were small children and people who do not tolerate spicy. I could have added a bit more as it turns out since the warm gooey cheese and the sweetness of the berries mask the heat more than I thought it would. Next up, I did the Avocado Toad-in-A-Hole with Baked Ham and Salsa Verde. This was delicious. It completely changes the way avocados taste. It makes them creamier and more delectable. I made a triple batch of the salsa verde and there wasn’t a single bite left. We devoured it with chips after we finished the toad in a hole. This recipe was good but the ratio of avocado to other toppings made it a bit overwhelming. I did scoop out the avocado like he suggested. The only thing I didn’t do was cut the bottom off. I kitchen hacked and turned my muffin pans upside down and settled them in the little indentations. While I would make this again, I would probably take more avocado out than what he calls for. Third, I made Black Bean, Poblano, and Fried Egg Tostadas. I should have tripled this recipe. It was AMAZING. I was a little concerned about all the coconut oil he uses to cook this dish in. I needn’t worry. It was a brief smell of coconut then it went away and left no lingering taste on the food. When I served them I also left the Poblano pepper off my children’s plates. Which was fine it just meant more for my husband and me. Lastly, I made the Cold Soba Noodles with Roasted Tomato Oil, Kalamata Olives, and Shaved Parmesan. Confession: The recipe called for anchovies and I left them out. Partly because I forgot to pick them up at the store when I was shopping and partly because I do not like fish. Again, it was a huge hit. My children could not get enough of the dish. They even fought over who got the last little bits of the olive and tomato topping. The only thing I would change about the recipe is the amount of soba noodles that are called for. I had a huge amount left over that we ate for a few days after. Otherwise, this recipe is quick easy and pretty healthy.

I cannot tell you how much I loved this cookbook. So much so that I have already ordered a copy for myself and cannot wait to make more of the recipes. I might even be getting it for Christmas gifts for some people. Not only is this book about healthy eating it is also written by a Type 1 Diabetic so the recipes are tailored to be diabetic appropriate. I know that there are a ton of cookbooks tailored for diabetes but this one has healthy food for those people that want to clean up what they eat. While this book does contain fresh raw food it does contain more expensive extras, like coconut oil, arrowroot flour, etc. Most of this stuff, however, is sold in larger quantities so a purchase would last longer than a single use. I am already plotting my next meal using this book.

Delicious sounding recipes, good advice on food and where to get it from. Yummy!!

Such a fab book, I am new to Sam Talbots books and so glad To read this one. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to review it. I like the layout and design as much as the recipes. Good quality whole food at its best. Having tried 12 recipes we loved every one.

Clean food is buzz word of today but this,proves it really is,delicious

A perfect gift for foodie friends.

If you’re looking for inspiration for healthy, tasty summer recipes, this book could be just what you need. While its focus is on clean eating, it’s not just about chia seeds and green tea. Recipes include White Fish Curry, Jerk Chicken, and Dark Chocolate Soufflé with Rum Cream. Recipes are accompanied by full page photos, and are, on the whole, easy to follow. From light lunches and snacks, to dishes to impress friends, you’ll find yourself reaching for this cookery book time and time again.

Trying to eat healthier and this book makes it easy!

Being a bit familiar with Sam Talbot (solely through watching Top Chef), I was curious to read “100% Real” to find out if there’s new information/recipes to come across, and I was pleasantly surprised that there was. I hadn’t been aware that there’s a description of “fabricated foods” from the US Patent office – their description terrified me (and made me want to read the book further). I really appreciated Talbot’s approach to clean eating – “striking a balance”, and his book actually encouraged me to read a bit deeper about clean eating. I also hadn’t been aware of almond cheese and other items. Basically, this book proved to me that there’s so much more to learn about food, all natural foods, and substitutes to eat healthy and clean. It’s a great resource and the recipes are excited to try. It’s a well-designed book that can be read at-a-glance or thoroughly. I really liked “Sam’s Game-Changing Substitutions” and have put some of it into practice.

I can’t even put into words how much a book like this makes me happy. Whenever I read an article or a book about eating REAL food it just makes my tastebuds jump for joy. I don’t know what it is about the way Americans eat nowadays but we, as a country, have definitely gone off the beaten path. And not in a good way.

What I really liked about this book is the way Sam wrote fun, yet informative, articles and dispersed fantastic pictures and recipes throughout. There are so many recipes I will be trying out of this book that sound delicious and amazing. The first one I’ll be trying is the one for Gluten-Free Cinnamon and Nutmeg churros. Can you say yum?

Thank you to NetGalley, Sam Talbot, and Oxmoor House for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.