I recommend cookbooks that adhere to all of these guidelines:

!. Include information and recipes not readily available on-line
2. Use readily available ingredients
3. The end product is worth the time and number of ingredients involved.
4. Must stand out from other coookbooks..

Though most of the ingredients are readily available, there are just too many needed for the average recipe.. For the recipes I tried, I didn't feel that the final result was worth the time or ingredients. There just isn't enough here to separate 100% Real from other cookbooks.

Disclaimer: I am by no means a good cook. I am actually a novice when it comes to cooking.

With that being said, I've been looking for easy to do recipes that are healthy and yummy. This book was full of healthy, delicious looking meals. The majority of them, though, are well above my level of cooking expertise. I was able to find about 12 recipes that looked easy enough for me to attempt. I look forward to trying them out!

This cookbook is great for a person who is not a beginner at cooking and is looking for healthy and nutritious recipes.

Great book! Sam Talbot has always been my favorite Top Chef! This cookbook illustrates why he is at the top of his field! Healthy food for healthy lifestyles that is made easy! A must buy!

Oh man, I want to cook everything in here.This book is full of 100% real food that is healthy AND delicious. The recipes are not about deprivation, but about loving the food you are eating. So straight forward, so good

This is a lovely cookbook, with a healthy, ‘real food’ only philosophy, and plenty of great recipes.
The author, Sam Talbot, urges you to cook at home, eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, <i>not</i> to eat fabricated or superprocessed foods, <i>not</i> to eat foods that are labelled low-fat or reduced fat foods, and <i>not</i> to be too strict or hard on yourself.
Talbot says that eating more fruits and vegetables will make you feel better, and personally I have found that to be true. I feel so much better when I eat more fruits and veggies.
Things I loved about the book:
Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Dairy Free recipes are labeled clearly.
The backgrounds were varied and interesting, without lessening the readability of the text.
The recipes were original and delicious, with easy to follow directions.
I felt that the author was taking great care in the preparation of this book. He comes across as caring and genuine.
Highly recommended for every home chef, regardless of dietary restrictions.

I really enjoyed this new cookery book from Sam Talbot. I loved the introduction as it was almost as if he was speaking directly to us, guiding us through how to eat better. He's very non judgemental and recognises that we occasionally everyone has a bad day, and that's okay. The pictures were clear and the instructions for the recipes easy to follow. They all looked delicious and there was something for everyone no matter what sort of food you liked. I've got a long list of the ones that I'd like to try! I'll put a blog review up closer to the publishing date. Thank you for the opportunity to review this.

A collection of very-very-hipster recipes. I think the ingredients for just a few of these recipes might cost more than what I make in a month, but many of them look really tasty.

Helpful, quick, and easy recipes. Recommend to anyone looking to eat healthier.

This was definitely an interesting cookbook. Sam Talbot is a chef, with diabetes, who shares the healthy way he eats at home with the world through this book. The recipes were great! Some more complicated and more elaborate than others, but overall I took note of quite a few of them (I'm looking at you warm bacon, avocado and comté sandwich). There was always a healthy twist on popular dishes. I loved (loved!) the way the books was divided - from section based on meals, to pantry staples, how to substitute with healthy options, all aimed to educate the reader instead of just giving recipe without context. It was visually very well designed!
What I liked a bit less was some of the practicality behind some of the book's philosophy. Yes we should all aspire to eat food made fresh, we should all aim to create our meals from scratch. But how realistic is it? Is it realistic and affordable for people with normal jobs to go to the market every day and buy ALL their products straight from the vendors? Is it affordable to have recipes with 10,15,20+ ingredients? I love to treat myself to these, but realistically if I come home at 7pm I don't want to spend 1 or 2 hours making all my 'real food'. I aspire to cook every day and make healthy fresh food, but it's not realistic to think that the lifestyle of a chef is achievable by everyone. Especially if we don't aspire to spend ALL our free time buying, preparing and cooking food. So while it's a great recipe book, I think it could definitely have been a bit more accessible in some ways.

Learning to cook and eat in a more health conscious way does not need to be difficult. With so many natural options available to us it should be easier than not to eat healthy. Yet time and time again we find ourselves turning to the quick, on the go, processed and uber fatty options instead of a solid, 100% real diet. Everything we eat is real in the sense that it exists, but in this sense what is real constitutes what is in its most natural form. Fresh veggies and fruits. Nuts and grains. There are so many options.

Within his new cookbook, 100% Real, Sam Talbot has brought together several of his favorite go to recipes that are firmly rooted in world of farm fresh goodness. Not one to deny the sweet or the savory, Talbot has included recipes from all across the board: steaks to pastas to salads and breakfasts to cakes to ice creams. There is truly something for everyone. I haven't tried any yet, but a few I've bookmarked and can't wait to try are the "Celery Root and Jicama Slaw", the "Bok Choy with Oyster Mushrooms", the "Coconut Rice", and the smoothies. Oooh, the smoothies!

For those interested in the layout of the book, I would like to say that it's done beautifully. The author has carefully selected bright, colorful photographs to showcase a number of his mouthwatering delicacies. Every recipe is coded, using a key, that indicates whether or not it is a good fit for anyone with specific dietary restrictions (ie gluten free, vegetarian, etc). All recipes include a hands-on time estimate, in addition to a total prep/cook time that the author feels is reasonable for completing each one. None of them are overly time consuming; in fact, most seem to have a start to finish time that is under 60 minutes. Every recipe is clearly written and explained, and they all seem fairly easy to follow.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC copy and review opportunity. I can see this being a very popular book when it is released. I already know who I might be gifting a copy to.

The intro to this book really defines how Sam Talbot, and I myself, feel about food. He lists all of these different dietary restrictions (gluten-free, etc etc) but he focuses on how eating local, fresh, and less processed food is better. He walks through your kitchen, how to stock it, some common items people have and easy ways to change it to be better for you. The focus is on less food waste and higher quality (in this case - not processed) food.

The pictures and recipes are beautiful. He has a play on one of my favorite dishes - shakshuka, and all of the recipes I've tried have come out well. I tweak them how I like, but they're good as is. There are a range of recipes from breakfast, to smoothies, to lunch, and entrees as well as dinner. Each is categorized per serving and with tags (GF, DF, V, etc). There are no macros/calories but they are easily calculated.

Overall this is a nice cookbook for a focus on clean eating.

Also I laughed at the "Find the fun in food, don't be a judgmental jerk." Everyone experiences food differently.

I know what you must be all thinking… Why the hell am I posting a cookbook review, right?

Well, the only reason I wanted to read a try out this book is because I live with a person that is a type 1 diabetic, just like the author. And to be honest, I think he doesn’t eat very healthy, which can be a bit dangerous when he’s older. And just like he mentions in the book – He is always being asked questions about what he eats and what diet he follows and so on – and that’s what I was hoping for.

So, I was obviously interested to know more about it and to try to change some stuff at home. And just like Sam Talbot said, “if nondiabetics ate the way we diabetics have to eat, they’d be the healthiest people on earth”, so it will do some good to me too.

So, the principal objective of eating 100% Real is balance. Not restrict yourself of everything, but don’t overdo in unhealthy options. It’s about eating fresh vegetables in season and also meat and pasta. The key is to eat healthy but enjoying what you eat.

The first thing you will see in the book is the chef’s 5 steps to keeping it real. And the rare in fact very easy and good if you keep them in mind, which I will try too. His five steps to keeping it real are:

Eat plants and greens for real
Cook at home at least three times a week
Don’t eat fabricated or super processed food
Focus on FFP (Fat, Fiber and Protein Super Trio)
Find the fun in food; don’t be a judgemental jerk

Another thing I found really interesting was the “Pantry must haves”. It’s such a simple thing to put in the book, but so helpful!

And then, obviously the recipes. There are a big variety of recipes and they are tagged with icons that say if they are Vegetarian (V), Vegan (VE), Gluten-Free (GF) or Dairy-Free (DF), which makes it much easier to choose what we want.

I will tell you the ones I most want to try from each category:

Spiced French Toast with Roasted Apricots
Snap salad with Strawberries, spearmint, and Lemongrass
Spiced Shrimp-and-Farro Bowl
Cinnamon-and-Coconut Chickpeas
Sweet and Spicy Pork
Grilled Squash with Pine Nuts and Basil
Vegan Chocolate-Flecked Coconut Ice Cream
Homemade Peanut Butter (tried already)
There are many other amazingly looking recipes. But I have to say, that my favorite part was actually the Morning Essentials, followed by the obvious desserts… Everything looks so yummy and healthy!

Although the only one that I tried so far was the White Bean-and- Cilantro Hummus and the homemade Peanut Butter, which were super easy to do and actually good for how healthy they are. I am really loving this book so far! I will try to do the Vegan Chocolate-Flecked Coconut Ice Cream next!

To conclude, I have to say that I would most defiantly buy this book, not only because I live with a type 1 diabetic, but because it would benefit everyone! And I definitely need to eat more healthy too. But a thing we can’t do is not enjoy what we eat, it just doesn’t work for us, and that’s why I really liked this book! Because I think I would actually make great use out of it. So I would most definitely recommend this book to any person that obviously enjoyed cooking, and wants to eat more clean, more Real.

This is an excellent source for cooking "real food", sustainable often organic, some times vegan or diabetic friendly food to nourish and strengthen your body. Sam Talbot is a Type 1 diabetic but that does not define who he is or who this cookbook is for specifically; it is for anyone seeking new innovative ways to eat healthy.He has included recipes that are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy-free that are marked as such;but these classifications are incidental to the wealth of good healthy food. He includes the hows, the whys and the substitutions you can use . The recipes are quick, filled with esential nutrients and appealing to people on the go who don't have elaborate skills or tons of prep time. There are granolas, energy bars, smoothies and salads, but there is also skirt steak and chocolate chip cookies.
This is an excellent cook book for those who want to improve their life with better fuel in their body.

Think real food can’t be decadent? Try the Ripe Banana-and-Dark Chocolate Pancakes with Maple Syrup and Coconut Cream. My children looked at me one curiously dreary winter morning asking if I forgot that I was making breakfast and not dessert! Busy family life have you reaching for the overly processed power bars in the morning? Try the Quinoa-Chia energy bars, made with dried fruit and honey- my kids have no idea they are eating the oh-so-dreaded mom-approved healthy foods they usually scrunch up their noses at. Need a hearty dinner to satisfy a comfort food craving? Talbot has you covered with recipes like Lasagna with Tomato Sauce, Lovely Roasted Mushrooms and Melted Leeks.

Tablot not only provides nutritious whole food recipes, but also includes lifestyle tips. Check out his 6 Tips for Powering Up and Staying Energized, featuring suggestions such as meditating and stretching. His real food guide describes how excluding imitation foods like meat analogs and imitation dairy, as well as over processed foods, helps you get control of your weight, your mood and your energy.

With 100% Real you not only get 100 recipes for meals, snacks and special occasions, but lifestyle tips too. Talbot includes: a key for each recipe indicating which are V, GF, VG, DF, pantry must haves, a list of powerhouse ingredients that boost the nutrition to any dish, and I can’t forget to mention the handy list of ingredient substitutions. Yet, perhaps the most important thing Talbot repeatedly demonstrates is how to put the fun back in healthy food by creating real recipes for real people.

Finally there’s a cookbook out there that emphasizes good healthy food, but doesn’t go over the top, making us feel restricted and guilty for indulging in our favorite foods once in a while. 100% Real, by Sam Talbot, has endless possibilities that are low on preservatives and crap, and high in nutrients and healthy ingredients, but are actually edible. Talbot introduces readers to what is actually “real” food, and gives steps to keep what you’re eating real. Then he presents mouthwatering recipes for “real” dishes that people actually want to eat. Talbot is diabetic, and all of his recipes are diabetic friendly, but will appeal to everyone, whether diabetic or not.

The recipes are straightforward, easy to follow, and call for mostly fresh ingredients. The Sweet and Spicy Pork with Coconut Rice is divine, and Jerk Chicken and Pineapple over Greens and Cukes is absolutely addictive. The recipes are influenced by flavors from all over the world, and include a delicious White Fish Curry, Italian Shrimp and Grits, Teriyaki Cucumbers with Lime, Jalapeno, and Cilantro, and Smoky Harissa-and-Roasted Red Pepper Shakshuka to name a few. And there is also a recipe for decadent Dark Chocolate Soufflés with Rum Cream that is absolutely irresistible.

Talbot includes recipes for appetizers, salads, main dishes, and even desserts. The pictures are beautiful and will inspire cooks who are beginners, as well as experienced, to prepare healthy, but delicious meals.

So for those who are jumping off of the trendy diet (gluten free, Paleo, etc.) bandwagon, who like to eat real food that is healthy and actually looks and tastes good, 100% Real is a must-have cookbook .

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

Sure to become a much-used option in our kitchen, this book is full of big vegetable flavors and great sauce ideas.

It is always nice to find other options when it comes to healthy eating

Clear consise directions and beautiful photography makes this a must have on a modern cookbook shelf. You'll enjoy pantry list items and terms of foods that help eliminate process foods from your diet and increase your health as result.

Personally I don't think I'd use this recipe book unless it was a special occasion. The idea is great and the recipes themselves look good. It has great pictures to show them off but for me it's just not practical. There are too many ingredients for basic meals and it would cost a small fortune to buy them.

I did feel that the author was talking down to me. He states that although he doesn't follow any particular diet, we must be gluten free, diary free, sugar free unless the craving hits you but then don't do it again. It just felt very obnoxious.

I was impressed that the book has a "metric equivalent" at the back, this is super helpful for anyone outside of the United States.

I LOVE this book! It's a refreshing change from many of the books I've read of late. It's well researched, beautifully written and the recipes are delectable. I highly recommend it