Great collection of tips and recipes. Includes 100 recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. lots of full colour illustrations which I love in a cookbook!
*I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I have recently adopted a whole-food plant-based lifestyle and have been searching for all of the cookbooks that I can find that provide such recipes. I saw this one pop up on NetGalley and was so excited when I was approved an advanced copy. This cookbook has many wonderful options and I loved reading about the chef's journey to his various recipes and a healthy lifestyle. It provided an insight that you generally do not find in a cookbook and a background of many recipes. So far I have tried a couple of the recipes and they have been delicious. A few look very intimidating, but the author breaks it down and makes each recipe surprisingly simple that I believe any level of cook would be able to accomplish them. There are also beautiful pictures accompanying many of the recipes. My only wish in this cookbook would be that there were more pictures and more options from the author on how to make certain recipes with no animal products. These are the two reasons that I gave it four rather than five stars. Overall, this is a wonderful cookbook with many wonderful and enticing recipes.

Thank you for the opportunity to view this cookbook before publication. I will review and post an attempted follow of a recipe with full credit closer to the pub date + include links to the book and order information.

As someone who has new dietary restrictions, I need to learn how to cook new and healthy things. Importantly, I need to learn a variety of foods and flavors so things can be kept interesting in the kitchen! What I gained from reading this cookbook is a few ideas and insights on how to cook basic and elaborate dishes with a healthy twist. One thing I thought was unique about this particular book was the author’s Cultural / culinary influence: many of the recipes for Indian and Mexican dishes were colorful and sounded delicious. The photos were all colorful, vivid, and enticing. The layout is simple. Now, there are some instances when I would have liked a little more explanation in the details of the dish (Either preparation or where to find an ingredient) but it’s nothing a google search couldn’t sort out. Others may not have that issue due to prior knowledge!

Thanks again, can’t wait to try out some of these!

What a beautiful book! This is exactly how I like to eat, and to cook for my family. Exciting, vibrant, vegetable-forward meals that are fun to make and nourishing to eat.

The strength of this cookbook is its stunning photography -- it's truly mouthwatering, and sets this book in the category of coffee-table-worthy. I love a memoir-cookbook combo, but the narrative sections are not as compelling as I had hoped. I found them repetitive and overly casual/colloquial in language at times -- perhaps if I was familiar with Nawab's speaking style, it would sound endearing instead of awkward. The recipes are appealing and I learned some great tips for ingredient swaps and techniques. I would gift this cookbook to a gluten-free friend who loves trying new flavors and ingredient combinations.

The pictures alone are worth salivating over. This is a chef who knows how to build bold flavors and who hasn’t pigeonholed his cooking to a single cuisine. All the better for the experimental home cook. He has organized the cookbook much as a chef organizes a kitchen, with shareable building block recipes that enrich other dishes, even some suitable in multiple cuisines. Also helpful he creates recipes that pair well with others for complete meals. The back stories are interesting and none of the recipes are outside the abilities of an intermediately skilled time challenged home cook. Although you might want to stock up on bone broth versus making your own.

One Chef’s Take onHealthy Eating

In this gorgeously photographed cookbook, the author shares what he sees as healthy and nutritious recipes. Since he is a chef and has been one for a long time, this book does not fit neatly into any one box. While it has recipes that fit specific diets—like gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan (and he does mark them as such)—it also has recipes outside those bounds, including ones with meat (even some unusual ones like bison). However, the book is mostly vegetarian friendly with a big nod to vegan preferences, like the amazing-sounding Vegan Soubise. The author grew up with Indian cuisine as a first-generation American with Indian parents, and he has worked in or consulted with a variety of restaurants. All of these experiences influence this eclectic mix of recipes. You'll certainly see Indian flavors and techniques, of course, as well as Italian and Mexican ingredient and spice combinations. As the author is a professional chef, most of the recipes are more complicated than you typically see in cookbooks written by home cooks. But some flavor combinations sound amazing--and therefore worth the work. If you accept the idea that healthy food could include a broad range of fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean meats, you will likely enjoy this diverse set of recipes.

I just briefly scrolled through the ARC of Good For You and saw SO many recipes I want to try! There are some really excellent tips and cooking techniques mentioned too. I’m planning to pick up a copy of this book for my shelves because it seems like one I would use frequently. My husband is gluten and dairy free and I’m always looking for new recipes to try. 4 stars!

Good For You
by Akhtar Nawab

A very nice cookbook for anyone looking for some new healthy recipes. Some are more complex than others. A bit too seafood-forward for me.

Sadly, I was not able to read this book. I didn't realize that I couldn't do a Kindle download when I requested this title. So very sorry.
Because I couldn't read it I will give it 3 stars to try to be fair.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for providing me with an early e-copy of this cookbook in exchange for an honest review. Good for You is out August 11.

Chronicle consistently puts out beautifully designed cookbooks with fantastic, clearly written recipes, and Akhtar Nawab’s Good for You is no different. These recipes, which range from creating your own pantry staples like tomato sauce, to Mexican-Indian fusion dinner entrees, are friendly for the (fairly experienced) home chef and, from the recipes I’ve tried, are absolutely delicious! I love both Mexican and Indian inspired cuisines, so Nawab’s use of the flavors of those two styles really worked for me. I also appreciate the inclusion of dietary restrictions (many of the recipes are vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, or a mixture of several of those things), and all appear to be relatively healthy while still maintaining their flavor.

The recipes are also organized in a nice way and the instructions are clear as to what to do. I also really appreciate the tips and explanations of terminology throughout the cookbook—I always find those types of things so helpful! Finally, I loved the use of photography and space in the spreads of this cookbook—many two-pages spreads are a single photo of the dish with the recipe overlayed on top, which was nicely done. I can’t wait to see how they look in the print version!

I'm a a beginner cook and an in need of dire help in the kitchen! I flipped through the recipes and thought they seemed manageable and interesting from my POV. Excited to try them out!

I was excited when I read the description for Good For You. It promised 100 recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. What I found instead was few vegetarian recipes. Most of the mains were meat based and the promise of vegetarian recipes is what drew me to the book. Usually I can doctor the meat dishes to make them veg but these recipes don’t really lend themselves to that very well.
I was also confused by the cuisine. The book doesn’t seem to have one cohesive theme. Overall, there were some nice photos but not many recipes that caught my eye.

Ok...the cover is straight up eye catching... my love for asparagus. Gluten free, dairy free is my thing but this cookbook is certainly not for beginners but still mouth wateringly beautiful. Pictures galore of some exquisite looking recipes.

What did I like? 100 recipes but this book had some amazing pictures. I’m almost scared to make any of these recipes...afraid that I won’t be able to come close to these amazing pictures. The author boasts Mexican, Indian, and Italian dishes .... and a gluten free bread that caught my eye. Not to mention the gorgeous salsa’s.

Would I recommend or buy? These are some amazing recipes.... if you know or love exquisite dining recipes...this would be a go to book. I have several friends who adore cookbooks and this would be a wonderful cook for any aspiring cook or chef.

I received a copy and this is my honest opinion.

I enjoyed this cookbook. There was some great information on eating healthy yet flavourful foods. I also liked the tips that were tacked on to some recipe pages. There was a good variety of recipes and range of ingredients, as well. The photographs were beautiful and made me want to cook everything.

I am so glad to receive this book just before the July 4th holiday. It allowed me time to try out a few of the recipes over the weekend. I tried the cardamom almond milk, black lentils, and gluten-free bread.

Cardamom Milk

While the cardamom almond milk recipe suggests letting it cool and having it over ice, but I made some chocolate cake and flavors of the milk was a beautiful blend with the cake. Make sure to have a sieve though. I didn't have one so I kept my handheld mixer in the pot longer and found a way to strain the liquid. I plan to make this again and try it as a frappe.

Black Lentils
If you want your house to smell like a chef is at work in your kitchen, then make the black lentils. The aroma as I toasted the seasonings filled the apartment and increased my anticipation to try the dish. The book's recipe doesn't tell you how to toast the seasonings, but I simply put all of the seasonings on a small sheet of aluminum foil, heated the oven at 350 Fahrenheit, mixed the seasonings, and let them sit in the oven for 5-7 minutes before adding them to the blender with the other ingredients. While working on the recipe, I did get confused when I wasn't sure whether the canned tomatoes called for 14.5 ounces of whole tomatoes or 28 ounces. It tells you to put 4 cans in but doesn't indicate the volume. I used three 28-ounce cans and based on the picture it appeared to be too much. So I would suggest two 28-ounce cans or four 14.5 ounce cans. Hopefully, the publishers can make an update. While working on the recipe, I didn't use a blender, I just relied on my food processor. Ultimately the lentils were delicious. The extra can reduced the power of the seasonings just a bit and made it more of a soup. Regardless, it had a restaurant style flavor, which makes it great for at-home date nights. This will likely become a staple in our home.

Gluten-free Bread
Last but not least, the gluten-free bread. As soon as I tasted the bread I thought to myself, "uh oh. I ran out of ingredients to make another one." I knew I would have to make another one right away because my husband would devour it. One small slice is sufficient because its rich with flavor. It's the perfect bread to have out just before your main meal. I say all this even after forgetting to include one important ingredient: the cider vinegar. It wasn't really missed, although when I took the bread out of the oven it seemed to deflate a bit. So, don't forget the cider vinegar, but if you do it won' t be too problematic. Also be prepared to make more.
I've learned from reviewing recipe books that the first time you try the recipe you are bound to make a mistake or forget something, but your attempts will help you to eventually master the recipe that meets your perfection.

So, I'm really excited to try these recipes again. and explore more recipes within the book.

I love the premise behind this cookbook- tasty but healthy (mostly) vegetable dishes. I liked that the main focus of the book is flavorful but good for you. I absolutely love that the author takes flavors from all over the world and put them all into one book. That helps to keep things interesting in the kitchen! I am particluarly excited to try some of the more healthy versions of Indian dishes that were included. There were a couple of chicken dishes included but for the most part this was vegetarian heavy with tons of gluten free recipes. I am excited to go through the cookbook and try out many of these recipes!

I have been vegan for a few months now and found Good For You to be an excellent cookbook for meal inspiration. Every recipe is labeled as Gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian or vegan... a majority of them will hit three out of four of those (instead of just one, like many cookbooks do). I found every recipe appealing and excited to try them all... The photography is beautiful and definitely played a role in loving this book. Enjoyed making the Cauliflower Rice Biryani. Making Black Chickpeas with Lentils and Spinach next. Definitely worth purchasing for your healthy cookbook collection!

Good for You by Akhtar Nawab provides recipes that are Either Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, or Vegetarian, or a combination thereof.

It starts with a section of Foundations which includes recipes for tomato paste, homemade mayo, and a Vegan Soubise which will mimic cream in savory sauces.

The breakfast section is a little underwhelming for me as there are a lot of smoothie recipes, granola, and pancakes, but the Poblano Shatsuka Eggs and Egg Tostadas did catch my attention.

Sandwiches, Salads , Soups, Stews, Desserts and Dinner follow in additional chapters. The recipes and ideas are fantastic and use vegetables and spices in creative ways. The Desserts section is a little limited.

Some of the Gluten Free and Dairy Free recipes do have meat in them but the majority of the recipes do not.

The chapter on Aiolis, Dressings, Salsas, and Chutneys includes a Raisin Salsa, Lemony Vinaigrette, Paleo Thousand Island Dressing, and a Caesar dressing that is Gluten Free, Dairy Free, and Vegan.

If you follow one of the above ways of eating or just want to incorporate some of of it into your diet in delicious and healthy ways, you will enjoy this book.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers and Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

I will need to pick up a copy to read the recipes better because they look delicious and fairly easy to prepare!