Healthy Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook by Dana Angelo White

Healthy Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook by Dana Angelo White ISBN-13: 9781465493316 Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Alpha Books Released: September 1st 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Wondering what your air fryer can do? How about quickly making foods that use less oil than deep frying and thus have less fat than their traditional deep-fried counterparts? With this book, you can go even further by making foods that contain only vegan ingredients. Plus, every recipe has nutritional data to show you how low in calories and fat each meal is. You can make pizza, tacos, and, yes, even cake--all without compromising your eating habits and without needing to submerge your food in unhealthy oil.

Not only can this appliance fry foods, but it can also bake, roast, and grill. So if you were hesitant to use your air fryer before, now you can put it to good use by making all your vegan favorites quickly, easily, and healthfully. This cookbook features 100 vegan recipes with low calories, low fat, and with detailed nutritional data for every recipe, including calories, fat, carbs, fiber, and sodium.


My Review:
Healthy Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook is a vegan cookbook that focused on recipes that use an air fryer. The book was mainly recipes as it contained only a brief introduction to air fryers and vegan eating. The author used store-bought vegan butter, vegan cheese, vegan mayonnaise, etc., in many of the recipes. She often used canola oil, which isn't healthy, especially if you use a GMO canola. Basically, the author didn't always choose healthy ingredients. She also sometimes had you cook several servings in a row when it didn't all fit in the air fryer--and using an oven would make more sense. While I can use some of these recipes, I'll have to modify them a lot.

She included 18 recipes for breakfast, 25 recipes for main dishes, 17 recipes for sides, 24 recipes for snacks and salads, and 17 recipes for desserts. The recipes provided the preparation time, cooking time, fryer temp, serving size, ingredients, instructions, and tips. Each recipe included nutritional data for calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbs, fiber, sugar, and protein. There was usually only two or three pictures of a finished recipe in each section of recipes.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Wood Burn Book by Rachel Strauss

The Wood Burn Book by Rachel Strauss ISBN-13: 9781631598920 Paperback: 144 pages Publisher: Rockport Publishers Released: August 18th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
In The Wood Burn Book, Rachel Strauss (@woodburncorner) teaches you everything you’ll need to know to master pyrography, whether you're brand new to the hobby or you've been "writing with fire" for years.

This essential guide opens with a brief background to the art of wood burning, a list of tools and how to use them, basic techniques that can be used over and over again, and even what to burn and how to be safe doing it. You will also find a detailed explanation of the process from start to finish, with patterns, techniques for lettering and adding color, as well as dozens of projects ready for gifting, including picture frames, cutting boards, coasters, cards, wooden spoons, and jewelry.

Mastering the art of writing with fire begins with the ability to follow a line. If you can trace, you can burn.


My Review:
The Wood Burn Book teaches how to do wood-burning projects. The author started by describing the different equipment and materials you'll need, then she described various techniques for wood burning. She also discussed how to transfer a design onto the wood, how to add color to the wood-burned art, and how to finish a piece. She then provided step-by-step projects for adding decoration to various types objects made of wood. You can see examples of these projects on the cover. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning how to do wood-burning.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Adaptogens by Melissa Petitto, R.D.

Adaptogens by Melissa Petitto, R.D. ISBN-13: 9780785838470 Hardcover: 160 pages Publisher: Chartwell Books Released: May 26th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Harness the ancient healing power of adaptogens: herbs, roots, and other medicinal plants that help the body function better than its natural capacity. Learn all you need to know about 50 of the most common healing herbs and how to make delicious, nutrient-dense recipes to have you functioning at a higher frequency. Adaptogens are packed with amino acids and/or vitamins that help manage the harmful effects stress has on the body.

The bulk of the book is the adaptogen A–Z directory so that you can figure out which products and powders will best work with the stresses of your life. Then there's a slew of delicious and nutritious recipes. These plants are not a quick fix for a stressful situation. Rather, they are a way to help the body better deal with the higher amounts of stress we seem to be seeing a lot of right now.


My Review:
Adaptogens is a short book about herbs, foods, and supplements that help your body deal with stress when taken over time. The author started by briefly describing what an adaptogen is, then there's a directory of adaptogen profiles. Each profile gave the common and scientific name, a brief history of its use, the health benefits, any safety concerns, and dosing information (though this was sometimes merely a recommendation to ask your doctor). There were about 40 full adaptogen profiles plus about 10 brief superfood/powder profiles. The author also included some recipes for drinks, soups, spreads, and more using combinations of these adaptogens. The book doesn't actually include a lot of information as one page of each profile or recipe is simply a full-color picture of the herb or recipe. But it might be good for a beginner who would be overwhelmed by more information. I'd recommend this book to those who don't know about adaptogens who are specifically interested in these herbs rather than medicinal herbs in general.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer

The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook by Lucy Vaserfirer ISBN-13: 9781592339488 Paperback: 208 pages Publisher: Harvard Common Press Released: August 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
Making pasta by hand at home lets you create and enjoy dozens and dozens of different flavors of noodles. Cooking teacher and food blogger Lucy Vaserfirer explains the methods of master chefs in simple-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that let home cooks cook like the pros. Lucy shows you how easy it is to use a sheeter, extruder, and cavatelli maker of any type, manual or electric, to create tasty pastas that will please everyone from grown-up gourmands to picky kids who want pasta at nearly every meal.

Lucy shares in these pages terrific purees that you can make, using a blender or a mixing bowl, that you then can turn into all sorts of flavored pastas, from the familiar tomato or spinach pastas to noodles flavored with herbs like basil or chives, spices like pepper or saffron, and other flavors, such as beet, sweet potato, corn, and even, surprisingly enough, chocolate. She teaches you how to make every kind of pasta shape with your pasta machine, including ones you can't find in stores. She includes durum and semolina pastas, the most common kinds, as well as buckwheat and ancient-grain pastas. She even shows how to make Asian noodles, such as udon, soba, and ramen, with your pasta machine. There are recipes, too, for fillings for ravioli, tortellini, and other stuffed pastas, as well as a feast of sauces for finished pasta dishes.

Whether you are a first-time owner of a pasta maker or a seasoned pro looking for exciting new ideas, this book has more than 100 splendid recipes, plus loads of clever tips and tricks, that will make you love your pasta machine and use it often.


My Review:
The Ultimate Pasta Machine Cookbook explained how to make a variety of pastas using three different types of pasta machines: a sheeter pasta machine, an extruder pasta machine, and a cavatelli pasta machine. The author talked about tools, equipment, and ingredients for making pasta. She included many recipes for different types of pasta dough (egg dough, chocolate dough, spinach dough, etc.), pasta fillings, sauces, and even completed dishes. This is a useful, informative book about using these pasta machines.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

Origami Fold-by-Fold by John Montroll

Origami Fold-by-Fold by John Montroll ISBN-13: 9780486842424 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Dover Publications Released: July 15th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
This unique collection of 35 original origami models, presented in order of difficulty, is the invention of bestselling origami artist John Montroll. The projects start with simple one-star models (ladybug, angelfish, sailboat) and progress to very complex four-star models (grasshopper, wooly mammoth), with a crane, lion, peacock, and several geometric shapes in between. This comprehensive volume includes step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations to allow folders at all levels to gradually develop their skills.

Internationally renowned author John Montroll has significantly increased the origami repertoire with his original designs. Best known as the inspiration behind the single-square, no-cuts, no-glue approach, the American origami master presents meticulously developed folding sequences that allow folders to create better models with fewer steps.


My Review:
Origami Fold-by-Fold teaches you how to fold 35 original origami models. The author started by explaining the different symbols that show where to fold and which direction to go as well as how to do the most common folds. He started the projects with simple models and worked up to the most complex so that you can learn the skills you need as you go along. He had 10 simple projects, 10 intermediate projects, 8 complex projects, and 7 very complex projects. For each step, he had an illustration as well as the symbols, but minimal to no text.

On the digital version, each step's illustration was rather small and it was sometimes difficult to see the difference between the symbol for folding forward and folding back. I had trouble following the directions even on the first project. I had to carefully study the picture (rather than the symbols) to catch on to what I was supposed to do since the symbols were not clear in one spot. He then had you go back and repeat several steps (starting with the wrong step) but doing it on the other side. If you have trouble flipping/reversing instructions, this could be challenging. If you are familiar with the folding symbols, I think this would be much simpler to follow. However, this may not actually be the best book for a complete beginner (like me) to start with.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Creative Woodburning by Bee Locke

Creative Woodburning by Bee Locke ISBN-13: 9781465492685 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Alpha Books Released: August 11th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
If you're a crafter or an artist looking for something new and different, try pyrography. With this type of art, you use a heated instrument to burn images and words into wood. By using techniques from drawing, such as shading and stippling, you can also add depth and embellishments to your creations.

It's easy to get started with pyrography--and Creative Woodburning can help you jump into this hot new craft. This book features an introduction to pyrography and the tools you need to get started; expert advice on how to choose the right materials and how to create a safe working environment; 20 projects, including a jewelry box, a cutting board, a wooden egg, a clock, and a gourd birdhouse; more than 180 patterns--from animal and nature designs to borders and geometric and decorative shapes; and techniques for shading, adding color, and sealing your projects.


My Review:
Creative Woodburning is a guide on how to do wood-burning projects to make works of art. The author started by describing the different equipment you'll need for safe use during the wood burning and provided tips on the easiest-to-work-with wood. She described various techniques for wood burning, like shading, blackening, and stippling, in enough detail that I felt confident that I could do it. The author used templates to create her designs, and she provided the templates for the projects in the back of the book. She also described how to get the template onto the wood. She also talked about things like staining the wood or the different ways you can color the wood-burned art. She then provided a variety of projects, from decorating a jewelry box to a wooden egg or a clock face. While she described how you would do the project, it's not the usual step-by-step description with matching illustrations, but I felt the earlier techniques sections provided all that was needed to complete the projects. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those interested in learning how to do wood-burning art.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.

This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo

This Is Your Brain on Food by Uma Naidoo ISBN-13: 9780316536820 Hardcover: 304 pages Publisher: Little, Brown Spark Released: August 4th 2020

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
How to eat for mental health, from a go-to expert on the impact of food on the brain. Did you know that blueberries can help you cope with the aftereffects of trauma? That salami can cause depression, or that boosting Vitamin D intake can help treat anxiety? When it comes to diet, most people's concerns involve weight loss, fitness, cardiac health, and longevity. But what we eat affects more than our bodies; it also affects our brains. And recent studies have shown that diet can have a profound impact on mental health conditions ranging from ADHD to depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, OCD, dementia and beyond.

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified psychiatrist, nutrition specialist, and professionally trained chef. In This Is Your Brain on Food, she draws on cutting-edge research to explain the many ways in which food contributes to our mental health, and shows how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues. Packed with fascinating science, actionable nutritional recommendations, and delicious, brain-healthy recipes, This Is Your Brain on Food is the go-to guide to optimizing your mental health with food.


My Review:
This Is Your Brain on Food explains what foods can positively or negatively affect your brain health. The author covered depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, dementia, brain fog, insomnia, fatigue, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, OCD, and libido. For each problem, she talked about scientific studies using nutrition to treat the issue, cases that she's treated successfully, and advice about what foods should be avoided and what foods help heal the problem. About a fifth of the book was some recipes along with cooking advice for people that are beginners at cooking. Since I'm interested in food as medicine, I've heard some of this advice before. She generally recommended whole food over refined foods and getting your nutrition from food rather than supplements. Overall, I'd recommend this book to those who want to try changing their diet to heal. However, she doesn't mention avoiding GMO's even though she does recommend canola oil and soy foods. I strongly suggest anyone eating those foods buy organic or become informed about genetically modified foods.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.