Suzie The Foodie

Food Writer, Photographer and Product Reviewer

Follow Suzie the Foodie

Facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramby feather
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Product Reviews
  • Older Posts
  • Instant Pot
You are here: Home / cookbook review / Cookbook Review: Dietitians of Canada Cook!

Cookbook Review: Dietitians of Canada Cook!

June 13, 2011 by Suzie the Foodie 11 Comments

Photobucket

Dietitians of Canada Cook!: 275 Recipes Celebrate Food from Field to Table is a tough cookbook to review. I admire dietitians and their dedication to eating healthy but having a cookbook that is a compilation of numerous recipes from many different people is hard to test.

In the introduction they write that there will be a generation of children growing up having no idea how to prepare food. That has already happened. There is a generation of adults who have no idea how to cook, therefore, no way of teaching the next generation what to do with food. I was one of those adults and taught myself everything I know.

Sadly, as much as their hearts are in the right place, had I started my food journey with this cookbook I would have become quite disillusioned, very quickly. I will let the recipes speak for themselves.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND FETA HUMMUS

Dieticians of Canada Cook! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
In a food processor combined 2 roasted red peppers, 2 cloves of minced garlic, 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese, 1 19 oz can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed) 2 tbsp of fresh chopped parsley, 2 tbsp of tahini, 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp canola oil and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Process until smooth.
Dieticians of Canada Cook! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
There was nothing wrong with this hummus but it also was not very great. The more my husband ate, the less he liked it and I was very unenthusiastic about it too. On paper, it sounded great. In reality? Not very interesting. 
ORANGE CRANBERRY FLAX MUFFINS

Dieticians of Canada Cook! Orange Cranberry Flax Muffins

In a small bowl combine 3/4 cup of cranberries and 1/4 cup of orange juice. In a large bowl combine 2 cups of flour, 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of ground flax seeds, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tsp grated orange zest, 2 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda.

Whisk together 1 egg, 1/4 cup canola oil and 1 1/4 cup of orange juice. Pour into flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Dieticians of Canada Cook! Orange Cranberry Flax Muffins

Fold in the cranberry mixture.

Dieticians of Canada Cook! Orange Cranberry Flax Muffins

Divide batter evenly and baked in a 375F preheated oven for 16-18 minutes until tester comes out clean.

Dieticians of Canada Cook! Orange Cranberry Flax Muffins

I don’t know if you can see it but there was a green tinge to these muffins. Now I normally try and put aesthetics aside but muffins with a green hue? I took a bite and they were so bland and yet kind of harsh, I could not finish it. I gave my husband a bite and he summed it up sadly, yet perfectly, “I get no pleasure out of eating this at all.”

Perhaps if there was a pinch of salt like most baked goods require for a reason these would have tasted like something. I learned that lesson when I forgot the salt in Chuck’s No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread. I know salt is not great for you but a pinch of it in a batch of muffin batter is not that big a deal and yet could have made these muffins pleasurably edible.

Dietitians of Canada Cook! Broccoli Cheese Soup Beef Kebabs with Peanut Sauce

I began the recipe testing with the Broccoli Cheese Soup which was a bit of a disaster. Then I made the Beef Kabobs with Peanut Sauce which I loved. The red pepper hummus was meh and the muffins were not pleasant to eat. After I made those muffins I decided, I was done. I do not have the time, energy, money or resources to waste trying to find the few fabulous gems in this cookbook.

Sometimes I think that dietitians only see food as medicine and do not realize that food is so much more than that. If it is not going to be enjoyed, it will not be eaten. The most important thing is for us to make our own food when we can and that is a huge step towards proper nutrition:

“The recipes in this book have been carefully tested by our kitchen and our tasters. To the best of our knowledge, they are safe and nutritious for ordinary use and users.” 

Note, nothing about the food tasting good was mentioned. I am sorry but for me, healthy is not enough. For the seriously dedicated health nut you may enjoy maple barley pudding but I will pass. In fact, whoever writes, “I am a health nut and want this book” and leaves their email address I will send you this book in the mail. I am done with it.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Share

Filed Under: cookbook review

Comments

  1. Cathy Webster (Olliffe) says

    June 13, 2011 at 11:53 am

    I love your honesty, and how you genuinely tried to take this book for a spin.
    And I agree with you a thousand per cent – if it doesn’t taste great, what’s the point?
    Thank you.

    Reply
  2. Kim says

    June 13, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    “I am a health nut and want this book”

    kjkelly1@swbell.net

    Reply
  3. Lucy Ladham-Dyment says

    June 13, 2011 at 12:28 pm

    “I am a health nut and want this book”
    lmdyment(at)hotmail(dot)com

    Reply
  4. Debra She Who Seeks says

    June 13, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    There’s such a phobia about adding salt to anything from the salt shaker. The danger to our health is from the massive amounts of salt in processed food, not the wee bit that we shake out of the salt shaker ourselves or add to our home cooking or baking. Yet see the results of that overzealousness in those muffins!

    Reply
  5. Mélodie says

    June 13, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    I Love your reviews (I know, I have said this before ;-))

    I came to the same conclusion as you a long while back, when I started university. I was diagnosed with high cholesterol (runs in the family) around age 20 and given a book to cook with (Smart Cooking). It was a bit of a disaster. I enjoyed learning about cooking, new techniques, new food, but the recipes were so bland. I quickly gave it up, learned about cholesterol elsewhere, made changes myself and haven’t had problems since.

    Reply
  6. Suzie Ridler says

    June 13, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    Thank you so much Cathy, I really appreciate that!

    Oh it looks like it was a close call but Kim won the book, sorry Lucy!

    Debra, I totally agree. I have two small salt containers, one for baking (fine sea salt) and one for cooking (coarse Kosher) and they last a long time. It is packaged food that has so much salt!

    Melodie, thank you, hearing it again always helps! 🙂 I think I tried that cookbook too back when I was learning to cook with similar results. I am so glad you found your own way to lowering your cholesterol, good for you!

    Reply
  7. AvaDJ says

    June 13, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    The use of salt can be tricky, too much and the dish is ruined and lack of it, well…ruined! Our food has to taste great otherwise what’s the point? So yup, a little butter, a little cream and a little salt goes a long way to making our tastebuds and tummies happy. As always, moderation is important but a treat now and then is important too. I’m with you, healthy alone is not enough. You can still have healthy with great flavour.

    Reply
  8. JavaChick says

    June 13, 2011 at 4:04 pm

    I agree with you and I think it is entirely possible to have both healthy and tasty food. It’s true, the sodium levels in most packaged food are ridiculously high, but I don’t believe that a pinch of salt in something you make from scratch is unhealthy. The whole point should be to get people to cook from scratch and realize how much better it tastes than packaged foods. Most people won’t want to put in the effort for something that doesn’t taste good – I wouldn’t.

    Reply
  9. Suzie Ridler says

    June 13, 2011 at 5:01 pm

    Ava, it’s true, salt is tricky but to not have any of it is ridiculous. I actually have low blood pressure so I have to have it. It’s all about little touches of the special stuff with good quality ingredients and not going too “crazy”.

    JavaChick, it is so true, cooking from scratch is the important part and controlling what goes in it is imperative. Yup, if it doesn’t taste good, I would give up. And it can be healthy and taste good!!!

    Reply
  10. Helene says

    June 14, 2011 at 1:06 am

    Looking at the ingredients for the hummus that looks good. I have to say that I don’t buy or cook from these cookbooks. They try to cut too much salt, fat, sugar etc. I prefer to eat a small amount of a really good thing than a big plate with no taste.

    Reply
  11. Lucy Ladham-Dyment says

    June 14, 2011 at 7:06 pm

    Oh well, should not have spelled out (at) and (dot)… next time…Thanks anyways.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Product Review: President’s Choice Ascolana Fried Olives Stuffed with Cheese

Product Review: President’s Choice Ascolana Fried Olives Stuffed with Cheese

Sweet! First 2022 Holiday President's Choice Insider's Report product review is up! Olives and cheese? Yes please!

Search Suzie the Foodie

I Am Alive!

I Am Alive!

It has been over a decade and my time as Suzie The Foodie is over! Thanks for all the love and support and remember, do not NOT feed the trolls. ~ Suzie The Foodie

Save $25 On A Magical Butter Kit!

Save $25 On A Magical Butter Kit!

Not only can you save $25 on a Magical Butter Kit with this coupon you help support me and my site when you purchase one!

Want a big discount on your purchase? Use the coupon code "SUZIE” when you check out!

Instant Pot Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato And Kale

Instant Pot Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato And Kale

Super fast and delicious soup made in the Instant Pot and saved my bacon!

My WordPress Guru

Special thanks to my WordPress Guru and long-time friend Mike D. Without your help, this website would not have been possible.

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in