The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking
Here are some lovely reviews from Amazon for my cookbook, The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking.
Thank you to everyone who reviewed my book. I’m so pleased that you love it.
Scroll down for a video preview of some of the recipes in this book.
Ciao,
Donna
Book Reviews
This is, hands down, my new favorite cookbook. I’ve been making recipes out of it almost exclusively for several months now. Each one is absolutely delicious and made with healthy, fresh ingredients. – R+L HOME
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Informative, easy to follow recipes without hard to find ingredients. Easy to follow 2 week meal plans as well. This book not only gives great recipes to follow but allows you to use your talents to create more delicious meals. – Catherine C.
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Love the book. Great simple recipes and they are delish! Makes a great gift for someone who loves to cook! – Lydia C.
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Perhaps the greatest thing about Donna DeRosa’s The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking is that it’s like having a very knowledgeable but non-snooty friend introduce you to new ingredients, new recipes and a new way of thinking about cooking and eating.
What the heck is farro and what do I do with it? Donna’s got your answer. Isn’t fennel….weird? No, it’s delicious when you combine it with oranges or carrots for a fresh-tasting, delicious salad.
The other thing that I found wonderful about this cookbook is that it’s not reliant on hard-to-get ingredients. Donna’s Tuscan Tuna Salad sounded good to me and I found I had everything I needed in my kitchen cupboard and in my tiny vegetable garden. I made it in less than 15 minutes, and it was delicious!
The emphasis here is on health, but without any concessions to flavor. So there’s olive oil aplenty. And nuts, and grains. They’re all good for you! And any eating program that has flavor and variety is one that you’re going to stick with. It also helps to have recipes that don’t require a culinary degree to put together.
I’m very happy to have this cookbook in my collection. I can’t go to the Mediterranean any time soon, but my kitchen and dining room are sunnier now that I am cooking with Donna’s excellent book. – Carolina
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I tend not to follow recipes closely when preparing meals but I am married to someone who likes very repeatable results. 😉 This cookbook has simple, nutritious recipes that are easy to prepare with what I already have in the fridge (or can get in a grocery pick-up order), and they are really well thought-out…my kids liked the Moroccan Lentil Soup and so did the adults. My husband was a fan of the Eggplant Towers. I am now using Donna DeRosa’s cookbook to plan meals. – E.R.W.
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The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking is the perfect user friendly cookbook for nutritious and delicious meals. My husband and I recently made the Calabrian Shrimp, following Donna’s recipe, and it was delectable. All of the recipes are easy to follow and use simple, tasty, regret-free ingredients. A lot of doctors recommend consuming a Mediterranean diet for various health reasons and this book could easily serve as a step-by-step guide to achieving a healthy diet an lifestyle. – Gina M.
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A lovely gift–Donna DeRosa’s The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking is a wonderful cross-cultural exploration of the tapestry of Mediterranean traditions brought forward from these heritages. I love that you can work with it incrementally, incorporating as you are ready, curious — not the restrictive, all-or-nothing approach that becomes unworkable over time. This is something you can be with, live with. Fresh, zestful, vibrant. Even if you are already familiar with Mediterranean cuisine, this worth exploring and keeping handy to your kitchen adventures. Yum! – Sumoki
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This cookbook is amazing. The recipes are all very tasty. I love how heart healthy all the recipes are. I am looking forward to trying every one of them! – KTacco
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This book sets forth the Mediterranean diet in as an easy to follow manner with loads of luscious examples of healthy cooking. It is colorful, interesting and the recipes make you want to run to the store to try them tonight. It will get good use. – Natchmo
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La Vita E’ Bella. There are all kinds of wonderful Mediterranean Diet recipes in this book from all around the Mediterranean Sea, but this book is much more than just a cookbook! What I really appreciate is how the author incorporates the Mediterranean lifestyle into the Mediterranean Diet. She stresses the importance of taking the time to enjoy eating the meals with friends and family. She guides you through incorporating her delicious Mediterranean recipes and the Mediterranean way of life to improve your health and ultimately your happiness. One of my Italian summertime favorites, try the Eggplant Towers and a little glass of red wine with your friends and family! – Erin B.
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Wanting to learn and experiment with more Mediterranean cooking, I ordered Donna DeRosa’s “The Big Book of Mediterranean Diet Cooking” book. Just the photo on the front cover was enough for me to order the book! A treasure trove of information and amazing recipes are found in Donna’s book!
I found her writing style easy to follow, very informative, and full of encouragement. Then there are the recipes! I’ve already made several of them and I can tell you it was time well spent in the kitchen and even better spent at the table eating them – absolutely delicious.
Having picked up a number of new recipes from this book, I will certainly be adding more Mediterranean dishes to my overall diet. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being tops, this book easily scores a 10+. – Hank H.
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I’ve been following Ms. DeRosa for quite a while on YouTube and was excited to see her come out with a cookbook. It’s an extremely well organized book that has everything you need to start following a healthy Mediterranean lifestyle: an overview of the “diet” and benefits, kitchen and pantry essentials, several different meal plans (weight loss, heart health, and overall wellness) and then the recipes.
Oh, the recipes! They’re very straightforward, with everyday ingredients, and suitable for every cooking skill level. The majority of the recipes have helpful cooking, ingredient or variation tips included. There are two chapters specifically on Fish and Shellfish and Poultry and Meat, but many of the recipes outside of those chapters are, in the Mediterranean diet style, naturally vegetarian or can be easily altered to fit a vegetarian or vegan diet. It’s definitely a one-stop shopping cookbook for your eating preferences!
My personal favorite recipes are the Polenta Bowl w/Fruit and Honey (I never would have thought to use polenta in a sweet dish), the White Bean Dip (so good with veggies when I’m sick of hummus) and the Mediterrean Quinoa Salad (simple but delicious). I can’t wait to try the other recipes – I’m so pleased with this cookbook! – Cgra
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As a long time subscriber to Donna’s newsletter, I was delighted to hear about her new cookbook and pre-ordered my copy right away. I was given a digital copy to review.
There’s so much to love about this cookbook. Donna’s introduction provides the healthy, practical reasons to explore the Mediterranean lifestyle, while the flavors and aromas of these dishes will convince you to settle in and stay a while. The recipes are straightforward, with ingredients I could find readily or substitute easily. And if you find yourself in food ruts (like I do), you’ll love the inspiration for new ways to cook familiar foods. (Well hello, Moroccan Potatoes with Chickpeas!)
Donna provides three meal plans depending on your overall goals (weight loss, heart health, or overall wellness), with two full weeks for each. I’ve tried several recipes but I can’t wait to dive in and follow one of her plans. (Someone else telling me what’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Sign me up!) As a vegetarian, I am sometimes disappointed with cookbooks that aren’t specifically for vegetarians. It turns out the Mediterranean diet emphasizes veggies, fruits, beans, grains, and nuts, so this book naturally includes lots of options for veggie-based soups, salads, sides, and more.
With tips for reducing daily stress as well as stocking the pantry, this is as much a lifestyle introduction as a cookbook and meal planner. And the photos are such a feast for the eyes, I can’t wait to get my print copy! – Emily C.
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Because of my inexperience with cooking, I have avoided it. Yet the enthusiasm and clarity the author brings to her subject makes me feel enabled. I have always wanted to learn more about Mediterranean cooking, and the book is very user-friendly. There are more than just recipes. The history of this style of cuisine is examined. The health benefits are explained. I highly recommend this book. – T. W.
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Living la dolce vita. I consider myself an OK cook. I look for cookbooks that have “user friendly” ingredients and instructions. Donna’s book has simple ingredients and helpful suggestions on alternate pantry items that you might prefer and/or have more readily available at your local store. Additionally the meal plan samples listed before the recipes I found helpful as I could easily find them and review them before looking to the recipes. The tips provided in the book really makes them a “lifestyle”. Pair this book with the newsletter and new website and you have the whole package on living la dolce vita. – Kristin
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I first learned about Donna DeRosa after doing an internet search on living la dolce vita which led me to her website. I can attest the recipes that she makes on her YouTube channel are simple and easy to prepare, as well as mouth watering. She definitely practices what she preaches.
I’ve been a vegetarian for 30+ years and appreciate Donna’s focus on eating plant based meals. This cookbook has loads of meat-free recipes as entrees or side dishes, but includes plenty of recipes for meat and seafood eaters.
This cookbook offers more than just delicious recipes; it’s also is a great guidebook for living a Mediterranean lifestyle. The meal plans are a big plus whether you are interested in weight loss, heart health, or just wanting to eat more healthy. – Deborah G
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I love this cookbook. Health issues run in my family (and me!), so I’m always looking for ways to eat better even though I don’t always succeed. What I found so special about this cookbook is that it’s as much a lifestyle book as it is a recipe book, full of delicious Mediterranean dishes, but also suggestions about incorporating the Mediterranean lifestyle, like evening walks and enjoying a glass of wine with dinner. I also like the different meal plans depending on your own diet goals, and it’s written in such a clear, unpretentious way that it’s very easy to follow. And unlike a lot of cookbooks, the ingredients are all easy to find, and the photos make you want to keep working your way through the book. So far my favorite recipe is the shaksuka. If you’ve never had it, it’s amazing! I definitely recommend this cookbook. – Adam N.