Review: Eat A Little Better by Sam Kass

Here at From A Chef’s Kitchen, I’m all about the philosophy behind–and the basis for–Sam Kass’ cookbook, Eat A Little Better, Great Flavor, Good Health, Better World.  Little changes can make a huge difference!

In case you haven’t heard of Sam Kass, he was President and Michelle Obama’s personal chef in Chicago and then moved to the White House with them.  Shortly thereafter, the Obamas tapped him to be their senior advisor for nutrition policy.  Sam also helped the First Lady create the first major vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden.  You can read more about him here.

Overhauling one’s entire diet to conform to today’s healthful eating standards is stressful and can easily set a person up for failure.  In Eat A Little Better, Chef Kass tries to assuage the stress one feels about making the “right” choices.  Instead, he shows you how to make “better” choices.  More than just a cookbook, it’s a guide to “eat a little better.”

In the Introduction, Chef Kass provides a wealth of information and tips for transitioning to a better, healthier way of life.  Then, the recipes are organized simply as:

• Eat More Vegetables
• Be a Better Meat Eater  (Eat more fish and chicken and then make the pork and beef you do eat–good.)
• Eat More Grains and Beans

Although Chef Kass is a classically-trained chef, none of the recipes in Eat A Little Better require multiple, complicated steps.  Rather, the recipes are all straightforward and use ingredients readily available to the home cook.

I’m anxious to try his Braised Chicken with Orange and Olives, Barbecued Chicken, Mustard Green Salad with Pecans and Honey – Lemon Dressing and Pork Chops with Tomato – Corn Relish.

There are a few too many sardine recipes in the fish chapter of the cookbook.  I would have preferred more recipes along the lines of halibut, grouper, sea bass or snapper which I think are more appealing to average people trying to eat better.

Overall, I’d give Eat A Little Better 3 1/2 stars!

I received a complimentary copy of Eat A Little Better by Sam Kass from Blogging for Books for this review.