Honestly Healthy for Life: Eating the Alkaline Way Every day by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson

Corrett and Edgson’s book comes, quite honestly, as a total surprise. I can’t say “don’t judge a book by its cover” as the cover of the book is lovely as are the photographs (by Lisa Linder) throughout. But I can say “don’t judge a book by its title.”

The title may infer that this book is strictly for people adhering to an alkaline diet…for life – that’s a long time. This may not make this the obvious addition to your cookbook collection. Perhaps you’d rather leave it on the shelf and pick up something less committal and serious-sounding? I couldn’t leave it on the shelf for the price alone – the book was on clearance for less than the cost of a magazine. I’m glad I did because it was a book I didn’t know I needed!

Alkalizing my water for its health benefits was as far of an effort I’d made into thinking about alkalinity in my life. As it turns out this book was 1) informative to my approach to healthy eating  2) delicious!

I appreciate the organization of the book with its easy-to-read table of contents and index. The range of recipes is so comprehensive from Smoothies, snacks and Sunday roasts to dips, desserts and holiday classics. There is something for everyone in this book even if you’re not actively seeking out an alkaline diet. When you cook from Honestly Healthy for Life you may come by a balance, honestly enough, that your body’s been craving.

Favourite recipe, hands-down, is “Vegetable Crumble in a Creamy Thyme Sauce.” It’s a super-comforting crowd-pleaser, great for Sunday dinner or a pot-luck when there’s an abundance of root veggies kicking around. It is dairy-free (except for butter) so it can easily be modified into a Vegan dish by substituting with vegan butter or oil.

Other faves include: “Roasted Heirloom Rainbow Carrots” (with Tamari and Sesame seeds), “Bejeweled Brussel Sprouts” and good ol’ “Pumpkin Pie”.

If you’re interested, Corrett has several books and a great website. Keep an eye out for great deals on her books at HomeSense and Indigo/Chapters.

I was gifted her more recent publications, Honestly Healthy in a Hurry” and “Alkaline Cleanse” and I can’t wait to cook from them.