Review: Heart Smart Cookbook

A classic cookbook which was published in 1991 by the Detroit Free Press/Henry Ford Health System, this was a recent garage sale find that I reacquainted myself with (my original copy disappeared somewhere between Novi and Mt. Pleasant more than 10 years ago); its contents take into account people's tastes while catering to the wisdom of the time.

Overall, it's a great cookbook. (How many cookbooks tell you how to make your own natural peanut butter and your own turkey breakfast sausage?) I've made quite a few recipes in it in the past. These are real recipes that people would make and eat.

The one thing that's a little outdated, perhaps, is the emphasis on total avoidance of egg yolks and minimizing all fat (including healthy oils, such as olive oil), but that's a small thing. The one bit of nutritional information it is missing is fiber, which wasn't considered as important to healthy eating as overall fat content in 1991.

What I didn't know until I tried to look up the original publish date of this book, is that a second one has been published. I hope to get a copy soon and see if Heart Smart II cookbook is even better.