Calling Debbie Johnson’s Fun with GF/LG Food! a cookbook is *mostly* correct. Yes, there are six chapters of delicious recipes to satisfy your culinary cravings. But some of the best information in this book can be found in the bonus section and appendices (I’ll get to those in a minute).
Why I Like It
Debbie knows a thing or two about gluten-free and low-glycemic food. She is the former owner and Executive Chef of The Golden Chalice Restaurant and Gallery, which is a gluten-free, diabetic-friendly and allergy-friendly restaurant.
At first I was a bit skeptical about why someone would want to pay for a cookbook. Thanks to the Internet, you can easily go find thousands of gluten-free recipes online for free. So why pay for more recipes?
Because these recipes are actually very good! All of them!
Don’t get me wrong, I still think there is a time and place for free recipes, and I still use them from time-to-time. But there are so many times when I’ve invested an hour or two trying to make a free recipe I found on the Internet only have it turn out mediocre (or worse!). I haven’t had that problem with Fun with GF/LG Food! Every recipe I’ve made has been delicious.
Since many of the recipes are from The Golden Chalice, they have had decades of consumer validation to ensure that they taste good.
The recipes cover the following:
- Starters
- Soups
- Salads and side dishes
- Main dishes
- Desserts
- Snacks, breads and light meals for the road
Make any of these recipes at your home and prepare to be delighted.
Now, here are a few other things I really like about this book.
- The Bonus Section provides seven critical tips for eating out at restaurants. No one wants to lose out on their social life, so pay special attention to these tips.
- Appendix A covers specific ingredients that Debbie DOES NOT use in her cooking and gives compelling reasons for those decisions. You might be surprised by some of this information. For instance, I learned about which mushrooms should be avoided, which is nice to know since I love to cook with mushrooms. There’s also a little tidbit about broccoli parts that’s quite useful.
- In Appendix B, Debbie talks specifically about certain ingredients that you SHOULD use in your cooking, like what type of salt and cooking oils to use and a healthier alternative to soy sauce.
What I Don’t Like
The only thing that sort of turned me off to this book at first was the lack of a really professional design. I know, it sounds silly, but cookbooks have always been more than just a list of recipes for me. I have fond childhood memories of turning the pages of my mother’s Betty Crocker Cookbook while she prepared the evening meal, looking at all the delectible dishes in anticipation as dinner’s aroma washed over me. I think Fun with GF/LG Food! would be even more exceptional if it included photos of all the meals and a more professional layout.
That being said, if there were photos for each meal and a more professional design, this book would surely cost twice as much, so I’m not going going to complain too loudly about this one little grievance.
Conclusion
Fun with GF/LG Food! is wonderful book of recipes and tips for eating healthy and delicious gluten-free and low-glycemic meals. Although it doesn’t contain photos of the meals, the book is cleanly presented and easy to read. The recipes are all delicious, in no small small part due to the fact that they were prepared by a professional chef and proven over time by a discerning restaurant clientele.
I highly recommend you click here to get a copy and start cooking today!
