"Award-winning food writer and author of Cook Yourself Thin (2009) Erskine stuns with her new cookbook. Containing both gorgeous photos and beautiful hand-drawn pictures, Gizzi's Healthy Appetite is a feast for the eyes as well as a feast for the stomach. Addressing the current trend of 'clean eating' when it comes to food, Erskine provides an alternative way to eat nutritiously while still enjoying and savoring food. The chapters are designated by textures and flavors, from 'slurp' (smoothies, soups, and noodles) to 'sweet' (delicious treats). Each recipe uses fresh ingredients that can be found at most food markets, with a few exceptions. With easy-to-follow instructions and Erskine's explanation behind each recipe- like the 'Banana, Date, Almond Milk & Bee Pollen Smoothie, ' where she notes that bee pollen may help alleviate allergies- even a novice will feel like an all-star creating these recipes. This would be a glamorous and healthy addition to most library collections."

Erskine (Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts) presents over 100 recipes organized by verb-centric chapters ('Slurp,' 'Crunch,' 'Ooze,' 'Soothe,' etc.) as well as a 'Basics' chapter, providing direction on homemade stocks, hollandaise sauce, and 'new basics' such as cauliflower rice. International flavors permeate the title with dishes such as the lamb 'shawarma' with burned pita; hummus and pomegranate tabbouleh; tuna tataki with yuzu, ginger, and crispy garlic; and Korean fried chicken. Short prep and cooking times make for ideal midweek dinners. A brief yet well-chosen selection of desserts includes black velvet cake made with chocolate stout, and a maple syrup, orange, and rosemary tart. Extensive headnotes give the reader insight into the author's cooking history and provide nutritional information. The book offers whimsical ingredient illustrations, full-page color photos, and a quirky collage of people, places, food, and cats on the end pages. This is an upbeat, inspiring collection just in time to battle the winter blues.

Cookbook evolution is now epitomized by charismatic chefs who write well and draw from an international pantry of interesting vegetables, uncommon cuts of meat, and new techniques to create bright, super flavorful, healthy yet craveworthy food. London-based chef and TV personality Gizzi Erskine stepped right out of central casting. Her latest cookbook promptly exploded onto hardcover bestseller lists when first released in the UK.