I came across this intriguingly-titled trade paperback at Barnes and Nobles today, and couldn't resist. It's a combination of essays and recipes. [The "Red Lentil Soup with Indian Spices" was very tasty. You can see the recipe on Kanner's Huffington Post column here.]

The author's purpose is to encourage people to nourish themselves - not merely with food, but also soulfully and emotionally. Being mindful about one's food, its origins, and the net cost to the planet is only one aspect of the book. Her style ranges from near-poetical to quite whimsical, and she encourages people to take her advice - and recipes - and tweak them according to their own needs and preferences.

She talks about personal reactions to things like the changing seasons (including a desire to hibernate during the winter), ties many recipes to anecdotes about travel, and generally pulls the entire book together into a very readable, and very enticing, work. Whether she's describing a childhood encounter with a very wise rabbi, her own decision to break the carbonated-soda habit, or an early romance as highlighted by the choice of food, it's enjoyable and involving. (It's not all brown rice and veggie-broth, either; she dabbles in luxury now and then, pointing out "when great fortune kisses you on the lips and offers you black Perigord truffles, you don't smack it in the face." Hee!)

Other recipes include "Stone Soup" - yep, from the fable - here it's a vegetable broth formed from trimmings saved up in the freezer until there's enough for a batch; "Mexican carrot salad", a colorful blend of raw carrots and spiced oil, with cumin, paprika, cayenne, and honey; "Kale chips", the delectably-crispy result of oven-roasting kale; and many more.

I plan to leave this book on a bench or window-ledge near one of the restaurants on Elliot Street; hope the finder enjoys it!

*** Released as part of the 2015 Spook-tacular release challenge. ***

*** Released as part of the 2015 TICK TOCK release challenge. ***