Yum & Yummer: Ridiculously Tasty Recipes That'll Blow Your Mind, But Not Your Diet!

Author: Greta Podleski

Genre: Cookbook, Non-Fiction

Type: Hardcover

Pages: 304

Source: via one of my jobs

Publisher: Granet Publishing Inc.

First Published: Oct 5, 2017

First Line: "This book is a labor of love."

Book Description from Amazon.ca: Want healthy recipes that actually taste great? DONE! With plenty of gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan options, as well as good ol’ fashion comfort foods with a healthy twist and “splurge-worthy” treats, YUM & YUMMER is packed with “ridiculously tasty recipes that’ll blow your mind, but not your diet!” + how-to videos for EVERY recipe.

Watch the recipes come to life! From LOONEY SPOONS recipe creator and four-time #1 bestselling cookbook author, Greta Podleski, YUM & YUMMER is the first cookbook EVER to include a stunning, full-page food photo PLUS a fun, fast-paced, 60-second how-to video for every single recipe!

Take your meals from ho-hum to OH YUM!

Using common, easy-to-find ingredients available at your local grocery store, YUM & YUMMER makes healthy eating delicious and fun for everyone!

My Rating: 5 stars

My Review: If you’re a home cook, know a home cook or have aspired to be a home cook, this is the book for you. Greta Podleski, co-author of the super popular Looney Spoons cookbooks, has ventured out on her own (as her partner-in-culinary-crime, sister Janet, follows new dreams) and has created this beautiful and impressive cookbook. Not only does each recipe have a colour picture but this book has the distinction of being the first cookbook ever to have a 1-minute video for every recipe. Every single one. Using the QR code provided at the bottom of each recipe, home cooks (even those technologically challenged) can follow Greta’s easy instructions and watch these how-to videos on their smartphone, tablet or online at yumyummer.com.

Greta believes cooking should be enjoyable, easy and delicious and if it’s a little healthier too? Well, that’s just a bonus. While the recipes in this book lean towards healthier eating, great taste is always front and centre. Greta isn’t out there to preach for people to diet or follow her idea of what healthy living means. Instead, she has created a cookbook that brings people into their kitchens to make tasty, easy-to-follow recipes using easy-to-find ingredients from their local food store.

Over the weekend I tried two recipes - Roasted Tomato Pesto and Beef Bowlito. Both recipes were easy to make, delicious and impressive. 

Beef Bowlrito

After making the pesto (with the last of my garden's bounty) my house smelled like heaven! I have frozen (aka hoarded) most of the pesto so I can pull out some garden-fresh goodness when the snow banks are high.

Roasted Tomato Pesto

Yum and Yummer has something for everyone. Greta has listened to her eager readers and has included many Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Vegan options which are easy to find with icons at the top of those pages. She has also included sugar content and complete nutritional analysis for each recipe so people who follow Weight Watchers can calculate their points. 

As you look through this 300-page book Greta’s passion for food is obvious. At the beginning of the book she shares a bit about herself - how she fell in love with food, what it means to her and how she gained a love and appreciation for food made from her own hands, in her own kitchen. Her recipes are sprinkled with a healthy dose of her signature, quirky humour and her down-to-earth writing and clear descriptions make the transition easy for timid new home cooks while providing new culinary inspiration for those of us who have more experience in the kitchen.

This cookbook is a must-have for home cooks. The only issue you’ll have is deciding which recipes to try first.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from my employer in order to do an honest review for the company. All opinions and yummy noises are my own.