Others say...

"Yummy, healthy!"
If I weren't a college student, I'd give it five stars, but hey, I'm just to young to enjoy some of the sophisticated (and more expensive) meals on the list. Great for a young, successful man or woman who loves to cook great, healthy food.

"Best cookbook I own!"
I bought this cookbook several years ago based on someone's recommendation, and consider it one of my best purchases ever. The recipes are simple to prepare, delicious and healthy. I have not been disappointed in a single recipe. I was a little turned off at first because there were no photos of the prepared foods, but after months and months of use, I can honestly say that I use this cookbook much more than my glossy cookbooks with the color photos. I've since bought it as a gift for friends and relatives and everyone has loved it! My favorite recipe is the Couscous with Sweet Potatoes and Yellow Squash (the aroma of this dish alone is worth the price of the book!), but as I said, everything I've tried is absolutely wonderful!

"Very Handy"
The first thing I ever cooked was the Bachelor's Prize Chicken from this book. It has been a hit with everyone that I've cooked it for, including my VERY picky ex-roommate. There are some recipes, mainly seafood, that I find it hard to find the ingredients for due to where I live. Otherwise, the ingredients are easy to find and not fussy. I own some Gordon Ramsay cookbooks but there's no way I'll ever be able to cook something from them!

I also like the simplicity of the cookbook itself. I don't feel bad when I spill stuff all over it because it wasn't a great work of art to begin with!

"Awesome, healthy, but not for beginner cooks!"
I was browsing through the reviews and noticed a few bad ones. The points that stood out were that the recipes were not for beginner cooks, ingredients were difficult to find or "unheard of," and the recipes didn't taste good. While I see where those reviewers are coming from, please don't let the bad reviews deter you from checking out this book!

I have been cooking for myself since I was a teen, so to me the recipes are pretty simple! I've also heard of and cooked with most of the ingredients. If some of the ingredients seem mysterious, consider that a reason to try them out. I do not eat red meat or pork, so I stick to the vegetable and seafood recipes. The "half the fuss" part of the title is true. The book really simplifies things *for me*. The "double the taste" part is a lot more subjective. This is touted as a healthy cookbook though, so you don't expect the world if you're used to junk. I find most of the recipes delicious, and I've been using this cookbook a lot.... and it's not even mine!

Someone also mentioned that the ingredients were pricey. That can be the case with healthy food sometimes. Better quality can sometimes mean higher prices. It may help to check out sales and to buy things in bulk. Just a though.

"Tasteless, boring recipes"
This cookbook has a good premise, but where it fails is delivering anything that tastes good. Other healthy cookbooks deliver much better recipes. For example, one spinach dish called for steamed spinach, throw on some sesame seeds, and drizzle with soy sauce. This is something anyone can do, but the results are not very good and you wouldn't want to make it again.