12 best healthy cookbooks

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Buttermilk Oven 'Fried' Chicken

Fried chicken is one of my biggest weaknesses, so naturally I’ve been perfecting this lighter version for years. I’ve managed to achieve the same crispy golden texture you get from frying from my oven. Yep, it’s skinnier, easier, quicker, and (bonus) there’s no greasy mess to clean up. Soaking the chicken overnight (sometimes two nights) in a buttermilk bath is a must for meat that’s moist and juicy. To easily remove the skin from the drumsticks, use one paper towel to grasp the joint end and a second one to pull off the skin.

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Classic comfort foods get a healthy makeover

Erin's beloved recipes use simple, healthy swaps to create crowd-pleasing flavors—adding whole grains, healthy fats, and ripe fruits and vegetables to everyday indulgences. No need to sacrifice taste in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle or an efficient kitchen!

Affordable, attainable ingredients with tips for leftovers and storage

Erin's budget-friendly meals can be made with everyday items from any store or market. Her recipes are intelligently designed to eliminate remainder ingredients so you'll never be left with a half-empty can of beans. She includes "Leftover Love" tips throughout the book to enable you to use leftovers efficiently and deliciously, as well as tools to store and reheat previous meals perfectly.

One-pan meals for tonight + meal-prep tips for the whole family

Erin brings fun and flexibility to your kitchen. Her recipes include features like "Market Swaps" that list easy substitution tips so you can use items you have on hand, and recipe spin-offs so that you can make a single recipe multiple ways, like Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (5 Ways!) and the Ultimate Creamy Mac and Cheese (4 Ways!), pictured above.

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Sample Recipe: Smoky Paprika Roasted Chickpeas

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Add the oil to a roasting pan and place in the oven to heat for 3-4 minutes.

2. Add the cumin seeds, paprika, allspice, cinnamon, and salt to a bowl and mix together well.

3. Add the chickpeas to the roasting pan, drizzle with the date syrup, sprinkle with the spice mix, and stir together. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring once, until brown and crunchy.

4. Spoon into a bowl and let cool before eating. Store any leftovers in an airtight container or airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to one week.

This is a quick and economical snack to make and perfect for having on the go. For an extra smoky flavor, drizzle with some tahini when adding the date syrup.

Beautiful Photos of every Recipe

Recipes for every mood captured in gorgeous photos will motivate foodie enthusiasts to try healthy recipes!

Recipes Starting with Breakfast to Dinner

Enjoy recipes for anytime of the day – protein packed meals, light and healthy salads, and even desserts!

Recipes for Any Mood

Healthy recipes that will help you to eat a diet that contains all the nutrients you need for health and well-being without sacrificing flavor.

Nutritional Information

Stay on a healthy track with nutritional information on every page.

Wake Up & Healthy Nectars

Start your morning with a delicious breakfast like a Three Herb & Ricotta Omelet or a Vegetable Health-Boost Juice.

Energy-Fueling Lunches & Supercharged Snacks and Sides

Enjoy a clean, whole lunch like a Protein Rice Bowl or sit back and snack on Date Power Balls.

Power-Packed Protein & a Feast of Vegetables

Meals that the whole family can enjoy like Jerk Chicken with Papaya & Avocado Salsa.

The Sweet Stuff

End your day with a sweet treat like Healthy Apple Crisp or Coconut Milk, Strawberry & Honey Ice Cream.

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The Mediterranean Way of Eating

There isn’t a single 'diet' that encompasses the entire Mediterranean region—spice-laden dishes of Morocco bear little resemblance to the lemon- and caper-laced cuisine of southern Italy. Rather, Mediterranean cooking is about what these cuisines have in common: a daily emphasis on vegetables and fruits, beans and lentils, whole grains, more seafood than meat and poultry, and heart-healthy olive oil. Fresh, high-quality ingredients and simple preparation techniques let the extraordinary flavors shine.

Pan-Roasted Swordfish with Chermoula

We took our fish to the next level by serving it with chermoula, a zesty Moroccan dressing.

Fava Bean and Radish Salad

These Italian-named earthy beans are favored throughout the Mediterranean and date back to ancient times.

Red Lentil Soup with North African Spices

The mild flavor of red lentils do not require a bit of embellishment, so we started by sauteing onion in olive oil and used the warm mixture to bloom some fragrant North African spices.

Marinated Green and Black Olives

We opted for olives with pits, which have better flavor than pitted ones, and found that tasters preferred brine-cured olives to salt-cured for their subtler flavors.

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The Basics of Clean Eating and Baking

For the purposes of this book, the treat recipes avoid ingredients that are highly processed; meaning, that they are so far from nature that they lack any nutrition. This includes ready-made mixes and items with preservative-filled, mystery ingredients.

When it comes to using a sweetener for the treats in this cookbook, I’ve chosen to test and create recipes with honey, maple syrup, and coconut palm sugar. Coconut sugar also contains zinc and calcium, plus antioxidants and probiotics. So, for these reasons, along with the fact that it’s unrefined, I’ve chosen it as the replacement for granulated (white and brown) sugar in this cookbook; it’s my favorite clean sweetener to use.

This is not a sugar-free cookbook, however. It’s a desserts cookbook that includes recipes made with clean ingredients. Of course, ingredients will always vary by brand, such as the case with chocolate chips. So make sure to check the label whenever possible.

When it comes to clean meals, it’s easy to follow a recipe and stick with a plan. The key word: plan. But when the craving for something sweet sets in, it’s tempting to grab a candy bar while waiting at the check-out line or to throw a box of cookies in the grocery cart.

I hope the recipes in this cookbook help you avoid purchasing convenient, processed desserts while letting you enjoy a sweet treat from time to time with your family and friends.

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free

These are my favorite muffins to make during the holidays when cranberries are abundant, and I go overly zealous in purchasing them. Since they store in the freezer for a long time, you’ll find me making a batch of these muffins also in mid-March (seriously). The fresh cranberries and fresh orange zest give these muffins the holiday flavors we all love, and their scent will fill your home. With a hearty texture, they are just the kind of muffin that I enjoy eating while I sip a cup of coffee.

Lemon Bars

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free

These lemon bars have a thick lemon filling over a sweet crust.

They’re perfect for parties, family gatherings, and bake sales.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

Gluten-free, Dairy-free

My original “flourless” chocolate chip cookie can be found inside my cookbook The Best Grain-Free Meals on the Planet. This recipe was supposed to make it into that book, but after many rounds of testing, I ran out of time to make baking magic and saved it for later.

This fudgy, cake-like cookie with crispy edges is one I’m happy to make when I want a simple, one-bowl recipe without flour.

Matcha Green Tea Bites

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free

If you enjoy matcha green tea, you’re going to love this portable, full of nutrition, bite-size option!

Blueberry Cheesecake

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free

Don’t let the no-bake method fool you. This cheesecake is just as good (or even better) than the laborious traditional recipe.

With a creamy, smooth texture that takes over your taste buds without overpowering in sweetness, this cheesecake is bursting with blueberry flavor, thanks to the added pureed blueberries, making it a simple yet decadent dessert.

Chocolate Fudge Pops

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Egg-free, Vegan

My family loves these so much that they disappear faster than I can make them!

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Recipes include:

Prep time: 15 minutes • Cook time: 15 minutes

These fajitas are loved by both kids and adults and are so easy to make because, instead of in a skillet on the stovetop, this classic dish is cooked in the oven and needs minimal supervision. Colorful vegetables, lean protein, and your choice of toppings make it a dietitian-approved family favorite.

Serves 4 to 6

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Carne Asada Fries

Serves 2

Ginger-Lime Chicken with Broccoli and Carrots

Serves 4

Summer Veggie Zucchini Noodles with Burrata

Serves 2`

American-Style Cheesy Beef Goulash and Macaroni

Everyone needs a few quick and easy family-pleasing meals in their arsenal for busy weeknights. That’s where this recipe comes in. This is not the kind of Hungarian goulash I grew up eating from my European immigrant dad. This American version, which dates back to the early 1900s, is more like a cross between a healthier Hamburger Helper and mac and cheese. The macaroni cooks right in the sauce so it’s super simple to make.

Recipe

Press the saute button on an electric pressure cooker. When hot, add the oil and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the beef, season with the paprika and salt, and brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces as it cooks, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the pepper, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Stir in the macaroni.

Seal and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes. Quick release so the pasta stops cooking, then open when the pressure subsides. Discard the bay leaf. Top the dish with the cheddar, cover, and let sit until the cheese has melted. Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.

Tips

no pressure cooker? no problem!

To make this in a large pot or Dutch oven, cook, covered, over medium-low heat, until the pasta is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

skinny scoop

You can sub in ground turkey or chicken in place of the beef. You can also use mozzarella or Parmesan in place of cheddar, or omit altogether.

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150+ Tasty, healthy recipes

Enjoy Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad with Chicken, Avocado Toast with Balsamic Glaze, Coconut Curry Salmon, Chocolate-Dipped Citrus Fruit, and much more.

Simple prep

Discover recipes with easy-to-find ingredients that don’t break the bank, and pick up advice for meal planning along with handy shopping tips.

Customizable meals

Find easy ways to customize recipes with alternative ingredients, and when you have a little extra time, you can add to the simple recipes for exciting variations.

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Caprese Avocado Toast

Caprese salad is an Italian dish made of mozzarella, tomatoes, and sweet basil, tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Growing up, this was my favorite salad; I just couldn’t resist it. Today, avocado toast is my weakness, and pairing these two favorites quickly became my go-to breakfast.

Directions

1. Toast the bread to your desired doneness.
2. While the bread toasts, combine the avocados and lemon juice in a small bowl. Mash the avocados with the back of a fork to your desired consistency.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, and salt.
4. Top each slice of the toasted bread with 1/4 of the mashed avocado and 1/4 of the mozzarella mixture. Finish each with 2 basil leaves and ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes

Cannellini Bean Ratatouille

Spicy Meatballs with Roasted Vegetables

Chocolate and Coconut Energy Bites