The Eat to Live Cookbook is a companion volume to Joel Fuhrman’s bestselling, Eat to Live (2003) and Super Immunity (2011). I have tested 27 of the 200 recipes and found all of them edible . . . and several superb. For me, the star of the collection is Homemade Vegetable Broth, a stunningly delicious combination of flavors that completely eliminate a need for salt. I used it as a base for the tasty Acorn Squash Stew with Brussels Sprouts, but enjoyed sipping it on its own as a sort of vegetable tea. I plan to experiment with it as a base for a vegetarian egg-drop soup. I loved the Chocolate Cherry Smoothie (naturally sweet with no sugar), which I had for breakfast. The recipe was for two servings, and I used the second serving as my after-dinner dessert.

Another of my favorites is Fuhrman’s Sunny Bean Burger, tasty as a meat replacement to accompany a dinner plate of veggies, but really scrumptious as a sandwich, served with tomato, avocado, and Boston lettuce on lightly toasted Izzio’s Lucky 7 Multigrain bread, then liberally sprinkled with a fruity olive oil. I also give a thumbs-up to Fuhrman’s Quinoa Breakfast Pudding and Black Beans & Corn Salsa.

The recipes are great, but don’t overlook Fuhrman’s 40-page introductory text, which is much more than the usual how-I-came-to-write-this-book history that is found in most cookbooks. He opens with the declaration that is the foundation of his popular PBS specials: “Poor food choices are the largest cause of disease and premature death.” These first pages are packed with the essentials of his dietary philosophy: what to include in your daily diet, what foods to avoid, and the scientific basis for his dietary advice. As a side note, Fuhrman’s advice is not just opinion or educated guess; in addition to his experience as a board-certified family physician with a specialty in nutrition, he relies heavily on clinical tests and nutritional research as a basis for his approach to healing and preventing disease with natural methods.

I was especially appreciative of the section on how to select and judge the ripeness of various types of fruit. As well as a long list of the most popular fruits, I found descriptions for star fruit and cherimoya (two fruits that I have eyed but not yet tried), as well as how to judge ripeness in persimmons and mangoes (two fruits whose ripeness I have frequently misjudged).

In the past, the art of food combining was about integrating the entire array of essential amino acids to achieve a complete-protein meal (which is presently considered unnecessary). Fuhrman’s more modern approach is to combine foods that empower one another: “Consume nuts and seeds with your meals, not as snacks, [but] because they facilitate the absorption of essential phytochemicals from other foods.” His salad-dressing recipes are concocted with these types of complementary ingredients in mind. General cooking tips, how to make food choices, how long to keep various foods refrigerated, and equivalencies for powdered, crumbled, and fresh herbs are among the many other useful tips.

Working your way through the recipes is a great way to introduce yourself to the vegan diet, and along the way you may discover new cooking techniques, as well as new food combinations. I don’t anticipate becoming a strict vegan, but I now see that, with Fuhrman’s practical collection of recipes, leaning in that direction is far easier than I previously thought possible. ( )