Mexican cuisine sparks many appealing adjectives--savory, spicy, comforting--but "healthy" rarely comes to mind. Fortunately, Jim Peyton (Jim Peyton's The Very Best of Tex-Mex Cooking), who admits to struggling with his weight when indulging in Mexican food, has added a fifth cookbook to his repertoire focused on how to make this beloved fare healthy.
Peyton believes that for any diet to work, the food must be delicious, and he understands that we hate abandoning our favorite foods: "Food should make you happy, you should look forward to each meal, and you should enjoy eating the kinds and amounts of it that allow you to meet your goals." His goal with the 200 recipes here (most have fewer than 450 calories per serving) is to provide highly nutritious dishes that still provide a pleasurable dining experience, even when eaten in small amounts. His offerings represent not only Mexican favorites, but Mexican-American selections from the Southwest; Peyton also includes a history of Mexican cooking, from the original Indian tribes to the influences of the Spanish conquest, Mexican revolution and immigration to the U.S. during the Depression.
To accommodate various diets and lifestyles, a nutritional analysis of calories, protein, carbs, fat, cholesterol, fiber, sugar and sodium accompanies each recipe. Here you'll find drinks (cactus smoothies, chocolate atole), tortillas, chorizo and spicy chicken stews, salsas, rice-and-bean dishes, vegetarian options, desserts (hibiscus petal sorbet) and quite a few salads (like the Tequila Maker's Salad, which is a complete meal). Health-conscious home cooks have much to celebrate with Peyton's testament to Mexican food. --Kristen Galles from Book Club Classics