Healthy recipe books big on taste

The burgeoning category of healthy cookbooks is expanding in line with Australians' waistlines and is a predictable response to the nation's ranking as one of the fattest countries in the developed world.

Forget faddish crazes such as the cabbage-soup diet or lemon detox. The latest health-conscious cookbooks downplay the word diet and talk in terms of ''real foods'', ''whole foods'' and ''clean eating''.

Annoying buzzwords and hashtags aside, there is definitely merit in cooks taking more of their cues from vegetables, legumes, grains and nuts. So, when the (potato) chips are down, here are a few recently released books for cooks, filled with simple, imaginative health-conscious ideas.

Community

If you were stuck on a desert island and had to choose a salad to survive on, chances are it would come from this book. The idea behind the Community cookbook began fermenting soon after Arthur Street Kitchen sprouted in Surry Hills, in 2011.

The community kitchen is where author Hetty McKinnon makes salads to deliver by bike to her nearby customers, who road-tested the recipes in her book.

''Customers begged me for my recipes. It's been hugely popular because it has given people the confidence to cook vegetables,'' McKinnon says. ''I am vegetarian, but this book doesn't talk about vegetarianism, because vegetarianism tends to be about the piece of meat that is missing, rather than celebrating what is on the plate.''

If you want to wow health-conscious friends, McKinnon suggests serving a feast of salads, such as broccoli with chickpea and almond salad, fried zucchini with green cous cous or peas and mint with quinoa, feta and almonds.

Community, by Hetty McKinnon, is published by Plum (RRP $39.99).

Cut the Carbs!

Post-prandial somnolence (colloquially known as a carb coma) is that state of sleepiness that descends after an overload of high glycaemic-index (GI) carbohydrates.

Tori Haschka is a Sydney-born food writer who used to load up on white carbs such as bread, potatoes, pasta and rice. She started experimenting with so-called smart carbs (low-GI foods) about six years ago after noticing that consuming classic comfort foods left her feeling fatigued, lethargic and lacking in energy. Cut the Carbs! is the result of that experiment.

Rather than ditching carbs altogether, Haschka advocates avoiding white carbs as much as possible and focusing on protein-rich grains and pulses (smart carbs), such as quinoa, chia seeds and linseed, as well as pulses. ''I'm not about to suggest some kind of slavish regime. Cut the Carbs! is about getting a little cannier about the way you cook and helps you get more creative in the kitchen.

''It's easy to use white carbs as a culinary crutch, but they should not be everyday, every meal foods,'' she says.

Spice up your new smart-carb existence with chickpea bombs, white-bean colcannon with sticky braised beef or a neon-green bowl of coriander and chicken soup plump with quinoa and green peas.

Cut the Carbs, by Tori Haschka, is published by Quadrille (RRP $39.95)

Healthy Every Day

Despite being written by My Kitchen Rules judge Pete Evans, who has opened seven restaurants during his time as a chef and restaurateur, Healthy Every Day is not too cheffy for novices.

While those passionate about the paleo way will appreciate Evans' adaptation of recipes inspired by this way of eating, there are also gluten-free and dairy-free treats that will please those with such dietary restrictions.

Evans acknowledges that the paleo-inspired approach to food does not suit everyone, but he hopes the nutritious recipes in the book will inspire those stuck in a rut to change the way they cook and eat.

''I have no problem with critics of the paleo way of life … I stand behind it because it works. Paleo is a sustainable way of life for people and also for the future of our planet,'' he says.

A burger with the lot, and crispy kale chips, may arm-twist home cooks into modelling their meals around paleo recipes. Evans says they ''feature loads of fresh vegies, nuts and seeds, sustainable seafood and meat''.

Healthy Every Day, by Pete Evans, is published by Plum (RRP $39.99)

Sweetness & Light

International model Daisy Lowe is on a mission to convince the gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and refined-sugar-free among us that they can have their cake and eat it too.

Many of the recipes in this book are not 100 per cent guilt-free sweet treats, as there are still recipes that contain butter or coconut oil or cream, but the book also has lighter alternatives aimed at seducing the sweet-toothed who love desserts.

As a model, Lowe is renowned in Britain for backing the ''Fit Not Thin'' campaigns.

The high points in her book are

rose-poached pears, raw chocolate mousse and lemon-and-lime scented granita. The breakfast granola will also satisfy goody two-shoes.

Sweetness & Light, by Daisy Lowe, is published by Quadrille, (RRP $29.95).

Eat Yourself Beautiful

Lee Holmes is a SOLE sister. That is, she supports sustainable, organic, local and ethical foods. The award-winning blogger also champions a more sensible approach to eating, rather than denying specific foods altogether.

Holmes developed her approach of ''eating for inner health'' after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and changing her own unhealthy eating habits.

''Throw out the fad diets and adopt a healthy way of eating, following the 80:20 rule - eating well 80 per cent of the time and giving yourself some wriggle room for 20 per cent of the time,'' she says.

''The recipes in the book are all about quality, freshness and nutrition.''

Beyond the quick vegetable dishes such as broccolini with garlic and chilli and cauliflower dip are satisfying soups, such as creamy leek and parsley, and saucy dishes for meat-lovers, such as butter chicken.

Expect cameos from the usual suspects, those rock stars of the healthy food worlds: chia, quinoa and kale, and blurbs that spell out the health benefits of various foods.

Eat Yourself Beautiful, by Lee Holmes is published by Murdoch Books (RRP $35).