OPA! The Healthy Greek Cookbook
By Theo Stephan and Christina Xenos
With the Mediterranean style diet having a serious moment on the culinary landscape, and new restaurants in Los Angeles seem to be opening up opening up on a weekly basis all over town to support it, this book will take care of those mezze cravings at home. OPA! is a simply delicious guide for grazing through the history and regions of Greek cuisine, family recipes and classics from salads to meats and pastries. There is also a user-friendly how-to-guide to set up your kitchen pantry to make the best summer fare from tzatziki to tomatoes with pan-cooked fish and souvlaki to spinach and feta stuffed chicken breasts.
When she’s not prepping at the James Beard House or doing a cooking demo in Los Angeles at a top food event, you can try the creative cooking of Xenos (who is also a fellow food writer), first-hand at one of her Feastly dinners or appearances around town, or if you’re really lucky, in Greece this summer. Check out more deliciousness at www.MySweetGreek.com
NURTURE
By Lady Carole Bamford
This gorgeous book makes you calmer, healthier and more mindful just by seeing the cover. NURTURE combines ideas for discovering ways to incorporate sustainable, organically-based lifestyle choices with delicious seasonal recipes to create a more conscious way of living.
This tome was written by Lady Bamford as a diary of her 40-years as founder-creator of Daylesford Farm in the U.K. Carole Bamford began a journey – decades ago before it was fashionable - towards a more conscious way of life. What began as a desire to make a small difference to the health and future of our planet has grown from a collection of empty barns, bare fields and a small herd of dairy cows, to become Daylesford Organic, one of the most well-known, sustainable farms in England.
This book is near and dear to us, not just because of the recent “Royal Wedding watch”, but one of our favorite Malibu escapes, the biodynamic farm, One Gun Ranch, is owned and operated by Carole’s daughter, Alice Bamford, and her partner Ann Eysenring’s. You can visit their shop on the Malibu Pier, especially on Sunday when the farmer’s market is underway, for a small taste of paradise and pick up their book, while you’re at it, chronicling life on their 20-acre ranch in Malibu.
100 Things to Do in LA Before You Die
By Danny Jensen and Carrie Kim
Jensen has been a contributor to our WHL magazine in the past and you’ll want to get your hands on the 2nd edition of the popular series on Los Angeles places to visit and experience before you die. From 100 ‘must’ experiences and attractions in la-la-land, you can uncover insider info on everything from eating insects at Guelaguetza in Korea Town to partying like a celebrity on the Chateau Marmont on Sunset. This fun and easy read is available via Reedy Press and some fun scheduled events over the next few weeks in LA.
EAT. RACE. WIN.
By Chef Hannah Grant
If you’re a cycling enthusiast, you must get your hands a copy of Hannah Grant’s EAT. RACE. WIN. and be sure to watch her new series on Amazon Prime debuting July 27th.
Chef Grant’s book is a beautiful tome to living a high-performance life – even if you’ve never been an athlete. Just when you think this book will be filled with salads and kale smoothies, think again. There are recipes for sourdough bread, chocolate chips cookie squares and frozen banana ice-cream. You will also learn how to combat mental and body fatigue, stabilize your energy, sleep better and avoid jetlag. And, who doesn’t want those things?
As for the show, this is a behind-the-scenes, off-the-bike adventure into one of the biggest annual sporting events: The Tour de France. Chef Grant takes Prime members on her race within the race as she sources performance food for Australia’s pro cycling team, Orica-Scott. As the team’s Sports Director Matthew White encourages his nine riders to victory, Grant directs her sous chefs to create food rich in taste and designed for performance. Along the Tour and across the culinary landscape of France, Grant—known as the Queen of Performance Cooking—shows us exactly what it takes to perform at the edge of human endurance for 21 race days. You’ll be on the edge of your seat!
