In this follow-up to Taste Pure and Simplewinner of the James Beard Cookbook AwardMichel Nischan takes his philosophy of healthy cooking from garden to kitchen. Inspired to provide his growing family with meals as full of flavor as those he'd enjoyed at his mother's table, Michel planted a garden of his own. The result was a delicious array of recipes based on the best the gardenor, if you're not that fortunate, the organic produce in the farmers' market or grocery storehas to offer. Sweet tomatoes and bitter lettuces, peppery radishes and succulent strawberriesthese are but a handful of fruits, herbs, and vegetables that, served alone or combined with quality meats and poultry, ripened cheeses, or whole grains, inspired these 80 seasonal recipes, each one as good for the body as it is for the palate. Including a superb chapter on extending the harvest, full of fruit preserves and jams, pickled vegetables, sauces, salsas, flavored oils, spice mixes, and even a few refreshing drinks, Homegrown Pure and Simple is a book that not only conveys the sheer joy of feeding family and friends well, but also takes healthy cooking to an excitingand deliciousnew level.

Warm, enthusiastic and sweetly dedicated to the author's garden-devoted mom, this volume celebrates the bounty that can come from a home garden (assuming the involvement of a dedicated gardener) with simple, mostly very healthy recipes. Following an introduction to his own garden, Nischan author of the James Beard Award-winning Taste Pure and Simple and former chef of New York City's Heartbeat restaurant organizes recipes into straightforward chapters on salads, soup, main courses, side dishes, ""extending the harvest"" (jams, pickled veggies, infused oils), breakfast and desserts, all interwoven with garden-related anecdotes. The recipes are appealing, with many options for both vegetarians and carnivores. Sugar Snap Peas with Fennel, Onions, and Grilled Peach Dressing; Grilled Lamp Chops with Home-Dried Tomatoes and Citrus Yogurt; Pistachio Pork Loin Chops with Pumpkin Sauce; Oregano Chicken with Grilled Kale and Heirloom Tomatoes; Shiitake Mushroom and Koshihikari Rice Cakes; and Roasted Pear and Spoon Bread Tart with Cranberry, Orange and Jalape o Glaze are all a few gourmet steps above standard homey garden fare and color photos by Susie Cushner add to the book's sophisticated feel. -Publisher's Weekly