Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite

by Gordon Ramsay, Mark Sargeant

What you are is what you eat. Gordon Ramsay - super-fit chef, marathon runner and high-energy television presenter - is a great advertisement for eating well & staying in the peak of good health. In this book, Gordon presents over 125 dishes using fresh, vital ingredients cooked in the most healthy way.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Reference

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Gordon James Ramsay is a British celebrity chef, restaurateur, television presenter, and writer. His restaurant group, Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, was founded in 1997 and has been awarded 17 Michelin stars overall and currently holds eight. His signature restaurant, Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea, London, has held three Michelin stars since 2001. After rising to fame on the British television miniseries Boiling Point in 1999, Ramsay became one of the best-known and most influential chefs in the world.
Ramsay's TV persona is defined by his fiery temper, aggressive behaviour, strict demeanour, and frequent use of profanity, while making blunt, critical, and controversial comments, including insults and sardonic wisecracks about contestants and their cooking abilities. He combines activities in the television, film, hospitality and food industries, and has promoted and hired various chefs who have apprenticed under his wing. He is known for presenting television programmes about competitive cookery and food, such as the British series Hell's Kitchen (2004), Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares (2004–2009, 2014), and The F Word (2005–2010), with Kitchen Nightmares winning the 2005 British Academy Television Award for Best Feature, and the American versions of Hell's Kitchen (2005–present), Kitchen Nightmares (2007–present), MasterChef (2010–present), and MasterChef Junior (2013–present), as well as Hotel Hell (2012–2016), Gordon Behind Bars (2012), Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back (2018–2020), and Next Level Chef (2022–present).
Ramsay was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 New Year Honours list for services to the hospitality industry. He was named the top chef in the UK at the 2000 Catey Awards, and in July 2006 he won the Catey for Independent Restaurateur of the Year, becoming the third person to win three Catey Awards. Forbes listed his 2020 earnings at US $70 million and ranked him at No.19 on its list of the highest-earning celebrities.

Reviews

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite focuses on healthy recipes. Throughout the book there are cooking tips such as techniques explained (such as braise, poach, roast, etc.). There are sections titled "5 ways with ___" and then 5 suggestions for preparing aforementioned ingredient. Five ways with leafy greens, five ways with tomatoes, etc.

Onto the recipes:

Variety: There is a large variety of recipes in this book; however, it does seem to be heavy on seafood ingredients. If you like seafood, I think you may enjoy this book more than I did. My family and I eat occasional seafood but not enough to be interested in incorporating this much seafood into our meals.

Pictures: The pictures are gorgeous and almost all recipes have an accompanying picture.

Difficulty: The recipes have easy to follow instructions and are set up in an easy to follow format.

Ingredients: Most of the recipes include ingredients that are easy to find and include a lot of fresh ingredients.

Nutrition: Nutrition facts are NOT included with the recipes.

BEST recipe — Stuffed mushrooms. Very simple and fast recipe that was delicious!

[Kimberly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this cookbook, mostly I like the fact that they are easy to understand.... 3-5 basic steps. The pages of the books are colorful but that does not interfere with the visibility of the words. The titles are in a large bold font, the ingredients are in a medium thin font, and the various steps are in a bold font. There are very many lovely & appetizing photographs.

Contents: Introduction; 9 sections of "Healthy" recipes; Healthy basics; Index; and Acknowledgements

Healthy Breakfast: Melon & berry salad; Lightly spiced fruit compote; Full English breakfast; Scrambled eggs w/ anchovy & asparagus; Stuffed mushrooms w/ ricotta & walnuts on toast; Berry & yogurt smoothie; and whole wheat blueberry muffins

Healthy Brunch/Lunch: Cod & tomato chowder; Persian style onion soup; smoked trout w/ orange & wild arugula salad; Deviled Caesar salad w/ prosciutto; and Spaghetti vongole

Healthy Working Lunch: Borscht (yes, with beets); Cranberry bean minestrone; Tabbouleh w/ goat cheese; Spiced lentil soup; Rice noodle salad w/ shrimp & Thai dressing; Mango avocado, & chicken salad; Flatbread, feta & chickpea salad

Healthy Sunday Lunch: Baked sea bass w/ lemon couscous; Roast chicken w/ baby vegetables; Pheasant & ginger casserole; Roasted filet of beef w/ tomato tarragon dressing; Venison pie w/ sweet potato topping; and Roast lamb w/ paprika & oranges

Healthy Barbecues: Spelt focaccia w/ rosemary & garlic; tandoori poussins w/ mango relish; Lamb kabobs w/ peppers & tomatoes; Four cabbage coleslaw; and baked stuffed figs w/ goat cheese & pinenuts;

Healthy Suppers: Spiced monkfish w/ crushed potatoes, peppers & olives; Seared yellowfin tuna w/ black beans; Steamed shrimp w/ black bean sauce; Thai style beef stir-fry; Vietnamese beef & noodle soup; Braised pork w/ leeks & bok choy; Stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in sage & prosciutto; and Braised eggplant Szechuan style

Healthy Kids: Lunchbox dips & dunkers; Turkey brochettes w/ red pepper salsa; Chciken burgers w/ sweet potato wedges; Stir fried duck in lettuce cups; and Rigatoni w/ yellow & green zucchini

Healthy Entertaining: Mixed fish sashimi (but not in CA, OR, WA); Baby spinach, artichoke, & watercress salad; Seared scallops w/ minted peas & fava beans; Roasted pigeon w/ pickled red cabbage; and Lamb steaks w/ puy lentils & green beans

Healthy Desserts: Vanilla pannacotta w/ blueberry sauce; Roasted peaches w/ vanilla, spice & honey; Lime mousse; Ricotta cheesecake w/ orange & cinnamon; Yogurt sorber; and Chocolate Mousse

Healthy Basics: Vegetable stock; Fish stock; Chicken stock; & Beef stock

This book also has several section of: "Five Ways" w/ oily fish, summer berries, etc.

Lovely.....

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

We agreed with my son this one has solid 4* from us. Lots of recipes for us to play with.

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess "healthy" is all perspective, really. If you tend to indulge, then, yes, this is healthy. There are wonderful recipes in this book with fantastic combinations to inspire any cook. The directions are very well-written, and helpful tricks are sprinkled throughout the book. The recipes contain a few ingredients that one might not find easily in their neighborhood grocery store. For the average home cook, most of these recipes aren't simple enough to pull off after a long day of work. It might be better to save this book for the weekend. Also, there aren't pictures for every recipe but the ones that do have pictures are mouthwatering.

[Moon_Duality · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice easy to follow book. Me and my Husband have both ADHD and we went through whole book with smile on our face. Recipes taste nice and really aromatic. Most are affordable at least here in Germany. And I like the spices. Our favourite was Sorbet like the texture was so creamy it's mind-blowing how can you make a Lime creamy? So tasty ! And sweet potatoes recipes ware so good. We gonna definitely buy more books from Mr Ramsay.

[Lucyzoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange as this may sound, I didn't like the feel of this cookbook. The page weight is too heavy, the spine is really tight so the book won't stay open, and the recipes were boring.

I liked the section on "Healthy Suppers" but didn't really enjoy the rest. I love Chef Ramsay, but this collection of recipes didn't work for me.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked a fair number of recipes in this book, although most of his approaches are not dieting (like he says in the book) but rather more common sense plus exercise. That being said, I am glad he included a recipe for Pho that I can use without using bones/marrow or tripe, that isn't too difficult to make. I give this book 3 1/2 stars.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was glad I got it from the library. It was awfully pricy for about 100 recipes.

There is some really good information here. I do not like the layout. I got some good recipes. Have liked the ones I tried.

[Brenda1960 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book with tasty food.

I like the fact that they are healthy and not full of butter and cream as I sometimes find GR recipies too rich.

The food here is healthy and full of flavour.

I also recommend FAST FOOD by GR.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the best recipes I've eaten are creations of Gordon Ramsay. Taking that into consideration I jumped at this 'healthier' offering from him. Full of beautiful photos and yummy recipes it is sure to please.

[Katharine Eves · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good family meal book, gives loads of great ideas, on healthy meals, not particuarilly good for large groups though - too fiddley

[Dave]

We've only had a chance to try a few recipes out of here so far, but they've all been excellent and have sparked some new ideas. Looking forward to doing a few more!

[Eileen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting recipes, but a bit too too for my tastes (pun intended).

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

His books are just gorgeous. Recipes aren't necessarily that useful for me, but I still love to oogle.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like the way this book is organized. I know it was meant to be original and useful but I found it difficult to construct menus and put dishes together.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful layout and photos that really enhance the recipes. I particularly like the "5 Ways with ..." sections" and within that category the ones that covered oily fish and tomatoes.

[Marzena · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautifully edited book with many recipes and wonderful photos. Made me bookmark some pages. On the sad note most of the recipes, even those for breakfast or lunch, are very time-consuming.

[ourobeauros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I have made out of this book has been fantastic. Not overly complex, the only drawback is finding some of the ingredients in American groceries, not hard to make some substitutions though.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple recipes, easy to follow, mouth watering pictures, delicious food.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really what I would call diet food, with the exception of some fruit and salad. It is OK. Nothing looked interesting enough or tasty enough that I had to make it right away.

[Una Mamma che Legge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginners and pro. Very nice pictures. Delicious reciepes!
A must in your kitchen.

[Melanie Garrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't overwhelmed with this one, but then haven't yet cooked all that much from it.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delicious pictures and doable recipes, but nothing that I had to have.

[Hozan Abdullrahman]

good book

[Wil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the simple recipes, that would turn me to a new idea of flavors.

[Suzanne Hess · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were only a few recipes worth trying.

[Elizabeth Sands · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE GORDON!!! He helped save my relationship by helping me learn to cook, and cook well, instead of serving Kraft Mac and Cheese every night. This book had lots of great ideas for turning meals into a healthier direction, which my family certainly needed more of at the time!

[Harlow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to learn about Chef Ramsay's journey to living a healthy lifestyle. Too basic for the experienced cook. Really like the roast chicken recipe.

[G.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this ages ago and really like the no nonsense approach with healthy recipes