I was pleased to receive a copy of The China Study Cookbook from BenBella Books and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. The author, LeAnne Campbell, PhD, is the daughter of a co-author of the original 2004 book The China Study (he wrote the foreword for this revised edition). Both the book and the related information from the documentary Forks Over Knives have contributed to the ongoing interest in the health benefits of eating a plant-based diet. That way of eating is my personal preference, so I was looking forward to some new recipes.

I somehow assumed the author’s doctorate was in something related to nutrition, but it is in education. Specifically, she has 30 years of experience in “designing and directing education initiatives, specifically leadership programs, professional development workshops, conferences and curriculum development workshops.” Neither good nor bad in terms of her qualifications to write a cookbook, just information.

The book is arranged in chapters focusing on different menu areas, such as entrees, breakfasts, etc. There are a ton of beautiful pictures of food, and many good recipes. I think it is a good choice for people moving into eating a plant-based diet, as there are lots of relatively simple dishes, including things like spaghetti and fajitas which may already be things people like, but maybe they haven’t done them without meat.

It’s a great cookbook. My main — in fact ONLY — criticism is that I HATE cookbooks that don’t include nutritional information for the recipes. That wouldn’t have been difficult to include, and for me it would have bumped this up to at least 4 stars, maybe 5…without it, I give it 3 stars.