12/18/2017
In this inspiring debut, Next Food Network Star finalist Allen offers home cooks a weight-loss solution with appealing recipes. Allen, who once struggled with obesity, argues that foods seasoned with a variety of herbs and spices are the key to diminishing intense cravings for junk food. Among the dozens of recipes presented are healthier yet equally flavorful versions of decadent dishes, such as lemon-blueberry pancakes, Cajun lobster macaroni and cheese, and pecan-crusted catfish. Allen’s bold flavors also breathe new life into recipes for superfood staples such as sesame-ginger kale chips, zucchini noodles (zoodles) with a creamy roasted-tomato sauce, and spiced coconut-quinoa stir-fry. In conjunction with these recipes, Allen includes comprehensive spice and herb profiles (chervil, for example is a “mild” herb that’s sweet and has “hints of anise with undertones of parsley and pepper”), a complete dieting program, and feasible workout plans. Written in an infectiously positive voice, this book will motivate readers to “retrain” their taste buds by preparing “irresistible, healthy meals” at home. Agent: David Vigliano, AGI Vigliano Literary. (Jan.)

"As a physician, nutritionist, and research scientist, one of my great joys is discovering nutrients that prevent inflammation, the destroyer of health, youth, and beauty. In THE SPICE DIET, Chef Judson Todd Allen brilliantly showcases the myriad benefits of spices that enhance the palate and act as remarkable anti-inflammatories, turning on gene expression to prevent and reverse obesity, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and a host of age-related diseases. Highly recommended!"—Nicholas Perricone, MD, CNS, MACN, bestselling author of 7 Secrets to Health, Beauty and Longevity, The Perricone Weight Loss Diet, The Perricone Promise, The Perricone Prescription, and The Wrinkle Cure

"The focus of my work includes ensuring year-round availability and accessibility of high-quality nutritious food for all people around the world. On several occasions, I have shared the pleasurable experience of Chef Judson Todd Allen's delightful cuisine. His ingenuous use of spices reflects true culinary talent. Ending hunger and malnutrition requires all of us to embrace and consume diverse nutritious food from across the globe. Chef Allen's interest and inclusion of foods from around the world, creating extraordinarily delicious meals, will help drive us closer to this reality."— Ambassador Ertharin Cousin, distinguished lecturer and visiting fellow at the Stanford University Spogli Institute for the Study of International Relations in the Center on Food Security and the Environment; and trustee on the Power of Nutrition Board of Directors

"Written in an infectiously positive voice, this book will motivate readers to 'retrain' their taste buds by preparing 'irresistible, healthy meals' at home."—Publisher's Weekly