From Publishers Weekly
Part of Ray's appeal to legions of Food TV fans is her loose, nonnitpicky approach to cooking at home. Every meal she presents can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, and she consistently emphasizes simplicity and nonfussiness. So it's no surprise that Ray's contribution to the supposedly waning low-carb cookbook genre does not strictly adhere to the diet. Ray adores carbohydrates—"I cannot and will not eat without them"—and she believes consuming them "in moderation" is a healthy option. This selection of recipes, then, does include pasta dishes, but Ray wisely makes them heavy on the meat and vegetables and low on pasta (a half pound for every four entrées). Her devoted viewers will delight at the prospect of Bucatini with Sausage, Peppers, and Onions; Creamy Polenta and Bolognese Sauce; and Eggplant and Wild Mushroom Pasta with Ricotta Salata. Other chapters are just as appealing, offering ideas for main course salads, as well as meat and fish dishes, burgers, soups, snacks and desserts. In keeping with her low-maintenance style, Ray is lax with her instructions, calling for "a couple slices of smoked salmon" in one recipe, and "2 tablespoons vegetable oil (eyeball it)" in another. Ray's standard chatty demeanor, which comes through loud and clear, coupled with interesting, varied recipes, make this book a winner. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap
No pasta? No dessert? No way! Everything in moderation, says Rachael Ray. After all, some days only chocolate or spaghetti will hit the spot.

In Rachael Ray’s 30-Minute Get Real Meals, the bestselling cookbook author and Food Network star serves up another helping of creative, hassle-free recipes that are ready to rock your tastebuds in less than thirty minutes. The latest addition to Rachael’s runaway hit series of 30-Minute Meals cookbooks is designed for cooks who want to look and feel great but long for the fun and the flavor that’s missing from their extreme low-carb meals. Why fill your shopping cart and your stomach with processed, low-carb cereals and breads that taste like cardboard when you can eat the foods you crave? Here, at last, are recipes for those who just cannot and will not live totally carb-free: Pasta dinners made mostly with proteins and vegetables and only a couple of ounces of pasta per servings, fresh Thai and Mexican lettuce wraps, take-out-style stir-frys, and tons of burger ideas—with and without the buns. And when you’ve just got to satisfy that sweet tooth, even nonbakers (like Rachael) will flip for Nutty Creamsicle Pie, Stuffed Roasted Strawberries, and other surprisingly easy dessert recipes.

With more than 150 new dishes, plenty of time-saving tips, and a generous serving of Rachael's “you can do it” attitude, 30-Minute Get Real Meals proves you don’t have to go to extremes to eat healthy.

Rachael Ray confesses that there’s pasta in her pantry, and she isn’t afraid to admit that chili is just an excuse to snack on corn chips. On the other hand, she also confesses that it’s more fun to shop for clothes when she’s eating fewer carbs. So what’s a carb-frustrated cook to do these days? Don’t go to extremes, says the force of nature behind Food Network’s 30-Minute Meals. Get real! With a little creativity and less than half an hour, now you can watch your carbs and eat them, too. Satisfy your carb-starved cravings and still mind that waistline with more than 150 healthy, delicious recipes—including Rachael’s first-ever section devoted just to desserts:

•Snacks and Super-Supper Snacks

•Burgers Gone Wild

•Take a Dip: Fondues

•Salads that Stack Up

•That’s Souper

•Well-Rounded Square Meals

•Pasta: Come Home Again

•Desserts? Yes, Desserts!

About the Author
Rachael Ray appears daily on the Food Network as host of 30-Minute Meals, $40 a Day, and Inside Dish. She is the author of eight bestselling cookbooks, most recently Cooking Rocks! and Cooking ‘Round the Clock. Rachael lives in the Adirondacks.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Green and White Lightning Chunky Chicken Chili

4 servings
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil (2 turns of the pan)
6 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin (2 palmfuls)
1 tablespoon ground coriander (a palmful)
1 cup mild or hot tomatillo salsa (green salsa on Mexican Foods aisle)
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 can (15-ounces) cannellini or Great Northern beans
1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, for garnish
1 individual lunch-box-size bag of corn chips, optional and not that dangerous

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken to the hot oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, cumin, and coriander and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, continuing to stir. Add the tomatillo salsa and the chicken stock. Bring the chili up to a simmer. Add half of the beans. With a fork thoroughly mash the other half of the beans, then add to the chili. This method will help to thicken the chili. Simmer the chili for 10 minutes. Remove the chili from the heat and add the cilantro, parsley, and lime juice.

Serve each bowl of chili with a little shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top. Oh, and go ahead, have a chip or two! I crush up a small bag and stir them right in!

Confession:
To be Honest, I eat chili as an excuse to eat corn chips. I rarely need a spoon as all: one chip, two chips, three chips…well, it can get ugly is all I’m saying. To help keep my corn chip obsession in check and still feel satisfied, I buy one individual lunch-box-size bag of chips. This way I don’t have that big gorgeous bag of chips dangerously calling my name from the cupboard. If I don’t have then, I don’t eat them. I exert my self-control at the supermarket.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"In Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals, the cookbook author and Food Network star serves up another helping of creative, hassle-free recipes that are ready to rock your tastebuds in less than thirty minutes. The latest addition to Rachael's runaway hit series of 30-Minute Meals cookbooks is designed for cooks who want to look and feel great but long for the fun and the flavor that's missing from their extreme low-carb meals. Why fill you shopping cart and your stomach with processed, low-carb cereals and breads that taste like cardboard when you can eat the foods you crave? Here, at last, are recipes for those who just cannot and will not live totally carb-free: Pasta dinners made mostly with proteins and vegetables and only a couple of ounces of pasta per servings, fresh Thai and Mexican lettuce wraps, take-out style stir-frys, and tons of burger ideas - with and without buns. And when you've just got to satisfy that sweet tooth, even nonbakers (like Rachael) will flip for Nutty Creamsicle Pie, Stuffed Roasted Strawberries, and other surprisingly easy dessert recipes." With more than 150 new dishes, plenty of time-saving tips, and a generous serving of Rachael's "you can do it" attitude, 30-Minute Get Real Meals proves you don't have to go to extremes to eat healthy.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly