By Rachel Grunwell

Two new Kiwi recipe books are based around a growing trend that we should quit the guilt around food (particularly around depravation and strict rules) and instead enjoy delicious flavour-filled food and just simply aim for balanced living. You know, make lots of healthy choices, but enjoy treats too now and again. I call this “balanced living”.

Wholehearted – Inspiring Real Food for Every Day is by Kelly Gibney – a food writer, stylist and photographer. There are 12 recipes in here involving the on-trend ingredient Turmeric. There’s lots of “simple, delicious, home-cooked meals”. And it’s “a flavour-first approach to wholefoods” (these are some words she penned in the book to explain her approach, which I love). I love too how she writes that we should just  slow down, chew every mouthful and appreciate and notice how you and “your intuition serve you”.

Recipes include sauerkraut, nut milks, and I’ve already made the Chocolate Rosemary tart which is quite simply “heavenly”.

You can buy the book via this link by clicking HERE.

The second book is called My Underground Kitchen by Jess Daniell. There are 100 of her favourite recipes packed into this cooking bible. Her approach to food? She writes that her food is seasonal and fresh cuisine “that doesn’t scrimp on flavour”. She dubs it “healthy but not saintly”. Don’t you just love that description!

A lot of people will know Jess for her ready-made meal and catering business with delis in Herne Bay and Remuera.

Recipes in here include Middle Eastern cuisine, to turmeric  fish tacos, plus lots of family favourites. I whipped up the gluten-free Orange and Almond Drizzle Cake which I can promise you  is moist, citrus-packed and incredible. I couldn’t stop wanting more after every mouthful…

Want to buy the book? Email Susan Holmes [email protected] 

• Blog put together by Rachel Grunwell: Good magazine’s wellness columnist and a recipe creator, and blogger for inspiredhealth.co.nz