The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook: Classic Recipes from Lebanon and Beyond

Ralph Nader and his family share recipes inspired by his parents' commitment to the healthy diet of their homeland of Lebanon. "Growing up in Winsted, Conn., Ralph Nader would often help his mother cook--kneading the bread dough, chopping fragrant spices to prepare dishes for the family table from his parents' native Lebanon." --NPR, Weekend Edition Sunday "More than just a collection of recipes, though, this is a window on a culture and a family. Nader's description of his mother convincing 8-year-old Ralph to eat radishes speaks volumes about this persuasive matriarch and the tireless activist she raised." --Washington Post Book Club "The book is both a compilation of Lebanese dishes Nader grew up eating and an homage to his mother Rose, who never let her children eat anything processed or prepackaged, and always cooked from scratch." --The Hartford Courant "Nader's cookbook is many things: it is an homage to his mother and her love of simple cooking that her family enjoyed around the kitchen table; a delightful and colorful examination (filled with recipes) of the Lebanese culinary tradition that immigrants to the United States carried with them to a new land; and an endorsement of good eating, cooking with simple, fresh ingredients that Nader hopes will continue to open many individuals' minds about obesity and the role processed foods play in this national, indeed, global health crises." --Litchfield County Times "One cannot put down this beautifully illustrated book, with a stunning full-page colored photo opposite each recipe. Large print makes it easy to read while you work, and the engaging introduction by Nader relates life as a young boy in Winsted." --The Republican-American "The great thing about all these recipes is they're familiar, easy to prepare, and really tasty . . . The Cookbook is quick and easy to read, the dishes are familiar and elegant." --CounterPunch Ralph Nader is best-known for his social critiques and his efforts to increase government and corporate accountability, but what some might not know about him is his lifelong commitment to healthy eating. Born in Connecticut to Lebanese parents, Nader's appreciation of food began at an early age, when his parents, Rose and Nathra, owned an eatery, bakery, and delicatessen called the Highland Arms Restaurant. The family eschewed processed foods and ate only a moderate amount of lean red meat. Nowadays, the Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest on the planet, but in the 1930s and '40s of Nader's youth it was considered by many Americans as simply strange. Luckily for Nader and his siblings, this didn't prevent their mother, Rose, from serving the family homemade, healthy meals--dishes from her homeland of Lebanon. Rose didn't simply encourage her children to eat well, she took time to discuss and explain her approach to food; she used the family meals to connect all of her children to the traditions of their ancestors. The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook shares the cuisine of Nader's upbringing, presenting Lebanese dishes inspired by Rose's recipes that will be both known to many, including hummus and baba ghanoush, as well as others that may be lesser known, such as kibbe, the extremely versatile national dish of Lebanon, and sheikh al-mahshi--"the 'king' of stuffed foods." The cookbook includes an introduction by Nader and anecdotes throughout. The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook will entice one's taste buds, while sharing a side of Ralph Nader that may not be commonly known, though will not surprise anyone familiar with his decades of activism and involvement in consumer protection advocacy.

About the Author :
RALPH NADER first made headlines as a young lawyer in 1965 with his book Unsafe at Any Speed, a scathing indictment that lambasted the auto industry for producing unsafe vehicles. The book led to congressional hearings and the passage of a series of automobile safety laws in 1966. Nader also went on to found a wide variety of organizations, all aimed at advancing corporate and government accountability. An author, lecturer, attorney, and political activist, Nader was cited by the Atlantic in 2006 as one of the one hundred most influential figures in American history; Time magazine has called him the "US's toughest customer"; and in 1974, a survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report rated him as the fourth most influential person in the United States.

Review :
"Consumers have to thank Ralph Nader for automobile safety regulations, the Clean Water and Air acts, the law establishing the Environmental Protection Agency, and many other government reforms meant to protect us. With the publication of The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook, we now have to thank him for his sage advice on cooking healthy meals." --Washington Report on Middle East Affairs "Bound in a colorful cover and awash in white--similar in look and feel to Yottam Ottolenghi's Plenty--the recipes, compiled over a lifetime, present a nuanced portrait of the culinary upbringing that helped shape Mr. Nader's view of American life." --Chicago Review of Books "Nader's anecdotes and chapter introductions made me feel I was a guest at the Nader family enjoying a meal." --New Haven Register "Beautifully and profusely illustrated throughout with full color photography, The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook: Classic Recipes from Lebanon and Beyond is an extraordinary and inspirational resource for planning palate-pleasing, appetite-satisfying, kitchen cook friendly dishes that will make for truly memorable meals." --Midwest Book Review "As dining at home moves toward necessity, we can look forward to a cookbook release next month by Connecticut's own consumer advocate and political activist Ralph Nader. The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook: Classic Recipes from Lebanon and Beyond is due out April 7 and features family recipes from the Winsted native whose family owned the Highland Arms restaurant." --The Republican American "Talking to Ralph Nader about his new cookbook, you can't help but wish you'd been around the dinner table when he was growing up in Winsted with his brother and two sisters. Not only did they discuss important life issues, but the whole family enjoyed healthy, home-cooked Lebanese cuisine." --The Danbury News-Times "The food that really impacted Nader's life--and his future career as a crusading advocate for fresh, healthy food--was the Lebanese food that his mother cooked at home, and that she insisted that everyone in her family eat, together at the table, while they discussed the issues of the day." --The Lakeville Journal "Sharing a wide variety of dishes, along with personal commentary from Nader, this book allows the reader a rare glimpse into an important aspect of Nader's childhood." --Princeton Alumni Weekly "Nader's parents owned and operated a restaurant called the Highland Arms in Connecticut, where they served classic American food by day, but they mostly ate Lebanese food at home, and here Nader shares many of his mother's traditional Lebanese recipes for hummus, tabouleh, and kibbe (meatballs formed from onions, bulgur, and ground lamb), along with some surprising dishes, such as a creamy apple parsnip soup with cardamon, baked eggplant stuffed with ground lamb and pine nuts, and a light and lemony apple cake." --Publishers Weekly Included in Publishers Weekly's Cooking & Food Adult Announcements for Spring 2020 "The Ralph Nader and Family Cookbook shares the offerings of an inspired culinary culture, inviting us to try delicious new dishes with a loving emphasis on family health and unity. A wonderful blend of consumer protection and consumer pleasure!" --Patti Smith, author of Just Kids "With a generous helping of mind-nourishing wisdom combined with mouthwatering recipes, Ralph Nader provides the ingredients for a life well lived." --Andy Shallal, Busboys and Poets founder and CEO "Rose Nader used family dinners as an opportunity to inform her children about culture, philosophy, as well as nutrition. Her tasty recipes came with a heaping helping of love and knowledge." --Phil Donahue "Rose Nader not only prepared the cuisine of my family's homeland to perfection, she infused it with heritage. Whenever she brought me a magical plate of Lebanese goodies, she was sure to remind me, in Arabic, of that old motto of the Lebanese kitchen: An empty hand is a dirty hand." --Marlo Thomas, actress, author of Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny "What sets Ralph Nader apart is that he has moved beyond social criticism to effective political action." --New York Times "Ralph Nader is our indispensable voice of outrage against corporate corruption, greed, invasion of privacy, and abuse of power." --James K. Galbraith "One of the 100 most influential Americans in the twentieth century." --Time "From auto and airline safety to 'the insurance game, ' Nader wins praise as consumer crusader." --Booklist "For a half century Ralph Nader has said what he thinks, written what he believes, and told it like it is." --Robert R. Reich