This is cooking for two with a unique focus on fresh, often local ingredients. The idea is to create quick, easy to prepare, delicious meals while following the guidelines for healthy eating.

Ellie Topp and Marilyn Booth have developed a wide range of appealing recipes for breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

Their approach:

• Start with fresh, often local, ingredients
• Pay close attention to healthy eating guidelines
• Focus on dishes that are tasty, yet simple and easy to prepare

Their recipes follow Canada's Food Guide recommendations for promoting health and reducing the risk of chronic illness such as hypertension and heart disease.

Delicious main dishes like Shrimp Fettuccine with Fresh Basil Pesto and Zucchini, Grilled Trout with Fresh Dill and Chives, and Indonesian-Style Chicken with Savoury Peanut Sauce come with lots of great ideas for healthy side dishes and salads.

Every recipe has a handy nutrient analysis and each has been carefully tested to ensure the results will be healthy as well as delicious.

Says noted Canadian cookbook editor and author Elizabeth Baird: "In the world of cookbooks, servings of 4 to 6 are the norm. So, what do you cook when the table is only set for two? Fresh & Healthy Cooking for Two, a long-awaited cookbook for twosomes, features recipes that are well tested, easy-to-follow and delicious to share with someone you love."

ELLIE TOPP is the author of many cookbooks including the bestselling The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving. She is a professional home economist and a certified culinary professional with the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

Ellie Topp's profile page

MARILYN BOOTH is a former registered dietitian, university lecturer, public health nutritionist, and exercise consultant. She resides in Ottawa, ON.

Marilyn Booth's profile page

"...valuable not only for empty nesters, but also young couples just starting out who perhaps aren't that experienced in the kitchen. "

Kingston Whig Standard

"these two kitchen wizards have come up with a collection of tasty and quick dishes, which emphasize the importance of balanced nutrition."

Ottawa at Home

"Together [Topp and Booth set out to prove that cooking for two can be both healthy and flavourful without relying on premade processed foods or spending hours in the kitchen. The cookbook offers recipes that are overlooked by duos such as soups and chowders because they are often large batch recipes, but these ladies offer recipes that are delicious and dont provide leftovers for days to come."

The Kilted Chef