Lowfat Cooking for Dummies (For Dummies)

If a skimpy salad doused with a tasteless dressing is your idea of lowfat dining, hold on to your calorie counter. Lowfat cooking has come a long way. In fact, many of your high-calorie food favorites have an enticing, healthier equivalent in a lowfat version. Think chili. Potato pancakes. Or even cheesecake. It’s true. If done right, bite for bite, lowfat cooking can be as generous in flavor as its high-fat counterpart. And once you (and your body) have begun to sample the benefits of a lowfat menu, chances are you’ll turn lowfat cooking into a permanent lifestyle change.

With the help of Lynn Fischer, celebrated host of two TV cooking shows, Lowfat Cooking For Dummies helps you prepare meals worthy of a high-class health spa. In practically no time, you’ll see how simple and fun it is to slenderize your kitchen pantry and get your cooking regimen in gear. From finding hidden fats to reading labels, the book gives you the skinny on:

• Cholesterol, saturated fats, trans fatty acids—what they are and where they come from
• What “lowfat,” “fat-free,” and “reduced fat” really mean
• Tips on stocking a lowfat pantry—including what canned and packaged foods to keep (including pretzels, popcorn, chips, and cookies!)
• What oils, condiments, and flavorings to use—including a table of oils indicating saturated fat content and a comprehensive list of herbs and their uses
• Meat, poultry, fish, and eggs—tips on finding sources of lowfat red meat, what lean really means, and telling “good” eggs from “bad”

Plus Lowfat Cooking For Dummies brings you quickly up to speed on the joys of lowfat cooking—making your transition into a lowfat menu as delicious as it is painless. You’ll reexperience old favorites like French Toast or a BLT or Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and discover how cutting calories in no way impairs taste. And you’ll get a fresh reinvigorating take on traditionally healthy salads, as well as a host of entrees:

• One-pot Soups and Casseroles—including Chicken Soup with Vegetables, Lentil Soup, Chili, and Pork and Garbanzo Bean Stew
• Fish and shellfish—including Cod with Ginger-Orange Sauce, Herbed Mahi Mahi, and Shrimp and Crab Gumbo
• Meat and poultry—including Meat Loaf, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Roast Chicken
• Sandwiches—including Chicken Salad, Deviled Ham, Egg Salad, Feta Cheese Hamburgers, and Grilled Cheese

The book is chockfull of hints on how to turn usually high-fat fare like Hollandaise Sauce and White Sauce into something light and tasty. Desserts such as Strawberry Cheesecake and Peach and Blackberry Tart can, at last, be enjoyed as a guilt-free pleasure. Brimming with suggestions for healthy, lowfat eating on every page.

Features more than 150 tasty, easy-to-prepare recipes for brown-bag lunches, Sunday brunches, dinner parties, and more. 50+ illustrations.

list<LI>Design heart-healthy meals for sodium or cholesterol restricted diets<LI>Dine out at your favorite restaurants without adding inches to your waist</UL>

"This is a wonderful, easily digested book to help anyone when it comes to cutting the fat from their diets — and maybe their waistlines!" —Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest and Publisher: Nutrition Action Healthletter "Lynn provides you with key information without emphasizing a quick weight loss. She shows you that anyone can trim fat by readjusting their diet." —Mark White, Television Director, "Low Cholesterol Gourmet" Show

Contains over 150 Lowfat Recipes from Chicken Salad to Chili to Cheesecake!

Do you want to trim the fat from your diet, but don't know where to begin? Have you prepared lowfat dishes before that have turned out flavorless and dull? Are you searching for an easy way to make lowfat eating a part of your family's life without sacrificing taste? Well, put on your apron and fire up your stove! Lowfat Cooking For Dummies^® is packed with over 150 professionally tested recipes that are easy-to-prepare and taste great! see us at: www.dummies.com for info on other Hungry Minds titles: www.hungryminds.com

Inside, you'll discover how to:

• Understand why some packaged food is called "reduced fat" and others are considered "lowfat"
• Make lowfat meals in a flash — from easy casseroles to one-pot soups to tasty vegetable dishes
• Plan meals for any occasion — from holiday parties to five-course meals
• Lower the amount of fat in some of your favorite family recipes in a few easy steps
• Use flavorful herbs and spices to jazz up any dish
• Interpret nutrition labels and shave the fat from your shopping list
• Design heart-healthy meals for sodium or cholesterol restricted diets
• Dine out at your favorite restaurants without adding inches to your waist

About the Author Lynn Fischer founded The National Women's Health Awareness Forum and is a former medical anchor at WTTG (Fox) in Washington. She hosts the popular cooking series, "Lynn Fischer's Healthy Indulgences" on Public Broadcasting and was formerly known as "The Low Cholesterol Gourmet" on the Discovery Channel. She is coauthor of the bestseller, The Low Cholesterol Gourmet with Dr. W. Virgil Brown, former president of the American Heart Association, and is the author of The Quick Low Cholesterol Gourmet, Healthy Indulgences, The Better Sex Diet, and Fabulous and Fat Free.

Foreword.

Introduction.

PART I: Getting Started with Lowfat Eating.

Chapter 1: Where Fat Really Lurks.

Chapter 2: Reading Labels.

PART II: Setting Up a Lowfat Kitchen.

Chapter 3: Slenderizing Your Kitchen Pantry.

Chapter 4: Cooking with Oils, Condiments, and Other Flavorings.

Chapter 5: Using Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Eggs in a Lowfat Eating Plan.

Chapter 6: Dairy Products: The Easiest Foods to Change to Lowfat.

PART III: Over 150 Delicious and Lowfat Recipes Made Easy.

Chapter 7: Breakfasts and Brunches.

Chapter 8: Appetizers and Snacks.

Chapter 9: Salads and Salad Dressings.

Chapter 10: One-Pot Soups and Casseroles.

Chapter 11: Fish and Shellfish.

Chapter 12: Meat and Poultry.

Chapter 13: Pasta, Grains, Beans, and Rice.

Chapter 14: Sandwiches.

Chapter 15: Vegetables.

Chapter 16: Sauces and Gravies.

Chapter 17: Desserts.

Chapter 18: Beverages.

PART IV: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 19: The Ten Most Important Steps in Lowering Your Fat Intake.

Chapter 20: Ten Myths about Fat.

Chapter 21: Ten Terrific Web Sites on Healthy Eating.

Chapter 22: Ten Healthful Newsletters.

Appendix: Glossary.

Index.