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THE SOUTH BEACH DIET
QUICK AND EASY COOKBOOK
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Rodale, 2005
Reviewed by Barbara Fielding
In THE SOUTH BEACH DIET QUICK AND EASY COOKBOOK, Arthur Agatston, MD
offers up helpful and appealing recipes for those who want to make
eating healthy a lifestyle choice. These dishes represent fast
and hassle-free food preparation for the South Beach Diet Plan. Dr.
Agatston claims the experts have finally come to a consensus on the
right fats, carbohydrates and proteins we should all be eating, and this
cookbook is the road map to eating those foods.
Readers will find 50 pages of tips and how to's on making the diet plan
quick and easy. The 200 recipes that follow include breakfasts, soups
and snacks, salads, fish and shellfish, poultry, beef, pork and lamb,
vegetarian entrees, sides, and desserts.
THE SOUTH BEACH DIET QUICK AND EASY COOKBOOK labels the meals according
to which phase of the diet plan the recipes fit into, Phase one, Phase
two and Phase three.
I found the recipes required buying a few things I don't usually purchase; like whole wheat tortillas, soymilk, sugar free syrup and tofu. Extra virgin olive oil and canola are the preferred oils. All the recipes are based on lean meats, fresh vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs.
Among my favorite recipes were the Warm Artichoke Dip
with reduced-fat cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Yum. I took the dish
to a holiday party and everyone loved it. They didn't even realize it
was a low-fat recipe until I told them. Of course, it was completely
gone by the end of the evening.
The Ginger Chicken with Snow Pea Salad was a big hit at my house. The
preparation was as fast and easy as they profess. The taste and
presentation were perfect too. Another superior choice is the Green
Leaf, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad. It calls for toasted walnuts and is
drizzled with a light olive oil and lemon dressing.
I wouldn't call all of these recipes hassle-free. There are a few
dishes that call for using a food processor or blender, like the soups
and smoothies. On the whole they are quick and worth the effort. The
Nutty Brownies and Flourless Chocolate Raspberry Cake are on my list
of recipes to be tried next. This cookbook is designed for cooks who
want to enjoy tasty foods with lots of variety without the high
calorie, high fat content. If you are looking for inspiration to get
you off the fast food track and back to the kitchen, you will find it
here.
December 2005
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