cover image Fat Free and Delicious

Fat Free and Delicious

Robert Siegel. Pacifica Press (CA), $17.95 (266pp) ISBN 978-0-935553-13-0

Aiming to ""restructure"" favorite fat-filled dishes by substituting healthy ingredients, Siegel offers 176 recipes, none of which contains meat, dairy products, oil, sugar or white flour. Based mostly on vegetables, grains, legumes and tofu and arranged by courses (plus a special section on breakfast), the dishes might also appeal to vegans and those with food allergies. In these transformations, lentils simmer in Sloppy Joes; tofu is stuffed into Manicotti; Grape-Nuts and apple juice make a cobbler topping. Some of his ideas for replicating the ""mouth feel"" of not-good-for-you food classics succeed: Spicy Bean Pate and Mexican Potato Salad with Corn and Salsa are fresh and lively. But many recipes are long on ingredients (12, including guar gum, in No Oil Raspberry Vinaigrette), while others are short on instructions (no indication of how long it will take to brown the roasted whole wheat flour for Country Style Gravy). Siegel provides a useful ""Glossary of Natural Foods and Unusual Ingredients,"" diet hints (always keep baked potatoes on hand for snacking), cooking tips (""saute"" in stock or tamari) and a calorie and fat breakdown for each recipe. (Sept.)