The Sexy Forever Recipe Bible

The latest salvo in Somers's war on fat may be her most accessible yet, even if her recipes aren't always low-fat or low-cal. In fact, calorie counts and nutritional information aren't even included. Designed to work in conjunction with her Sexy Forever weight-loss plan, Somers prefers to focus on fresh ingredients rather than calorie counts, enabling followers to enjoy roasted chicken, Caesar salad, and homemade ice cream guiltlessly. Heavy cream, cream cheese, and other high-calorie ingredients are used freely, though Somers (Suzanne Somers' Eat Great, Lose Weight) constantly substitutes sugar with SomerSweet, her proprietary sugar alternative. If there's one overarching culinary premise, it's one of the low-carb variety: lamburgers are served bunless, cauliflower replaces potatoes in "tater" tots, and wonton wrappers are used in lieu of pasta for parsnip garlic ravioli with mushroom ragout. Though the selections veer heavily in favor of the familiar, readers interested in a decent collection of classics with a few variations will be pleased, but those in search of a new diet plan may wind up scratching their heads if they haven't purchased Somers's previous books. (Dec.)