Cooking Light: The Complete Quick Cook: A Practical Guide to Smart, Fast Home Cooking

Weinstein and Scarbrough (the duo who brought you Cooking for Two) put their culinary know-how to use in this voluminous guide to preparing flavorful meals in a matter of minutes. Though the book proudly displays the Cooking Light banner, readers expecting a collection of low-cal, low-fat recipes are in for a surprise, as the authors focus more on ease of preparation than calorie count (included with other nutritional info alongside each recipe). The pair employs low-fat or low-cal ingredients when possible, using low-fat yogurt for their Linzer Smoothie and light mayo for their Curried Chicken Salad, but there's plenty of butter to go around, too. The book's real charm is in its accessibility and inclusion of tempting dishes. Even if readers aren't counting calories, they'll want a taste of Thai-Style Stir-Fried Chicken, Mexican Bulgur Salad with Citrus-Jalapeno Vinaigrette, or Veal Scaloppine with Mustard Cream Sauce. "The Top 10 Secrets of a Quick Cook" and a plethora of other useful tips for everything from kitchen prep and cleaning your waffle iron to getting the most out of a rotisserie chicken will go a long way toward giving cooks more time to focus on their meals. Readers with a global palate will get the most out of the book, but anyone with a passion for home-cooked meals will appreciate this inspiring collection. (Nov.)