So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat

Product Description Providing a multitude of low-fat and no-fat recipes for meat-and-potatoes meals and favorite desserts, a cookbook with a realistic approach shows how to eliminate fats and excessive calories and still make delicious meals. Original. 25,000 first printing. From Publishers Weekly The author, told that her high triglyceride and cholesterol counts made her a "walking time bomb," launched into a low-fat diet based on her own recipes that netted her a 40-pound weight loss in six months. Most of the two hundred recipes she developed (and, originally, self-published) are low-fat versions of dishes basic to the traditional American diet that make liberal use of fat-free versions of such staples as mayonnaise, sour cream, milk, cheddar and cream cheese. Rohde calls for other common fat-reducing substitutions (e.g., replacing the oil in baked goods with apple sauce). The recipes are uncomplicated and call for such convenience foods as frozen vegetables and canned low-fat soups and spaghetti sauce. The author, who dislikes fish, offers only a single fish recipe (baked catfish). Her strong suits are salads, chicken dishes and desserts; their virtues are ease of preparation and a close kinship with the everyday versions of the familiar high-fat originals (e.g., buttermilk pie). Not meant for the gourmet, this collection will interest family cooks with limited time and the motivation to prepare reduced-fat meals. Preparation time and fat counts (in grams) are given; calorie counts are not. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Betty Rohde lost 40 pounds in six months using her own recipes. She lives in Gore, Oklahoma. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1Tidbits Helpful Hints 1. Read your labels for the amount of fat. Items alike and side by side will have differing amounts of fat in each product. 2. Just because the label says "skim milk" does not mean that it is free of fat. Choose the one that lists zero fat on the label. 3. "Light" or "Lite" or "Low-fat" labels -- skip them. Read the amount of fat contained and go for the fat-free labels, listing 0 fat grams. The markets are carrying more and more of these each day. 4. Any beef cut that ends in the word "loin," such as "tenderloin," is one of the leaner cuts. 5. Sugar can be reduced by at least one third in baked goods without affecting the final product. 6. Make mashed potatoes with skim milk and Butter Buds. Also, use some of the water they were cooked in to whip them fluffy. Or you can make mashed potatoes with skim milk or low-fat buttermilk instead of milk and butter. Very good. The buttermilk will give them a butter flavor. 7. Experiment with nonfat yogurt and no-fat sour cream. In hot dishes, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch for every cup of yogurt to keep it from separating on heat. 8. Use ground turkey instead of ground beef. Substitute turkey or chicken cutlets for veal. Watch your turkey -- buy only fresh-ground, or have your butcher grind it for you. The kind that comes in rolls like pork sausage has too much fat. Read the labels! 9. Try whipping very cold or partially frozen evaporated skim milk in place of heavy cream. (Chill the beaters and bowl in the freezer first.) 10. Use mashed potatoes instead of cream to thicken sauces, soups, and gravies. 11. Refrigerate soups and stews until fat congeals on top to make fat removal easier. If time does not permit, use a paper towel to soak up the surface fat or use a defatting pitcher. They pour from the bottom and leave the fat in the container. 12. Chips: For low-fat chips, cut corn or flour tortillas or pita bread into wedges. Bake until crisp. Use instead of potato chips. 13. You can substitute applesauce for oil in any pie, cake mix, or brownies. 14. Use the equivalent amount of egg substitute or egg whites for the number of eggs called for in baking. 15. Sauté: To sauté anything -- veggies, et cetera -- ju