Secrets of Fat-Free Italian Cooking: Over 200 Low-Fat and Fat-Free, Traditional & Contemporary Recipes-From Antipasto to Ziti
by Sandra Woodruff
Woodruff is the author of several other “Secrets of Fat-Free” cookbooks, including Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking (Avery, 1995), most of which have been immensely popular. Here she offers quick and easy low-fat recipes for Balsamic Three-Bean Salad, Eggplant Rollatini, and others. She uses a variety of reduced-fat ingredients to lighten up these Italian dishes, and some revisions seem more successful than others (e.g., Fettuccine Alfredo made with nonfat parmesan, evaporated skim milk, and butter-flavor sprinkles). And some recipes don’t seem particularly Italian. But, overall, this is a nice collection for those who want their favorite Italian dishes but want them low-fat, too. Schlesinger’s book is another in the series that includes 500 Fat-Free Recipes (Villard, 1995). Despite the title, there are more like dozens of recipes here, all with three grams of fat or fewer per serving for rice and grain dishes as well as pastas. Many are easy, and most are fairly sophisticated.