The Jenny Craig Cookbook: Cutting Through the Fat

Rating:
Summary: Great variety and taste
Review: A keen gourmet cook and now a keen (by necessity) dieter, I am more than impressed with this book. I expect to find at most 5 good recipes in the average cook book (and I have 100's). Jenny Craig's offering came as a wonderful surprise to find that I had 'tagged' almost half of the recipes as 'worth a cook'. I am now working through them and have yet to find a failure. One of the reasons I was so reluctant to start dieting was my love of cooking and the prospect of giving up my search for the ultimate recipe. This book is a joy for me - I can indulge my love of preparing food without the guilt.

Rating:
Summary: Low-fat doesn't have to be boring
Review: Jenny Craig's (of the weight-loss program) 1995 cookbook takes an international approach to low-fat cooking and emphasizes simplicity and quick preparation. She begins with a guide to low-fat nutrition, exercise and attitude, provides two chapters of menus, "Simple Dinners" and "Quick Entertaining," and organizes the remainder of the book by course.

Dishes are refreshingly unusual - Melon with Sweet Onion Dressing, Capellini with Cilantro Pesto, Goat Cheese Tostadas - and comfortingly familiar - Zucchini Corn Muffins, Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce, Lemon-Dijon Chicken Breasts, Vanilla Cookies. Vegetarian entrees include Spinach Filled Tortilla Rolls and Corn Frittata.

Each is prefaced with a preparation and cooking timetable and most can be prepared in under an hour, although some dishes require marinating (Thai Barbecue Chicken) or freezing (Pineapple-Orange Frozen Yogurt). Directions are simple and nutritional information is included with every recipe. Very appealing and practical.

Rating:
Summary: Low Fat Cooking Should Not Be so Hard
Review: There were a wide variety of recipes in this book. I have enjoyed everyone I tried. My only comment would be that many of these recipes were time consuming and used a lot of dishes. However, the end result is worth the work provided you have the time.