A Cookbook Designed for Healthy Eating by Carole L. Philipps
The Cincinnati Post
If you are looking to restore a sensible approach to eating and maybe to shed a pound or two, look due north--to Canada.
Nurses Chantal Jakel and Denise Hamilton are authors and publishers of a cookbook-plus-- Fit to Cook--that puts a healthy lifestyle regimen between two covers.
The book includes a four-week plan and menus for healthy eating, plus clip-out shopping lists to get you in and out of the market and tips for easing kitchen chores, trimming fat and saving time. Along with the menu-planning guides and menus, the book includes a progressive exercise program designed by Cynthia Kereluk, former Miss Canada and star of the internationally aired "Everyday Workout."
The authors based the book on Canadian and U.S. food guides that call for greater use of grain and fiber, vegetables and fruits in the diet, while moderating the daily intake of meat, high-fat dairy and other fat.
Ms. Jakel and Ms. Hamilton, who live in Calgary, Alberta, decided to write Fit to Cook after they realized that time limited them to only explaining why better nutrition was good for their patients. They had no time to explain the "how."
They set aside two months to create their program and their book. That stretched to two years and incorporated an exercise plan by Ms. Kereluk. The book finally hit shelves in 1998 and is gaining proponents in the United States.
 Capelli Medley with Roasted Tomatoes uses a half-hour of intense oven heat to transform chopped plum tomatoes into a low-fat but flavorful topping for angel hair pasta. Other vegetables in the dish can be customized for the season. |  Make Ole Quesadillas by dressing whole wheat tortillas with beans, low-fat cheddar cheese and fat-free sour cream. Recipes courtesy of Fit to Cook: Why 'Waist' Time in the Kitchen? by Denise Hamilton and Chantal Jakel. (Photos courtesy of The Cincinnati Post.) |
In the recipes, emphasis is on making fruits and grains the stars of the meal. An example is a pasta dish: Capelli Medley with Roasted Tomatoes, a meal-in-a-bowl that can be customized for the season.
Ole Quesadillas rely on beans, low-fat cheddar cheese, fat-free sour cream and whole wheat tortillas for a flavor-packed luncheon entree.
We all know we can destroy our best salad intentions with heavy, fat and calorie-laden dressings. But the dressing for Lettuce and Carrot Slaw has plenty of punch. With a base of fat-free sour cream and plain yogurt, it is a good all-purpose no-fat dressing to have on hand.
Desserts put an emphasis on use of low- or no-fat products and a reduction of our dependence on processed flour and refined sugars. Fruit and Creme Brule uses brown sugar, fat-free sour cream and low-fat cream cheese. The mixture is spooned over fruit in custard cups and placed under the oven's broiler for a browning.
Meanwhile, Ms. Kereluk offers a go-along-with regimen of aerobic exercises and techniques for such things as better breathing, better walking and toning all parts of the body. The result is a leave-on-the-counter cookbook and a chance at changing lifestyles while still enjoying good food.
Recipes:
Lettuce and Carrot Slaw
Fruit and Creme Brulee
Capelli Medley With Roasted Tomatoes
Ole Quesadillas
