cover image The Ultimate Recipe for Fitness: Spa Cuisine from the Oaks at Ojai and the Palms at Palm Springs

The Ultimate Recipe for Fitness: Spa Cuisine from the Oaks at Ojai and the Palms at Palm Springs

Sheila Cluff. Fitness Publications (CA), $14.95 (190pp) ISBN 978-0-9618805-3-8

Cooks committed to healthful, low-fat meals will appreciate this collection of more than 150 recipes from two California spas. The entries range from soups to breads, main courses and desserts. Many dishes are quick and simple to prepare, often using ingredients that are moderately priced and readily available. Such items as ground turkey stroganoff and potato potpourri are typical of everyday fare. More festive offerings, like curried lobster in papaya sauce, suggest alternate ingredients for less costly preparation. There's no substitute, however, for the oft-used seasoning ``Bernard Jensen's Broth Powder'' (a salt replacement)--but the authors sell it by mail. Recipes are well-organized and particularly easy to follow while cooking. One minor drawback is that cooking times and temperatures are not given at the beginning of the recipe; they are embedded near the end. Accompanying ``fitness tips'' seldom rise above the level of trivia or common sense. Cluff wrote Aerobic Body Contouring and Brown wrote Recipes for Fitness for Very Busy People. ( Aug. )