So Fat, Low Fat, No Fat

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. (Jan.)