Lighten Up!: Low-Fat Versions of More Than 100 of America's Best-Known, Best-Loved Recipes

No stranger to creating low-fat recipes, Magee (The Fight Fat and Win Cookbook; 200 Kid Tested Ways to Lower the Fat in Your Child's Diet) here presents a reduced-fat comfort-food cookbook. After collecting traditional American recipes from many of the country's food editors (from newspapers mostly) and food companies (e.g., Pillsbury, Quaker Oats, Kraft), Magee set about the task of reducing the fat in such popular favorites as macaroni and cheese, buffalo chicken wings and meatloaf. The recipes, from appetizers to desserts, are familiar fare, though the names are sometimes inadvertantly ludicrous (Fancy Department Store Blueberry Muffins). There's a Prize-Winning Meatloaf whose only reduction comes from using a quarter-cup of fat-free egg substitute. But most of the recipes cut the fat content in half. A Hot Artichoke Dip made with reduced-fat mayonnaise, light sour cream and artichokes cooked in water instead of oil cuts the calories per serving from 197 to 85 and the fat from 19g to 4g. A lighter version of The Silver Palate's Chicken Marbella reduces fat grams from 26.5 to 10.5; the Creme Brulee here cuts fat by 75%. The recipes are straightforward, easy and accompanied by nutritional analyses that compare Magee's variations to their original versions. Magee has answered the prayers of those who've wanted to have their Fettucine Alfredo and halve its fat content, too. (June)