Amer Heart Assn Cookbook

The first edition of this classic, published in 1973, introduced Americans to the principles of heart-healthy cooking. Now, more detailed nutritional analysis, more generous use of ethnic ingredients and simplified recipes increase the usefulness of the book. Tips on shopping, cooking and adapting dishes to conform to the AHA's dietary guidelines launch it, followed by chapters on appetizers, soups, salads, fish, poultry, game, meat, vegetarian entrees and the rest of the gamut. More than 500 pages let the home cook devise varied meal plans that accommodate restricted diets, while offering succinct nutritional summaries for each dish. Old-fashioned cooking is given a ``lite'' touch. Beef Stroganoff made with nonfat tomato juice instead of heaps of sour cream, and rice pudding made with skim milk show that even basic recipes need not be dull. The editors don't, however, annotate recipes regarding their origins or pigeonhole special ingredients; thus, a recipes for ``tanjulin,'' or mandarin orange pudding, provides no clue as to its provenance. But a helpful appendix on dining out identifies foreign terms for heart-healthy foods and cooking styles from ethnic menus. New sections also discuss food safety, including up-to-date counsel on the use of raw eggs. Ad/promo; author tour. (July)