Now Eat This!

March 15, 2010
Celebrity chef DiSpirito ("Rocco Gets Real"), a frequent guest judge on "The Biggest Loser" and "Top Chef", shares "Can't-Live-Without Ingredients" from cauliflower (an excellent replacement for white potatoes), Dijon mustard, and egg whites to fresh herbs, garlic, and Greek yogurt (instead of butter). Each recipe lists fat and calories compared with the average fat and calories for the traditional dish. Lower-calorie brownies, gravy, spaghetti and meatballs, and beef stroganoff will delight readers who have been avoiding favorite foods. DiSpirito does well what Marlene Koch's "Eat What You Love" attempts, and his name will draw interest.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2010
Popular television chef DiSpiritos latest cookbook retools diet cookery in hope of convincing even the most stubborn gourmand to cut calories yet still maintain a regimen of delicious, satisfying foods not immediately perceived as diet food. To accomplish this, he takes up underused ingredients such as Greek yogurt, whole-wheat pasta, cauliflower, and reduced-sugar ketchup, whose benefits go beyond mere calorie trimming to add fiber and enhance nutrition. DiSpiritos goal is to reduce calories in popular comfort foods to less than 350 per serving, and his methods yield some astonishing calorie reductions. Onion rings fall from about 1,800 calories to 342. Fried chicken loses more than half. In addition to building in lower fats, DiSpirito does his best to lower cholesterol, carbohydrate, and sodium levels as well. The frustrated gourmet compelled to address weight loss will thrill to DiSpiritos novel approach, but it requires thorough pantry restocking.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)