Patti Labelle's Lite Cuisine: Over 100 Dishes with To-Die-For Taste Made with To-Die-For Recipes (Hardcover)

by Patti Labelle (Author), Laura Randolph Lancaster (Author)
Key Phrases: frozen light whipped topping, brown sugar replacement, cup sugar substitute, Patti's Pointers, Lite Cuisine, Dreamy Desserts (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Diagnosed with diabetes, LaBelle, bestselling cookbook writer (LaBelle Cuisine) and Grammy-winning singer, has had to find ways to control her diet and make it healthier; this newest is the inspiring result. All 100 starters, entrees, sides and desserts are low on fat, sodium and sugar-but definitely high on flavor. Orange Roughy with Roasted Tomato and Olive Relish and Marvelous Minted Snap Peas are stylishly lean and contemporary, but LaBelle also cooks up old-fashioned Southern comfort food like Crunchy Cajun Catfish Nuggets, Down-Home Pork Chops in Guilt-Free Gravy and Chocolate Pecan Pie. All dishes include complete nutritional analyses, with diabetic exchanges and carbohydrate choices developed and approved by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association; they also come with "Patti's Pointers" (ideas on technique, equipment and ingredients), along with warm reminiscences of meals with family and friends. LaBelle is wonderful company for someone on a diet regime of any kind (as her friendly family photos further illustrate); she is creative, upbeat, knowledgeable and amusing.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
What sets off Patti LaBelle's Lite Cuisine from other celebrity cookbooks is its careful attention to recipes suitable for anyone living with diabetes. Working with coauthor Laura Randolph Lancaster, LaBelle has turned her own struggles with diabetes into a book full of help and inspirational advice for anyone burdened with the same affliction. To accomplish this, the book records dozens of recipes with reduced fats and sugars. Chicken is skinless and ground turkey stands in for ground beef as appropriate. Sugar substitutes make sweet desserts possible. Every recipe has a full nutritional analysis as well as a listing of diet exchanges for diabetics. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; Stated 1st Printing edition (April 14, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592400043
• ISBN-13: 978-1592400041
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #456,061 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patti Cooks! (but we always knew that), June 11, 2003

By	Karl Miller "kemspeaks" (Phoenixville, PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Patti Labelle is legendary for her cooking stories from on the road - for years, she had a rider in her contract that a full kitchen be available at her shows for her to prepare post-concert meals.
Patti has taking her love (and considerable knowledge) of food, and put this in a book that also contains family recollections, words of encouragement, and smart living advice. It's a great book to give as a gift (especially to someone who loves to cook, but needs to watch their diet), and a whole lot of fun to read, and prepare her meal suggestions.
This book focuses on low-fat, low-sodium and low-carb meals, but does not sacrifice taste (nor tasty ingedients) in favor of diet. There are some rather indulgent recipes (the Chocolate Pecan Pie is AWESOME), but they are prepared smart.
Patti's stories that accompany many of the recipes are always enjoyable (is there a more down to earth singing star than this fine lasy?), but also poignant - her discussions of her mother's death by diabetis, and her talk of dealing with having the disease herself make you want to eat smarter.
Buy 2 copies of this book - one for a friend who needs to be cooking smarter (we all have one), and one for yourself. It's a great mix of food and wisdom as only Patti could deliver.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Recipes, April 15, 2003

By	Markus Roshell (Orlando, Florida) - See all my reviews

All of my family and friends know how much I love Ms. Patti LaBelle, so they also knew that it was dinner time today. So I had couple of friends over for a dinner party. The menu included;The Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad, Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa with the Roasted Borccoli. I must say this turned out to be one magical evening. Everything was absolutely FABULOUS. And to think it was prepard in a healthy way. Well to top off the evening I also made the Very Berry Trifle. I must commend Patti on this book, It is by far the best book in my collection.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Patti did it again!!!, April 27, 2004

By	Research Engineer "Student Forever" - See all my reviews

Patti Labelle's Lite Cuisine cookbook is the best cookbook I have ever purchased. I once hated to cook, but now I look forward to it - most days. The recipes in this book are healthy and easy to make. My 8 year old cooks from this book and he now begs to cook dinner every day. I made the curry chicken in less than half an hour. The tuna wraps, cajun chicken salad, lemon-basil chicken pitas, are great for lunch or a lite dinner and can be made in minutes.

This book is different from Patti's other best selling cookbook, LaBelle Cuisine, in that it leaves out the fat, sodium, and other things we all need to cut back on. Most of the recipes are very easy to make, and the variety in the recipes makes each meal exciting and new. I was worried that "Lite Cuisine" wouldn't be tasty, but the recipes are delicious.

The cookbook can transform a novice cook into one that appears to have gone to a culunary arts school. Lunch and dinner are no longer boring around our house. When people drop by, I get a kick out of being about to say "Let me whip something up for you." I have become the cook that I always wanted to be, but never thought I could be. I can not say enough about this cookbook. Patti LaBelle, I thank you, and my family and friends thank you.