The Golden Door Cookbook (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From a cookbook, you expect recipes: The Golden Door Cookbook provides 200 of them, all low-fat, plus much more. This book radiates the revitalizing care and spirituality which makes this spa nirvana for its guests. While reading it, you feel the nurturing power of food that is truly pleasurable for body and soul.

Proving that low-calorie spa food can be "interesting, healthful cooking," recipes which take you through the day include a whole-grain-filled baked apple for breakfast, a sybaritic Fruit Club Sandwich or cheese-rich Twice Baked Potato for lunch, and 7-Spice Bean Soup plus Whole Wheat Primavera or lavish Sultan's Curry for dinner. Beside fruit desserts, you can enjoy moist brownies and sumptuous cheesecake. There are also poultry and fish dishes.

Chef Stroot acknowledges that some recipes require many ingredients. You will see they are all readily available items--fresh fruits and vegetables, familiar herbs and spices--and that most of the preparations are easy. The combining of many flavors and Stroot's creativity make this a cookbook of unique culinary genius. --Dana Jacobi

From Library Journal

Recipes using fresh, whole foods are always in demand, and this cookbook offers some of the best from one of the first health spas. Executive chef Stroot presents the recipes in an organized manner with easy-to-follow directions. Though many of the recipes are quite simple to prepare, some fairly complex ones make the cookbook interesting for experienced cooks. Unlike Edward J. Safdie's New Spa Food (Clarkson Potter, 1990), this work includes a detailed nutritional analysis after each recipe. Since a desire for healthy, fresh food is not exclusive to the upscale spa set, this cookbook would be a good addition for any public library. Similar books such as the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites (Clarkson Potter, 1996) exist, but the reputation of The Golden Door and its impending 40th anniversary may create demand for this title. Highly recommended.
-?Bonnie Poquette, Appleton P.L., Wis.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1 edition (September 8, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553061860
• ISBN-13: 978-0553061864
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #490,914 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The recipes allow one to truly recreate the spa experience., November 7, 1999

By	Angela Perry - See all my reviews

I was a guest for one week at The Golden Door in Escondido, CA the week of September 7, 1997. The experience was one of a lifetime. The most memorable experiences were the meals. And no, we are not talking all nuts, grains, oats, and greens! Although I am vegatarian, there was chicken, salmon, and other meat served to non-vegetarians. I remeber thinking, "If I can get food like this at home, who needs to go to a spa?" A "conscious cooking" lesson in Michel Stroot's kitchen at the spa was one of the featured events that Wednesday September 10. The cooking was surprisingly simple, yet the results elegant and delicious. The basic concepts of healthy cooking were emphasized - and fortified with a cooking demonstration. Dahl and an apple pie were made while the audience watched - from start to finish - under an hour. And yes, we ate the proceeds. Oh, and there were invaluable tips on making stocks - the real secret to adding flavor without the "bad stuff". The audience observed the Golden Door trademark vegetable broth being made (we lined up for this deliciou concotion like lemmings every day at 10:50 AM). I for one was shocked at how easy it was to please so many with such little effort. I couldn't wait to get home and try out what I had learned. Fortunately for me, the recipe book came out soon after my stay at the spa. I can honestly say that the recipes are quite easy to follow. The ingredients required are obtained with relative ease. Most importantly, the results are EXACTLY like being at the spa! That life-changing week in September 1997 now lives on every day of my life. I highly recommend this book for the simple, elegant, healthful, and delicious recipes contained in it. Vegan and vegetarian recipes are included. (I had my first vegetarian hamburger at the spa - and had to ask the staff to make sure I had not received a burger made with some sort of meat by mistake! )