Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen: 200 Easy Recipes for Healthy Weight Loss (Hardcover)

by Kathleen Daelemans (Author) "Potato chips haven't made it to the moon..." (more)
Key Phrases: hard polenta, generously floured work surface, pound uncooked pasta, Chef Kathleen, Cooking Thin, Yukon Gold (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Another "cooking light for weight loss" cookbook? Upon first glance such a reaction is understandable, especially if you're not familiar with chef Kathleen Daelemans, who has been in the trenches of the weight-loss war and not only quickly commands attention with her writing but excites a mind and lifestyle change. Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen freely shares the author's own experiences and struggles with weight as a child and an adult, and explains how this trained chef went from a size 22 to a 6. Daelemans has what it takes to be an empathetic role model for those who need to make changes to their diets for physical or mental health reasons. Her advice and recipes are aimed at real people.

Her self-effacing stories are at times painful (such as babysitting the night she should have been going to the prom), but the road that led her to healthy cuisine and weight loss is almost comical (though she certainly didn't believe it to be too funny at the time). After the excitement of moving to Hawaii to launch an Italian bistro at a seaside resort, the author, then a robust 205 pounds, was deflated when she arrived to find she had been replaced and put in charge of the establishment's spa cuisine.

The 200 recipes, as expected, are a mixture of healthy ways to prepare beef, chicken, fish, and vegetables. She has even included some full-fat recipes, such as a rich Lemon and Pecan Loaf. These are accompanied with reminders that it is OK to indulge occasionally, but a trip to the gym or eating "light" during the other parts of the day are the necessary balances to achieve weight loss. Even if it is not weight loss, just a healthier approach to eating you seek, Daelemans's book will inspire and entertain. --Teresa Simanton

From Library Journal
Daelemans's Cooking Thin, the Food Network's first "healthy cooking" series, has just been renewed for a second season. The author, who lost 75 pounds after she was hired as chef of a luxury spa in Hawaii, knows whereof she writes, and her empathy and humor make for a very appealing book. She focuses on moderation rather than deprivation, and although her recipes are low-fat and low-calorie, she has not included the typical nutrition analyses that appear in most weight-loss cookbooks. The recipes are easy and include both make-ahead tips and suggestions for turning one dish into many. Testing the recipes was somewhat of a family affair there are tips from Mom and ratings from Dad, as well as some contributions from the author's siblings. Recommended for all subject collections.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (April 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061822632X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618226320
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #381,916 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only Effective Way to Loose Weight and Keep it Off, July 7, 2002

By A Customer

This book is a must-have for Americans who want to loose weight while still enjoying food, one of this country's most misunderstood pleasures. The author is well-informed, intelligent and practical in her approach. It is worth pointing out that her overall philosophy towards weight loss mirrors certain European nations, where better quality of food promotes thin bodies. I had the wonderful opportunity to live in Switzerland for several months, where I lost several pounds. When I returned to the US, the weight just returned. Kathleen helped bring me back to the lesson I had forgotton. Like Kathleen, the Swiss never counted calories or obsessed over food; they just made better choices when eating while not sacraficing taste and even quantity (Kathleen reminded me how a large and interesting salad with a smaller portion of one's usual pasta dish works wonders). Kathleen's book mirrors the truth I learned while living abroad: If we eat better qauilty foods (no more fat-free things and quick-fix diet foods), we will have better bodies. Her book helps outline a true way of life. I agree with the PHD/MD guests she has on her show when they say: Diets make you fat, and a good lifestyle of eating is the answer. Kathleen has truly found it!

63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Healthy advice for the REAL world, March 9, 2002

By	books "bookscg" (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

I have been reading this cookbook like a novel. Kathleen is a great story teller and has realistic advice for the everyday person. If you are looking to lose 100 pounds in 2 days or build up to run a marathon this is not the right place. If instead you just want to eat healthier without remodeling your kitchen or your lifestyle I think you will find this book a good place for inspiration.
I have tried a number of the recipes already and they are very easy to put together - no impossible ingredients or specialty appliances. Oh yeah, and they taste good too! Now I have to start on the desert chapter. That's a real test!

100 of 111 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good lowfat recipes, but not many of them, March 25, 2002

By A Customer

I bought this book because I have to keep a close watch on my food intake because of my low (hypothyroid) metabolism. I was hoping for great, low-fat or nonfat recipes. The ones that are in here are good, but too many of them say they're "special-occasion calories" or desserts to be eaten only occasionally. I can get special occasion calories in any good cookbook and I didn't need them here. Also, the book is heavy on desserts, whereas there are not enough vegetable and fish recipes (not one spinach recipe!).

The author also doesn't give a nutritional breakdown (including calorie count and serving size) of her recipes, which is frustrating, because her whole philosophy revolves around splurging calories here and watching calories there and controlling portions. What kind of a book on losing weight and eating healthy does not even provide information on nutrition? For someone who really doesn't have the vaguest notion of how to start eating healthy and exercising, this book may be a good start. But it doesn't have enough information and doesn't have enough healthy recipes. The narrative is sometimes funny, sometimes just obnoxious.