The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook
By Arthur Agatston, MD

"200 delicious recipes ready in 30 minutes or less." That's music to the ears of those responsible for providing the meals for the family.

Dr. Agatston wrote the NY Times Bestseller The South Beach Diet and while there is some information on that eating plan in this book, you certainly don't have to be on that, or any diet, to enjoy the numerous dishes presented.

Before the recipe pages you will find an excellent Glossary of Ingredients ranging from Apples to Zucchini. These 35 pages offer a paragraph or so about each ingredient and many are accompanied by a Quick Tip. These tips are great!

"To ripen an unripe avocado, place it in a brown paper bag and leave it at room temperature for 2 to 4 days" and "Roll up a piece of blanched or grilled asparagus in a slice of roast beef or smoked salmon for a delicious and healthy snack."

This section also includes Smart Cook tips such as "To keep berries fresh for as long as possible, don't wash them until you are ready to use them" and "Not sure if your eggs are fresh? Fill up a bowl of salted cool water and gently add an egg. If it sinks, it's fresh; if it floats, it's not."

You will find other helpful tips such as Quick meals you can make without a recipe, Quick healthy ways to prepare veggies, Food Safety and 10 Kitchen tools that make any meal quicker.

But the recipes are the reason you will want this book. They are organized in sections: Breakfast, Soups and Snacks, Salads, Fish and Shellfish, Poultry, Beef Pork and Lamb, Vegetarian Entrees, Sides and Desserts.

There are several colorful photos spread through the sections to get your mouth watering. Each recipe lists the Phase of the South beach Diet it applies to if you are following that plan. It includes the prep time and the cooking time as well as the number of servings.

After a description, the ingredients and the instructions you will find a Nutrition at a Glance listing that includes per serving information on calories, sodium, various fats, protein, fiber, and carbs.

The recipes appear to fall within the promised 30 minutes prep time and there is a wide variety of tasty creations provided.

If you are on the South Beach Diet, this book will be a great asset to your plan. But even if you are not, and miles away from sunny Miami, the information on food and food preparation along with the 200 recipes makes this book a nice addition to your kitchen shelves.

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