Linda Larsen - The Everything Healthy Cooking for Parties: Delicious, guilt-free foods all your guests will love

THE
EVERYTHING Healthy Cooking
for Parties Book Dear Reader, I love throwing parties. Ive had par ties for everything from a surprise fortieth birthday party for fifty to an intimate dinner for two. The comfort of my guests always comes first, and youll learn some of my secrets for a successful pa rty that you can enjoy too. When my husband was little, his parents entertained frequently. He and his brother and sister loved to steal samples of the foods as their mother prepared them. A favorite was the cut-up fresh vegetables with dill dip; my mother-in-law couldnt stop them eating it! However, they were never treated to this favorite snack at other times.

Perhaps it was the factor of sneaking a treat that added flavor to the recipe. While I was browsing through the Internet and my cookbooks for pa rty foods, I was really appalled at the nutrition statistics. The best recipes have enormous amounts of fat and sodium and not much in the way of nutrient density. By working with a sophisticated nutrition program, I was able to cut the fat and sodium and increase the nutritional density of the foods in this book. The exception is low- carb foods; those are almost always high-fat. But thats the nature of foods low in ca rbohydrates.

I hope you enjoy these recipes and tips on hosting the perfect party. Choose recipes from this book, then sit back and have a wonderful time.
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THE
EVERYTHING
HEALTHY
COOKING
for parties
Book
Delicious, guilt-free foods all
your guests will love
Linda Larsen, B.S. in Food Science and Nutrition

Copyright 2008 by F+W Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. An Everything Series Book.
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ISBN 10: 1-59869-925-3
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-925-8
eISBN: 9781598699258 Printed in the United States of America.

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Dedication To my mother, Marlene, who taught me how to be the perfect hostess.
Acknowledgments My thanks to everyone I ever entertained, either in my home or at potluck parties and parties that I catered.
Acknowledgments My thanks to everyone I ever entertained, either in my home or at potluck parties and parties that I catered.

To my dear husband, Doug, of course, who is the best kitchen assistant ever. To my agent, Barb Doyen, for her help and support. And to my family, who is always there for me.
Contents
Introduction When you think of party food, you automatically think of rich, gooey desserts, entres full of fat and flavor, and breads and vegetable side dishes slathered with butter and cheese. When entertaining, you always want to serve your best and most flavorful recipes because your main goal is the comfort, happiness, and well-being of your guests. But there are lots of things you can do to prepare and serve healthy food, not only to your family, but also at a party.

The changes dont have to be drastic, and the food will be delicious because youre using fresh, whole foods and more homemade products. Parties come with built-in reasons to celebrate. Whether youre giving a surprise bridal shower or a milestone birthday party, a holiday gathering or a party to celebrate a job success or promotion, these celebrations are easy to pull together. But serving healthy food at these events is another matter. Most of the so-called best recipes youll find in books, online, or from friends and family load on the fat, calories, and simple carbohydrates with little thought to health. Nutrient-dense means that a food provides a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and micronu-trients for the calories it contains. Nutrient-dense means that a food provides a lot of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and micronu-trients for the calories it contains.

Junk food and snack foods, candy bars, cakes, and white bread are generally considered empty-calorie foods. That means they provide very few nutrients for the calories. Small changes will make a big difference: throw some carrots into a beef daube, add sweet potatoes to your favorite creamy potato recipe, grate carrots into spaghetti sauce, and serve an apricot sauce over a chocolate ice cream dessert. Its not difficult to work more produce into your diet; it just takes a little thought and imagination. Heres another tip: dont try to make a brand new recipe for a party. You understandably want to serve something special, but do try a new recipe a few days or weeks before the party.