Taste For Healthy Living

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday August 10, 2005

writes Sarah-Kate Scicluna

A PHILOSOPHY of balanced living and healthy eating for improved quality of life is the foundation of the new Golden Door cookbook.

Called purely golden door, it is the eagerly-awaited third edition of the popular cookbook series.

Featuring more than 100 low-fat yet delicious recipes, covering all meal occasions, the cookbook also provides a full nutritional analysis of each dish, including fat and carbohydrate counts.

The book was developed by Edwin Rosenkranz, the executive chef of The Golden Door Health Retreat Elysia, at Pokolbin, and David Hunter, the executive chef of the Golden Door Health Retreat Queensland, at Willow Bay.

Mr Rosenkranz said it was the first time he had been involved in the writing of a cookbook and was excited about the finished product.

"We spent about four months putting it together. We did all our own individual recipes," he said.

"There's a couple of standards; there's a wholemeal muffin that the Queensland retreat has been doing for years.

"There's a couple [of recipes] we have left alone; most we have been combining different foods."

Mr Rosenkranz said the new cookbook took pride of place during cooking classes that guests at the retreat undertook.

"We do the class one or two times a week and we get between 20 to 60 guests," he said.

"We do a big section on oils, covering good and bad oils, which oils you can heat, then cover, organic vegetables versus non-organic.

"It's not a hands-on class, but there's lots of taste-testing."

Mr Rosenkranz said he and Mr Hunter had received good feedback about the publication.

"It was quite a challenge . . . for a chef to be given a challenge of cooking with no sugar, salt or cream," he said.

"We get great feedback, people can't believe it's health food. We want it to taste like classic cuisine."

Both chefs think the key to eating well and maintaining a healthy weight is by trying new and different foods and using a wide variety of fresh ingredients.

The book features recipes which include fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh fish and lean meats, a variety of grains and minimal fat.

Mr Rosenkranz said his favourite dishes from the cookbook included a white bean and garlic chowder entree, Thai fish cakes as main course and a fruity ice-cream for dessert.

"Our version of the fish cakes are cooked in a non-stick pan rather than deep fried and the ice-cream is without cream and contains low fat yoghurt and low fat coconut milk," he said.

purely golden door costs $44.95 and is available at Golden Door resorts, on 1800 816 906 or at www.goldendoor.com.au.

© 2005 Newcastle Herald

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