Eat while you lose weight with ‘Perfect Recipe’

Cookbook author Pam Anderson made a name for herself perfecting recipes.

The work gave her a new goal: Shedding the extra weight she gained while making (and tasting) dishes for “The Perfect Recipe.”

In her new cookbook, she shares a few of her secrets for losing more than 50 pounds. The real value of the book is in the healthy eating ideas and recipes packed into “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great.”

Her formulas for meal-in-a-bowl salads and soups, create-your-own pasta meals, sear-and-sauce dinners and flatbreads will help break anyone out of a dieting slump.

The book covers breakfast, lunch, tea-time cookies, snacks, dinner and desserts. There’s a host of new flavors to try: Honeydew-Blackberry and Granola Parfait; Seared Scallop, Black Bean, Orange and Avocado Salad; Fresh Tomato Flatbread with Arugula and Prosciutto; Curried Chicken Flatbread with Chutney and Yogurt Drizzle; and Light Orange Panna Cotta with Fresh Raspberries.

Here’s her recipe for Creamy Pasta with Salmon, Asparagus and Dill.

Creamy Light Pasta with Salmon, Asparagus and Dill

Adapted from “The Perfect Recipe for Losing Weight and Eating Great,” by Pam Anderson

Salt

1 pound dried pasta

3 cups asparagus, tough ends snapped, spears cut into 1-inch pieces

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup 2 percent evaporated milk

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus extra for sprinkling

12 ounces salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

Black pepper, to taste

Bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large soup kettle. Add pasta and using times given on package as a guide, cook, partially covered and stirring frequently at first to prevent sticking, until just tender. Add asparagus during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, microwave broth, milk and garlic in a 1-quart Pyrex measuring cup or small microwave safe bowl until steamy hot, 3 to 4 minutes; let stand for a couple of minutes.

Place butter in a Dutch oven or large sauce pan over low heat. When butter melts, whisk in flour, then hot milk mixture all at once, whisking constantly until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parmesan, along with salmon, lemon zest and dill. (Salmon will flake into bite sized pieces as it cooks.)

Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer to blend flavors, about 5 minutes.

Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Pour cream sauce over pasta, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Toss and serve immediately with a light sprinkling of parmesan.

Yield: 6 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 531 calories, 11.5 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 20 percent fat calories), 33 grams protein, 72 grams carbohydrate, 47 milligrams cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 713 milligrams sodium.