Spa Food, Within Reach and Reason

Those who create or promote spa food are often stuck in a defensive crouch, the gist of which is: Our spa food doesn't taste like "spa food." They're hoping to override images of tofu in disguise, mounds of alfalfa sprouts, soy smoothies and meager portions.

Because there seems to be such great interest in low-fat and low-calorie recipes with fresh, bold flavors, an enlightened spa-food movement might be a key new source for home cooks' inspiration.

The chefs at Arizona's Mii Amo Spa have provided a good place to start in the 50 or so recipes of "A Journey of Taste: Favorite Recipes From Mii Amo Spa in Sedona" (Chronicle, 2008, $35). Three-course meals at the spa usually run at less than 700 calories total.

The cookbook's breakfast offerings are not revelational, but lunch and dinner dishes yield interesting techniques. A blend of mushrooms enriches demi-glace. Nonfat cream cheese (yep, that waxy stuff) is used to build a convincing cream sauce. Risotto is made with just one teaspoon of oil and precious little Parmesan cheese, yet it is flavorful and rich, as it should be.

A few desserts rise to the challenge, too: Tender tart shells are made with flour, salt, brown rice syrup, apple juice and canola oil, and a serving of an almond-ricotta torte contains fewer calories than a single Girl Scout Samoa.

So maybe a luxury spa is out of reach for most of us, but the spa lifestyle has something to offer. The cookbook is now available exclusively through the spa's Web site (http://www.miiamo.com) and will be offered through Amazon.com in June.

-- Bonnie S. Benwick