plain vegetables, fish and fruit spring to mind.

Yet, any registered dietitian or nutritionist will tell you that sensible eating is the key to losing weight and a healthy lifestyle -- which everybody wants.

So what's the answer? Try `New American Light Cuisine'. Written by Chef Jude Theriot, and available at the Bermuda Library, this cookbook contains more than 150 healthy, savoury recipes for gourmet and ethnic dishes.

Mr. Theriot promises that even the weakest-willed can stay on track with his collection of delicious, controlled calorie recipes. In fact, he lost 63 pounds on them! In the book, each recipe ends with a nutritional breakdown which, for reasons of space, we have eliminated from this sampling: *** CUCUMBER SPREAD Make in advance, store in the refrigerator up to one week. Whip slightly before serving. For variety, add crab meat, shrimp, or a can of chopped, smoked oysters.

2 large cucumbers 1 cup onions, minced 2 tbsp. green onions, minced 1 8-oz. pkge. light cream cheese 2 tbsp. light mayonnaise 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. red wine vinegar WASH cucumber well and dry. Cut off both ends, and grate both cucumbers completely, leaving skin on. Use a cheesecloth and put grated cucumbers in centre. Close cloth around cucumbers, squeeze out maximum liquid. Mix well with onions and green onions.

In a food processor (or using an electric mixer), beat cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients, blend together thoroughly. Add cucumber mixture, blending again until smooth. Chill 1 hour in refrigerator. Serve with raw vegetables or low-calorie crackers. Makes about 2 cups.

*** TOMATO-YOGURT SOUP Recipe may be made in advance and refrigerated for later use. Don't mix mix together until ready to serve. Will keep in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days before serving without any decrease in flavour or quality. Do not freeze. Soup can also be served hot -- just heat strained mixture strained mixture to the boiling point over medium heat, then reduce heat, add remaining ingredients, mix, and bring to serving temperature.

2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped 1 cup onions, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 stalk celery, chopped 1 cup yogurt, low-calorie 1 tsp. sweet basil leaves 1 cup fresh chives minced 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 tsp. salt PUT first four ingredients into a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and chill at least 1 hour. Strain soup, chill until ready to serve.

To serve: Mix together strained liquid and all other ingredients; blend together well. Serve chilled. Serves 4.

*** HOT CHICKEN SALAD Never make this salad in advance! Get everything ready, but do not make until you are ready to serve. This dish can either be a salad to serve with dinner or a meal in itself. For Turkey Salad use 3 cups of cooked turkey.

2 tbsp. peanut oil 1 cup cabbage, shredded 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded 1 cup cauliflower florets 1 cup celery, chopped 1 cup carrots, thinly sliced 4 large mushrooms, sliced 3 cups baked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces 2 cups fresh spinach shredded 2 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 cup toasted slivered almonds HEAT a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add peanut oil, heat until it smokes. Add cabbages and cauliflower florets; saute 3 minutes. Be sure to pour in all at once to prevent oil from splattering. Add celery, carrots, and mushrooms, saute 3 more minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Heat, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes to allow flavours to blend. Spoon onto a salad serving plate and serve at once. Serves 6.

*** QUICK SHRIMP PASTA DINNER This dish should be eaten immediately after being cooked. Do not freeze. You can refrigerator after it is cooked, but the sauce may begin to separate. If you're not counting calories, use 1 whole stick of butter to saute the shrimp in, then substitute heavy cream for half-and-half. This will give you a very rich and filling dish. For Quick Scallop Pasta Dinner substitute 1 lb. of scallops.

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 tsp. red pepper 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. butter, unsalted (or margarine) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp. shallots, minced (not green onions) 8 large mushrooms, sliced 1 tbsp. brandy 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. tarragon 1 tsp. sweet basil 1.4 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 tsp. salt 1 cup toasted slivered almonds 1 cup half-and-half cream 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced 2 cups cooked pasta, al dente SEASON shrimp with red pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. When it begins to smoke, add shrimp, garlic, shallots and mushrooms. Saute until shrimp are lightly browned on each side, about 1 minute each side. Remove from heat and add in all remaining ingredients except pasta.

Stir together well, reduce heat to medium, and return skillet to stove. Simmer mixture until sauce becomes smooth and begins to thicken. Serve at once over cooked pasta of your choice. Serves 4.

*** GRILLED MINTED LAMB CHOPS PAULIN This dish can be marinated for up to 2 days.

4 5-oz. lamb chops, lean, about 3 -inch thick 1 tbsp. green creme de menthe liqueur 2 tbsp. fresh mint leaves, chopped 1 tsp. white Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. garlic powder 1 tsp. shallots, minced fresh sprigs of mint for garnish TRIM chops of excess fat, use fork to make a number of punctures in the chops.

Combine remaining ingredients, except for garnish, and blend well. Place chops in a shallow dish, pour marinade over them. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, turning at least 5 times during the marinating.

When you are ready to serve, grill chops over hot coals until nicely browned on each side, but still pink and juicy in the centre -- about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Baste constantly with marinade while grilling. Serve at once, garnish with fresh mint sprigs. Serves 4.

*** BEEF ROSEMARY This is a quick recipe and you should be able to do it with little effort. For Veal Rosemary, substitute two 2-oz. veal medallions and cut cooking time down to 1 minute.

2 tbsp. butter unsalted 1 tsp. rosemary, crumbled 1 tsp. thyme 1 clover garlic, minced 11 tbsp. all-purpose flour 1 tsp. red pepper 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. onion powder 4 6-oz. beef tenderloin fillets 8 large mushrooms, sliced 1 cup onions, minced 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 tsp. salt 1 cup brandy 1 cup beef stock or beef broth 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced IN a skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter with rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Combine flour, red and pepper, and onion powder and lightly dust fillets with the flour mixture. When butter is hot and begins to smoke, saute fillets in the seasoned butter to brown both sides -- about 1 minute on each side. Add mushrooms, onions, dry mustard, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauces. Continue to saute until beef is cooked to the doneness you like (about 4 minutes for medium).

When meat is done, remove skillet from heat. Add salt, taking care to salt each fillet equally. Add brandy and stir throughout. Take care when adding brandy -- it can catch fire as the alcohol heats. As soon as bubbles die down, add beef stock and fresh parsley. Allow sauce to thicken slightly. Remove fillets to warm serving plates and pour sauce over them. Serve at once. Serves 4.

*** SAUTE OF TURKEY PISIQUIT This recipe can't be made in advance but it only takes about 10 minutes.

You'll wonder how something so zesty can be so low-calorie.4 4-oz. turkey cutlets vegetable oil spray, butter flavour 1 tbsp. butter, unsalted OR margarine 1 tsp. olive oil, extra virgin 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. white pepper 1 tsp. fresh sage, chopped (OR 1 tsp. dry) 1 tsp. fresh rosemary (OR 1 tsp. dried crushed leaves) 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup Shiitake mushrooms, whole 1 tbsp. capers 1 cup brandy 1 cup evaporated milk 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. white Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 2 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced 1 tbsp. green onions, minced PLACE turkey cutlets between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound them about 4 times each with a kitchen mallet. Spray a large, heavy skillet with vegetable oil spray, add butter and olive oil. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and begins to smoke. Add turkey, saute 3 minutes on each side. While turkey is cooking, mix together well salt, black pepper, white pepper, sage, rosemary, onion powder, and garlic powder. When turkey has cooked for 6 minutes, sprinkle equally with seasoned mixture. Add garlic, mushrooms, and capers; blend together well, reduce heat, simmer 2 minutes. Add brandy, let it heat for a second, then put a match to it and let it flambe. Take care! There will be a pop and a very hot fire. Simply shake pan, gently, until fire dies out on its own. Add all but the last two remaining ingredients, blend well. Let sauce simmer 2 or 3 minutes; it should begin to thicken nicely. Arrange cutlets on four individual warm serving plates and garnish with sauce and mushrooms.

Serve at once. Serves 4.

*** CHICKEN ASHLEY Total cooking time: under 15 minutes. For Turkey Ashley substitute 2 cups cubed, cooked turkey breast.

vegetable oil spray 2 cups baked chicken breast, cut into bite-size cubes 1 large onion, cut into chunks 3 tbsp. soy sauce 1 cup pineapple juice, unsweetened 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 10-oz. pkge. frozen asparagus spears, defrosted and sliced 4 large mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 cup cream sherry 1 tbsp. cornstarch 1 cup seedless green grapes, cut in half 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half COAT a large, heavy, non-stick skillet with vegetable spray and place over medium heat. Add chicken, onions and soy sauce to skillet. Cook, covered, for 2 minutes. Add juice, Worchestershire and hot pepper sauces. Cook, covered, 5 to 7 minutes. Add asparagus and mushrooms; cook for 5 more minutes. Blend sherry with cornstarch and mix into the skillet ingredients. Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens. Add grapes and cherry tomatoes. Simmer 1 minute more. Serve hot, either over rice or as is. Serves 4.

*** EASY VEGETABLE CASSEROLE This dish can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 2 days before use.

Do not freeze. All frozen vegetables may be used. You will lose a lot in quality and freshness, but you will save time. Prepare the vegetables according to package directions, adding vermouth and bay leaf while cooking.

1 head broccoli, washed, trimmed, cut into short spears 1 head cauliflower, washed, trimmed and cut into florets 3 lb. Brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed 1 lb. carrots, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 lb. boiling onions, skin removed 2 stalks celery, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces cold water to cover 1 cup dry vermouth 1 bay leaf 11 tsp. salt 1 lb. mushrooms, washed and cut into halves 2 10 3 -oz. cans cream of mushroom soup 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp. sweet basil 1 cup fresh parsley, minced 1 tsp. dry hot mustard 1 tsp. ginger 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated 1 cup Swiss cheese, grated 1 cup bread crumbs 1 tsp. paprika IN a large stockpot, add broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, carrots, onions, and celery. Cover with cold water; add vermouth, bay leaf and salt.

Place over high heat until liquid comes to a hard boil. Boil for 1 minute, turn off heat, cover, and let stand in the hot water for 10 minutes. Remove vegetables and let them drain.

In a large mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients up to but not including cheeses. Mix well with vegetables and pour into a large 4-quart buttered casserole. Sprinkle evenly with the two cheeses, then lightly coat with bread crumbs. Garnish with paprika and bake in 350 degree F. oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and sauce begins to bubble. Serve hot. Serves 8.

*** BAKED LOWER ALASKA Ice milk and short cake can be prepared for freezing up to 2 days in advance, but must be kept tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. Just remove from the freezer and prepare as follows.

4 pieces shortcake 2 cups vanilla ice milk 8 whole fresh strawberries, cut in slices 2 packets powdered artificial sweetener 4 large whites 1 tsp. cream of tartar 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 drop green food colouring 4 tsp. brandy SPREAD shortcake pieces on a small tray and place 1 cup of vanilla ice milk on each. Arrange fresh strawberry slices on top of ice milk to cover completely.

Sprinkle 1 packet of artificial sweetener on top of sliced berries. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for at least 2 hours. To serve: Pre-heat oven to broil. Place egg whites in bowl and beat with electric mixer at high speed until peaks begin to form. Sprinkle in remaining 11 pkts. artifical sweetener, cream of tartar and sugar. When sugar has dissolved, add vanilla extract and green food colouring. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue liberally on top of ice milk, making curly peaks. Place under broiler until tips are lightly browned. Drizzle 1 tsp. of brandy on top of each dessert, light with a match, and present at once. You may have to blow the flame out to prevent it from burning the meringue. Serves 4.