Week of December 30, 2007

If you are looking for an elegant lower calorie and low fat dessert to serve over the extended holiday try this lightened up version of Tiramisu.

Easy Lightened Up Tiramisu

2 pkg. (3 oz. each) ladyfingers, split, divided
2 tablespoons instant coffee
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 packages (8 oz. each) fat free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups thawed frozen whipped lite topping
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Arrange 1 package of the ladyfingers on bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Dissolve combined coffee granules and 1 Tbsp. sugar in boiling water. Brush 1/2 cup of the coffee mixture onto ladyfingers in dish.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add 1/2 cup sugar; mix well. Stir in whipped topping.

Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers in dish; top with remaining ladyfingers. Brush with remaining coffee mixture; cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Store leftovers in refrigerator.

Calories 150 ; Total fat 3 g; Saturated fat; 2 g; Cholesterol 55 mg; Sodium 250 mg; Carbohydrate 24 g; Dietary fiber 0 g; Sugars 21 g; Protein 7 g

Week of December 23, 2007

How to Acheive Crispy Oven Fried Chicken Strips

If you miss the crispiness of fried foods, don't worry, you can get that crunchy goodness in your oven fried chicken strips.

Prepare chicken breasts (cutting into strips for chicken works best for dipping in sauces), rinse and pat dry.

Prepare three bowls:

1. Pour in some low fat buttermilk into the first bowl. The buttermilk will hold the breading as well as tenderize the chicken.

2. Pour in a seasoned fry batter mix like McCormick's Golden Dipt batter mix into the second bowl. Or you can use plain all-purpose flour and add salt, pepper and seasoning of choice (favorites may include marjoram, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay seasoning, small amount of Parmesan cheese, etc.)

3. Pour Panko crumbs (I like Kikoman best) or cornflake crumbs into the third bowl. If you like a light crunch, opt for the Panko, but if you like a heavier batter go for the cornflake crumbs.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cover baking pan with nonstick foil (for easy cleanup).

Take chicken and dip in buttermilk and dredge in four or batter mix. Remove from batter mix and dip once more in buttermilk then dredge in panko or cornflake crumbs, pressing into the chicken until nicely covered.

Place strips on prepared baking pans and spray lightly with olive oil or cooking spray.

Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes and turn; spray once again with oil. Return to oven and cook for another 15 minutes or more until nicely browned (cooking time will depend on the thickness of chicken.

Chicken should be crunchy not soggy and will be great with dipping sauces like fat-free ranch dressing, bar-b-que sauce, honey mustard sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

Week of December 16, 2007

Baking with Herbs

Fresh herbs usually taste better than the packaged and dried alternative. The flavors are more subtle and essential oils are still intact. Most fresh herbs don’t hold much water (except perhaps for basil), so there is no need to modify your favorite recipes. Adding a little zing to your favorite recipes is really just a matter of choosing your favorite herbs, chopping a few teaspoons or tablespoons of those herbs, adding them to your dry ingredients, and completing the recipe.

For whole wheat breads, try some sage, pecan and cranberries. Make enough dough for two loaves of bread and add ¼ cup each of chopped pecans, dried cranberries and chopped sage.

For one batch or one dozen scones, add ½ tablespoon of sage and ½ cup of golden raisins. When baking with raisins, macerate your raisins in boiled water for about ten minutes before adding them to your mixture. Because the raisins will be wet, you can omit 1-2 tablespoons of liquid from your recipe.

Rosemary and currants are perfect additions for biscotti. For eighteen biscotti add ½ teaspoon of (finely chopped) rosemary and ½ cup of currants.

For those winter soups and stews, tarragon cornbread is a delicious companion. Bake the cornbread in muffin tins with a pinch of tarragon on top of each one. Tarragon cornbread makes a lovely presentation in a basket on your table.

Week of December 9, 2007

Fat Fighting Foods

~ By Howard M. Shapiro, DO, Prevention

Weight loss starts with shopping. Taking control of what you eat begins with taking control of what you buy.

Every time you toss a low-calorie food into the cart, you're taking responsibility for losing weight—even before you sit down to a meal.

There's a very simple formula for low-calorie eating: Stock up on low-calorie staples. These are the basic packaged, canned, and frozen ingredients that you'll reach for to create tasty, healthful, low-calorie meals anytime.

The Picture Perfect Anytime List is a menu of the lowest-calorie produce, soups, sauces, condiments, marinades, dressings, dips, candies, desserts, and beverages available. Stuff your pantry, refrigerator, and freezer with them, and reach for them anytime. Feel free to go to the foods on the Anytime List when you want a snack or are planning a meal. Eat any amount of them for any reason. When the Anytime List becomes the core of your eating—in other words, the main dish around which you build your meals—you'll have no trouble staying thin for life.

The Anytime List

• Fruits and vegetables
• All fruits and vegetables—raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned—belong on the Picture Perfect Anytime List. Avoid any packaged fruits that have added sugar. Otherwise, the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better.

Soups
You've heard of value for your money. Soups give you very good value for the calories. They are filling; a bowl of soup can be an entire meal. They are satisfying. For many people, they are more satisfying than raw vegetables, while many give you all the benefits of veggies (if you choose the soups chock full of vegetables). They are inexpensive, convenient, easy, and quick to make. Soups don't make you feel like you're on a diet. Above all, soups are versatile. They can serve as a snack, as part of a meal, or as a cooking ingredient.

Sauces, Condiments, and Marinades
Put the following items at the very top of your shopping list. They're invaluable for adding flavor, moisture, texture, and versatility to every food and every meal.

• Salad dressings: oil-free or low-calorie (light or lite)
• Mayonnaise: fat-free or light
• Sour cream and yogurt: fat-free, plain, or with NutraSweet (or low-fat nondairy substitutes)
• Mustards: Dijon, Pommery, and others
• Tomato puree, tomato paste, and tomato sauce
• Clam juice, tomato juice, V8 juice, and lemon or lime juice
• Butter Buds or Molly McButter
• Cooking sprays (such as Pam) in butter, olive oil, garlic, or lemon flavors
• Vinegars: balsamic, cider, wine, tarragon, and others
• Horseradish: red and white
• Sauces: salsa, cocktail sauce, tamari, soy sauce, A1, Worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce, ketchup, duck sauce, chutney, relish, and others
• Onion: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
• Garlic: fresh, juice, flakes, and powder
• Herbs: any and all, including basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, dill, chives, sage, and bay leaves
• Spices: any and all, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, nutmeg, coriander, curry, paprika, and allspice
• Extracts: vanilla, almond, peppermint, maple, coconut, cocoa powder, and others

Dressings and Dips
I recommend fat-free or light dressings and dips. The light category—low-fat, reduced-fat, and low-calorie—is midway between totally fat-free and regular, and it's often more pleasing to the palate than fat-free.

Dressings can be used as all-purpose condiments, dips, toppings, even cooking liquids. They already contain a mixture of ingredients, so just slather them on vegetables, seafood, and pretty much anything else. Or cook with them to make up for the lack of butter or oil.

I recommend keeping several varieties of dressings and dips on hand, including at least one creamy version. Try brushing a light creamy dressing on seafood, then broiling; the dressing adds moisture and flavor.

Candy
Yup, candy. The real thing—not the dietetic variety—is best when your sweet tooth starts aching. Dietetic candies have almost as many calories as regular candies, often lack flavor, and are an incentive to eat more. Stick to the real thing.

Chewing gum or gum balls: any and all

Hard candy: any and all, including sour balls, candy canes, lollipops such as Tootsie Pops or Blow Pops, Jolly Ranchers, Werther's Original, and TasteTations

Frozen Desserts

• Any fat-free frozen yogurt, frozen nondairy substitute, or sorbet is a fine addition to the freezer. Try the lower-calorie choices. Here are some examples:
• Soft serve: up to 25 calories per ounce, including Skimpy Treat; TCBY, Colombo nonfat frozen yogurt, and Tofutti
• Hard pack: up to 115 calories per 1/2-cup serving, including Sharon's Sorbet, Low-Fat Tofutti, all Italian ices, and Sweet Nothings
• Frozen bars: Creamsicles, Fudgsicles, and Popsicles; any others containing up to 45 calories per bar, including Welch's Fruit Juice Bars, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Orange Vanilla Treats, Tofutti Chocolate Fudge Treats, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chocolate Mousse, Dolly Madison Slender Treat Chocolate Mousse, and Yoplait
• Individually packaged frozen bars: up to 110 calories each, including FrozFruit, Hagen-Dazs bars, and Starbucks Frappuccino Blended Coffee Bars

Beverages
Avoid beverages labeled "naturally sweetened" or "fruit-juice sweetened," but help yourself to these:

• Unsweetened black coffees and teas
• Diet teas and juices: Crystal Light, Diet Snapple, Diet Natural Lemon Nestea, Diet Mistic, and others
• Noncaloric flavored waters: orange, chocolate, cream, cherry-chocolate, root beer, cola, and other flavors of bottled or filtered water
• Seltzer: plain or flavored, but check the calorie count if the product is labeled "naturally sweetened," since this usually means that the product has sugar in one form or another
• Hot cocoa mixes: 20 to 50 calories per serving, including Swiss Miss Diet and Fat-Free and Nestle Carnation Diet and Fat-Free; avoid cocoa mixes with 60 or more calories per serving

Let's Go Shopping
Today's supermarkets are filled with choices for the weight conscious. Here are some of the lowest-calorie choices for a variety of food categories that aren't covered in the Anytime List.

Cereals

• Cheerios: a whole grain cereal with 110 calories and 3 g fiber per cup
• Kellogg's All-Bran with Extra Fiber: 50 calories and 15 g fiber per 1/2 cup
• Original Shredded Wheat: 80 calories and 2.5 g fiber per biscuit
• Fiber One: 60 calories and 14 g fiber per 1/2 cup
• Wheaties: 110 calories and 2 g fiber per cup
• Whole Grain Total: 110 calories and 3 g fiber per 3/4 cup

Spreads

• Peanut butter
• Low-sugar or sugar-free jams and jellies with 10 to 40 calories per tablespoon

Breads

• Light breads with 40 to 45 calories per slice: oatmeal, premium white, wheat, rye, multigrain, sourdough, Italian
• Whole grain regular breads or rolls

Rice and Pasta

• Whole wheat/whole grain pastas: Hodgson Mill, Ancient Harvest
• Brown rice
• Whole wheat couscous
• Pearled or hulled barley
• Other whole grains: quinoa, whole grain cornmeal, kasha, bulgur, millet

Frozen Meals

• Low-calorie frozen breakfast foods such as those from Kellogg's, Aunt Jemima, and Pillsbury—and a special mention for the low-calorie, whole grain offerings from Van's
• Low-calorie, vegetable-focused frozen meals in the 150- to 350-calories-per-package range, especially the Amy's brand

Beans

• All beans, dried or canned
• Health Valley canned bean/chili combinations
• Low-fat or fat-free refried beans

Snacks

Make it a point to eat starchy, crunchy snacks only in conjunction with a food from the Anytime List. For example, have fruit with popcorn or soup with crackers. Fill up on the former, and go easy on the starchy snack.

Protein Foods

• Legumes: beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas
• Soy products: bean curd/tofu, meat-replacement products by Boca, Gardenburger, Yves, and Lightlife
• Seafood: fresh (do not fry!), smoked, canned, frozen

Note: Calorie counts in this story may vary depending on the brand of products used. Remember to check the labels.