by JoAnna M. Lund
Welcome back into my kitchen where the cooking is easy and the food is both healthy and tasty! Spring weather is almost here and I have even more cooking tips to share with you and a few more recipe makeovers that I've gladly recreated for others in the Healthy Exchanges way. So, while you're busy with your spring cleaning, I hope you save time to try some of my "common folk" healthy cooking tips!
Whenever you're making punch you might want to keep this easy trick in mind: If you want to keep the punch from watering down, just prepare a few extra cups, and make them into ice cubes. Then when you fill the punch bowl (or tall pitcher) with your punch, add the frozen cubes at the same time. This not only looks attractive, it helps to keep the beverage cold. Best of all, the punch doesn't lose its punch as the punch cubes melt. This works equally well with lemonade or any other cold drink you may wish to stir up.
Brrr, it's still cold outside, and it will be for many days to come. How about an easy and tasty way to stir up excitement into a filling but otherwise dull bowl of oatmeal? Forget the cream and sugar! Instead, stir in a tablespoon or so of raisins, a few slices of banana and a couple of tablespoons of sugar_free maple syrup. All at once, your taste buds don't seem so depressed about facing the bitter spring winds just outside the door!
Have you ever considered the use of fat_free salad dressings as a marinade for lean cuts of chicken, beef, pork, or even fish? It makes meat that otherwise could be on the tough side, due to lack of fat, into juicier fare. Just pour half a cup or so of the dressing into a shallow dish, and place your pieces of meat into it. Cover and place the whole thing in the fridge and forget about it for a couple of hours, or even overnight. Then, simply grill, broil, or pan_fry in a non_stick skillet for tasty and tender feasting. A few combinations to start you thinking: fat_free Italian dressing on fish; fat_free French on chicken; fat_free Catalina on pork; and fat_free honey_mustard on beef. Can't you just taste them in your mind already?
Dijonnaise is so good but also so full of fat. Did you know you could make it yourself? Your version will be fat_free, stirred up in less than 30 seconds, and will cost much less than store-bought versions.
How, you ask? By stirring up 1/2-cup fat_free mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons country_style Dijon mustard together. Use any brand you want for the mayonnaise and the mustard. Store it in a covered container for up to two months in the refrigerator. Anytime you want to jazz up a ham sandwich or a plain broiled hamburger, reach for Jo's Dijonnaise!
Tired of the boring, watered_down flavor of some reduced_calorie margarines? Then, stir up some great tasting Private Label Pasta Butter! I make mine by combining 1/2-cup reduced_calorie margarine, 1 teaspoon lemon pepper, 1/2-teaspoon dried minced garlic and 1/4-cup reduced_fat grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well and store in a covered container for up to two months in the refrigerator. This is wonderful, melted on hot vegetables, stirred into just about any cooked pasta or spread over reduced_calorie Italian bread.
Love onions but hate crying over them when chopping? Try peeling the skin off the onions under cold running water, then freezing the onions for about five minutes before chopping or slicing. By the way, when chopping onions for one dish, why not chop onions for two or three or more at the same time? Simply place 1/2-cup or 1-cup portions of chopped onions in freezer bags and toss into your freezer for later use. Frozen works wonderfully in cooked dishes, but start from scratch for uncooked salads.
Now for our Recipe Makeovers
JK of IA wanted me to remake this dish. It's perfect for brunches or when you have guests over for breakfast or even just for the family on weekend mornings!
Egg Casserole
Ingredients:
4 cups unseasoned dry bread cubes
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/2 cups diced Dubuque 97% fat_free ham or any extra_lean ham
2 cups cubed Velveeta Light processed cheese
6 eggs or equivalent in egg substitute
2 cups fat_free milk
1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
Instructions:
Spray a 9- by 13_inch baking dish with butter_flavored cooking spray. Evenly arrange bread cubes in bottom of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle onion flakes and parsley flakes evenly over bread cubes. Layer ham and cheese over bread mixture. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, mustard and lemon pepper. Evenly spoon egg mixture over top. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, up to 20 hours. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for 15 minutes. Place baking dish on a wire rack and let set for five minutes. Divide into eight servings.
Serves 8 _ Each serving equals: 249 Calories, 8gm fat, 21gm protein, 23gm
carbo., 910mg sodium, 1gm fiber;
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Meat, 1 starch
AW, of CO, sent me a cake recipe to revise, now that her hubby has to watch his sugars. My husband, Cliff, raved and raved about how sweet this is, when he taste-tested it for me. You just may want to serve it for any special spring or summer occasion. P.S. What you really are making is a sugar_free angel food cake!
Angel Wings Cream Cake
Ingredients:
1 cup cake flour
1-1/2 cups Splenda Granular
12 egg whites
1-1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 tablespoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 (4_serving) packages JELL_O sugar_free instant vanilla pudding mix
1-1/3 cups Carnation Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
2 (8_ounce) cans crushed pineapple, packed in fruit juice, undrained
1-1/2 cups Cool Whip Free
1/4 cup flaked coconut
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine cake flour and 3/4-cup Splenda. Mix well using a wire whisk. Place egg whites in a very large mixing bowl. Beat egg whites on HIGH with an electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar, 2 teaspoons coconut extract, and salt. Continue beating on HIGH until soft form. Add remaining 3/4-cup Splenda, 2 tablespoons at a time, while continuing to beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, folding in with a spatula or wire whisk. Spread batter into an UNGREASED 9- by 13_inch metal cake pan. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. Place cake pan on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. In a large bowl, combine dry pudding mixes, dry milk powder, and undrained pineapple. Blend in Cool Whip Free and the remaining 1 teaspoon coconut extract, using a wire whisk. Spread mixture evenly over cooled cake. Evenly sprinkle coconut over top. Cut into 12 pieces. Refrigerate leftovers.
Serves 12; Each serving equals: 145 calories, 1gm fat, 7gm protein, 27gm carbo.,
378mg sodium, 1gm fiber
Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 Starch
I hope you enjoyed our time together in the kitchen. Remember, if you'd like
me to revise one of your family favorites, so that it's healthier, send your
request to: JoAnna Lund, Healthy Exchanges, PO Box 80, DeWitt, IA 52742. Also
be sure to visit my website at www.healthyexchanges.com for more "common
folk" healthy recipes to try. Until next time!