by JoAnna M. Lund
Includes photo of JoAnna Lund.
Welcome back into my kitchen, where the cooking is easy and the food is both healthy and tasty! I have more cooking tips to share with you, and a few recipe makeovers I've gladly created, in the Healthy Exchanges way. Hope you enjoy.
Did you know that you can make your own fruit-flavored yogurt by mixing 1-1/2 tablespoons of any flavor spreadable fruit spread with 3/4 cup plain fat-free yogurt. It's every bit as tasty, and much cheaper than "store-bought." I love my homemade fruit yogurt, and it's a great calcium boost at breakfast time or as a late afternoon snack.
Another quick tip for that plain fat-free yogurt, now that you've purchased it to make personalized fruit flavored yogurt: if you want to use it instead of sour cream in baked or cooked recipes, just remember to stir 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into every 3/4 cup of yogurt. This will help to stabilize the yogurt and your finished product will be much creamier!
Any time you're browning ground beef for a soup or casserole and want to get rid of almost all the excess fat, just place the meat loosely in a plastic colander. Set the colander in a glass pie plate and place in your microwave. Microwave on HIGH for 3 to 6 minutes (depending on the amount of meat being browned) stirring every so often. The fat gets trapped in the pie plate, and you're left with flavorful browned meat. You can chop up onion or green pepper and stir into the meat before browning, if you choose. With this quick tip, can a satisfying bowl of chili be far behind?
The secret of making good meringues without sugar is to use 1-1/2 tablespoons of Splenda Granular for every one egg white and a small amount of any flavor extract. About 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon should be fine. Let's say you're using six egg whites (I've discovered this is the perfect number to make a spectacular looking meringue on just about any baked pie); after whipping them into soft peaks with your electric mixer, carefully add about 1/2 cup of Splenda and one teaspoon of vanilla, almond or coconut extract. Be sure to seal edges of pie when piling this on top, and then bake the meringue in the same way you always did. Didn't think you could enjoy meringue pies any more just because you can't eat all that sugar? You can ... my way!
A few more tricks of the trade concerning meringue pies: Egg whites beat best at room temperature, and, meringue pies cut more easily if you dip a sharp knife into warm water before slicing.
A really good topping for this time of year is to place 1-1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce in a medium saucepan or a four-cup glass measuring cup. Stir in 2 tablespoons raisins, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice and 1/4 cup Log Cabin Sugar Free Maple Syrup. Cook over medium heat on stove or on HIGH in the microwave until mixture is warm, stirring occasionally. Then, spoon about 1/2 cup of this warm mixture over pancakes, French toast or even fat- and sugar-free vanilla ice cream. It should make four (1/2 cup) servings. It's as close as you'll ever get to guilt-free apple pie!
Want a sprinkling of powdered sugar on your brownies or other baked goods? To make an acceptable substitute for powdered sugar, place 1 cup of Splenda and 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a blender container. Cover and process on HIGH for 45 to 60 seconds or until mixture resembles powdered sugar. Store in an air-tight container and use whenever you want a dusting of powdered sugar over the top of anything.
Now for our Recipe Makeovers
LM, of MO, requested a healthy version of a spectacular baked potato soup that she's enjoyed in a restaurant while on vacation. While my version starts with hash browns instead of baked potatoes, being Irish, all potatoes are sacred to me!
Stuffed Spud Soup
Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup Land O Lakes Fat Free Half & Half
3 cups frozen loose-packed shredded hash brown potatoes
1/2 cup diced Velveeta Light processed cheese
1/4 cup Oscar Mayer or Hormel Real Bacon Bits
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions:
In a medium saucepan sprayed with butter-flavored cooking spray, saute onion for five minutes. Stir in mushrooms soup, milk, and half & half. Add hash browns, Velveeta cheese, bacon bits, and black pepper. Mix well to combine. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until mixture is heated through and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
HINT: Mr. Dell's frozen shredded potatoes are a good choice or raw shredded potatoes, rinsed and patted dry, may be used in place of frozen potatoes.
Serves four (1 cup each); each serving equals:
181 Calories, 5gm Fat, 10gm Protein, 24gm Carbo., 816 mg Sodium, 1 gm Fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 Starch/Carbo., 1 Meat
CW, of IL, sent me an almost unbelievable recipe to make over for her. Believe me, you'll be mighty glad she did, the next time you want a quick frosting for a cake or brownies!
Speedy Baked Frosting
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Splenda Granular
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Light Margarine
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine Splenda and flour. Add margarine and water. Mix well to combine. Stir in walnuts. Evenly spread over top of a cake or batch of brownies already baked in a 9-by-9-inch cake pan. Bake for 5 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack and let set for at least 10 minutes. Cut into 8 servings.
Serves 8 -- for topping only -- each serving equals:
48 Calories, 4mg Fat, 1 gm Protein, 2 gm Carbo., 34mg Sodium, 0gm Fiber; Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Fat
I hope you enjoyed our time together in the kitchen. Remember, If you'd like me to revise one of your family favorites so 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 ....