Gimme comfort

Whip up these hearty—and healthy meals

If chilly Northeast spring days make you shiver and truly warm days seem distant, don’t give in to the urge to drown your misery in a big bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy. Consider this: It is possible to satisfy the urge without being unhealthy about it. Next time you feel the need to feed, try one of these lightened-up recipes instead:

Classic macaroni and cheese

• 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 11/4 cups low-fat sharp cheddar
• cheese, finely shredded
• nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 2-quart casserole dish and a small saucepan with nonstick cooking spray. Cook macaroni according to directions, but don’t add salt to the cooking water. Drain and set aside. Add onions to the prepared saucepan and sauté for about 3 minutes. In a bowl, combine macaroni, onions and rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Transfer the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Makes 8 servings.

Per 1/2-cup serving: 200 calories, 4 g fat (2 g saturated), 34 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 1 g fiber, 11 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 119 mg potassium

Old-fashioned bread pudding with apple-raisin sauce

FOR BREAD PUDDING

• 10 slices whole-wheat bread
• 1 egg
• 3 egg whites
• 11/2 cups skim milk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• nonstick cooking spray

FOR APPLE-RAISIN SAUCE

• 11/4 cups apple juice
• 1/2 cup apple butter
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon orange
• zest (optional)

TO PREPARE BREAD PUDDING
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay the bread slices in baking dish in two rows, overlapping them like shingles. In a medium bowl, beat together the egg, egg whites, milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Pour the egg mixture over the bread. In small bowl, stir together cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the bread pudding. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it has browned on top and is firm to touch. Serve warm or at room temperature with warm apple-raisin sauce. Makes 9 servings.

TO PREPARE APPLE-RAISIN SAUCE
Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Per 1/2-cup serving, with sauce: 233 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 24 mg cholesterol, 252 mg sodium, 3 g fiber, 7 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 390 mg potassium

Recipes adapted from the National Institutes of Health’s “Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes.” Available at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/ ktb_recipebk/ktb_recipebk.pdf.