Pulse! Online: Nutrition Center

Low-fat, high-flavor recipes!

Many people think that low fat means low flavor. Nothing could be further from the truth. With a little know-how, you can cook the foods you love in a way that promotes heart health rather than heart disease. Need proof? Try the following recipes:

Macaroni & cheese

This version of macaroni and cheese is much lower in fat than traditional recipes.

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni
2/3 cup shredded, reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 cup dry-curd cottage cheese
1/2 cup skim milk
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs

Cook the macaroni in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Coat a 1-quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Add the cheddar and macaroni. Toss to combine.

In a blender, puree the cottage cheese, milk, eggs, pepper sauce and 1 teaspoon mustard. Pour over the macaroni and stir lightly.
In a cup, mix the bread crumbs with the remaining mustard. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes.
Serves 4. Each serving has 264 calories, only 18 percent of which come from fat.

Gingerbread pancakes

These pancakes are great topped with fresh fruit and a dollop of low-fat vanilla yogurt.

1 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cocoa
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
1 cup skim milk
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons dark molasses

Sift the flour, baking powder, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon and cloves into a large bowl. Stir in the hazelnuts. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg whites and molasses. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the milk mixture into it. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. The batter will be lumpy. Coat a large, nonstick frying pan with nonstick spray. Heat the pan on medium until hot. Ladle in the batter, using 2 tablespoons per pancake. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip carefully and cook for 2 minutes more.
Serves 4. Each serving has 185 calories, only 13 percent of which come from fat.

Golden tuna

1 t. ext. light olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
2 (4-oz.) tuna steaks
3 large nectarines
2 T. lime juice
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
2 cups dry pasta (ziti)
1/2 cup white wine
1 T. chopped basil
1 T. chopped parsley
1 T. grated cheese

Add salt and pepper to the oil. Mop it up with the tuna, coating both sides.
Quarter and pit nectarines. Puree, then push through a sieve into a bowl. Stir in lime juice and cayenne pepper.
Cook the pasta in boiling water for 11 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, put the tuna in a hot skillet. Cover and cook for 6 minutes on medium heat. Turn the tuna, add the wine, increase heat to high, cover and cook 3 more minutes.
Pour nectarine sauce on the tuna and heat through. Sprinkle with basil.
Put tuna and pasta on serving plates and pour on the sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and cheese.

Cheesecake with figs

1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1.25 cups dried white figs, chopped
1/4 cup water
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1 egg
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

Blend crumbs and chopped figs till moist and dough-like.
Press mixture into bottom and half-way up sides of a lightly greased 6-inch pan.
Sprinkle gelatin onto the water.
Stir gently and add lemon juice.
Boil milk, stirring constantly. Pour onto the softened gelatin.
In a blender, add gelatin mixture, egg, brown sugar, cottage cheese and vanilla.
Blend till there are no lumps. The texture will be somewhat grainy.
Pour filling into crust. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Garnish with kiwi and serve.

Eggplant ratatouille

Eggplant: its main virtue is robust flavor and super satisfaction for very few calories and no fat–a boon to any heart-healthy diet. Caution: Eggplant absorbs more fat than any other vegetable, so choose your cooking method wisely. Try broiling, roasting, grilling or stewing rather than frying. Or give this ratatouille a try:

1 unpeeled eggplant, chopped
1 cup chopped bell peppers
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped summer squash
1 chopped onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. each oregano, basil and thyme

In a large saucepan, sauté eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, squash and onion in olive oil until they begin to release their own juices. Add the herbs, salt and pepper to taste, cover the pan and simmer about 20 minutes, or until tender. Enjoy ratatouille as a warm or cold side dish, toss with pasta or puree for soup.

Classic peas

If you want a sweet and satisfying low-calorie source of protein, think peas. About 3/4 cup of peas contains as much protein as an egg and less than a gram of fat. Try this classic preparation method:

1 head Bibb or Boston lettuce
2 cups shelled green peas
1/4 cup broth
herbs, as desired

Wash but do not dry the lettuce leaves. Line a saucepan with one layer of lettuce leaves. Spread the shelled peas on the lettuce lining and season with herbs, salt and pepper to taste. Add broth. Cover peas with another layer of lettuce leaves. Cover the pan, and cook peas over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender. Before serving, chop lettuce and toss with the peas.

Nature lover's lentil soup
Makes 8 servings

4 cups dried lentils, washed
1 cup uncooked brown rice
5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
7 bay leaves
2 white onions, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 stalks celery, including the leaves, chopped
1-2 teaspoons garlic powder, to taste
16 cups (1 gallon) water

Put all the ingredients in a large soup pot. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow to simmer for 1 hour, until the lentils are soft and the rice is tender. Serve hot with wedges of pita bread, hot brown bread or a crusty French bread.