THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 30, 1995 TAG: 9511290032
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, SPECIAL TO FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
SANTA PROBABLY isn't eating red meat this year. Don't be surprised if the contemporary Claus counts fat grams, swills a nonalcoholic cocktail and nibbles the reindeers' carrots instead of the cookies set out for him.
Everybody else is on a health kick. Why not Santa?
Only the host who's been living on the moon will dare to rely on a menu of traditional holiday favorites, such as eggnog made with eggs and cream, vegetable casseroles with buttery toppings, rare roast beef and rich gravy.
If your party menu lacks offerings that are light, meatless and alcohol-free, the Santa of the '90s may wag his finger and call you ``naughty.''
Do not despair. We have a list of ways to turn naughty foods into nice ones - to trim the fat, salt, sugar and calories from traditional holiday dishes, without trimming the taste.
And we have a stocking full of recipes are reminiscent of holiday golden oldies - Green Beans Supreme, sweet-potato casserole, fruitcake, eggnog. The dishes may look and taste the same as they did a few decades ago, but these contemporary versions are much more healthful than Grandma's originals.
With these recipes and a few tips, it will be easy to have a holiday that's merry and light.
Holiday trimming
The following suggestions are from Cooking Light and Eating Well magazines, Knight-Ridder Newspapers and registered dietitians:
Do a quick study of your favorite heirloom recipes, reducing the salt, sugar, oil and butter. Many older recipes call for far too much of all.
Experiment with the new low-fat and fat-free substitutes for sour cream, cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, butter, margarine and other staples. Many products have been so improved, they perform and taste much like the originals.
Increase the herbs and spices in a dish to compensate for reduced fat. For instance, add several cloves garlic to mashed potatoes and you can use less butter or margarine.
When the recipe calls for eggs, replace one whole egg with two egg whites, or use egg substitutes.
When sour cream is called for, use plain nonfat yogurt instead.
Use evaporated skim milk instead of cream in sauces and soups.
Try reducing the nuts, chocolate, cheese and other heavy ingredients in a recipe by about 25 percent.
Instead of a regular pie crust, which is high in fat, make the crust from graham-cracker or gingersnap crumbs. Or choose pie recipes that use a single, rather than a double, crust.
Instead of frosting a cake, sprinkle it lightly with confectioners' sugar.
In baked goods, use applesauce or other pureed fruit in place of part of the oil or butter. Pureed or baby-food prunes work well in chocolate cakes and cookies.
Baste turkey and moisten stuffing with defatted broth instead of butter.
To remove the fat from turkey drippings, refrigerate or freeze drippings overnight. Skim fat that rises to the surface. Or use this quick method: Place the drippings in a large, zip-top, heavy-duty plastic bag. The fat will rise to the top. Carefully snip off one lower corner of the bag. Drain drippings into a bowl before fat layer reaches the opening. Or, buy a cup that separates juices from fat.
Use vegetable cooking spray instead of oil or butter. For example, when sauteing vegetables, squirt the pan with olive-oil spray and then add a small amount of water along with the vegetables. As the vegetables cook, the water evaporates but the olive-oil flavor remains.
Cook in a covered pan. This lets you coat the pan with just a little oil; steam keeps the food moist.
Invest in equipment suited to low-fat cooking. Use nonstick pots and pans. Roast turkey and other meats on a rack.
Don't make every side dish rich and creamy. Alongside the hearty casseroles, serve some vegetables that are raw or lightly cooked, plain or simply garnished.
Serve salad dressings in a squirt bottle. MEMO: Mary Flachsenhaar is a free-lance writer living in Norfolk. All recipes
were tested by the author.
ILLUSTRATION: Beth Bergman
The Virginian-Pilot
Help Santa drop a few punds by forgoing the traditional favorites,
like eggnog made with eggs and cream.
by CNB