I got a letter from a reader ask
ing me to send all of the'low
calorie microwave recipes that I
have. I couldn’t do that because I
have hundreds of low-cal recipes.
But I can tell this reader and
you how to make your own
microwave recipes lower in
calories. .
Fat is the big culprit Cut a
tablespoon of fat from a recipe and
you eliminate about double the
calories that you would by cutting
out a tablespoon of sugar.
The fat content of main-dish
microwave recipes is often lower
than in a comparable conventional
recipe. That’s because fat isn’t
needed to prevent food from stick
ing to the pan, as when sauteing
onion and green pepper for combi
nation dishes, or micro-baking
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MICROWAVE
MINUTES
By JOYCE BATTCHER
fish fillets. Often the amount of fat
can be reduced even more, or
entirely omitted from your favo
rite microwave casserole or one
dish meal.
Fat can be reduced by half in
most microwave sauce recipes.
Again, fat isn’t needed to prevent
sticking; it’s mostly for flavor.
When reducing fat, add herbs and
spices for enhanced flavor. Some
times oil in a salad dressing can be
partly replaced by water, as was
probably done in creating Sweet
and Sour Vegetables (below).
Cooking soups, stews, and other
combination dishes ahead, chill
ing, and skimming off any hard
ened fat before reheating is
another way to lower calories.
Starting with lower-fat ingre
dients also makes a big difference
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in total calories. Use extra-lean for
micro-stir frying. Choose center
cut pork chops instead of pork
steak, top-round beef steak instead
of sirloin. Trim off visible fat
before cooking. Choose chicken
or turkey breast instead of higher
fat legs, thighs or assorted pieces.
Remove skin from poultry before
cooking.
Get to know foods which
ones are low in fat and calories
and which aren’t Read labels to
find out ingredient contents. Here
are two examples of how reading
labels pays off. Low-fat yogurt is
not all the same. Read the label to
see if it’s made with skim milk or
2-percent milk. Then choose the
kind made with skim milk, or
choose a nonfat variety. Some fats
are better for you than others.
Read labels and choose foods con
taining soybean or com oils, rather
than saturated palm or coconut
oils.
Check past “Microwave
Minutes” columns. Many of the
recipes I’ve shared in the past
years have been low-calorie.
When a recipe isn’t, look it over
and you may be able to change
ingredients to suit your diet
Several years ago, I decided to
include a nutritional analysis of
each recipe. This is so you have an
idea of the nutrients you’ll get
from eating a specific amount of a
recipe. As m any diet or way of
life, it’s up to you to use the nutri
tional information to your advan
tage. If a luscious-sounding
dessert is high in fat you may
want to make it only when you
have guests—lots of people to eat
it up so there are no leftovers
and cut your piece only half-size.
If a recipe calls for an ingredient
that you know contains lots of
whatever you don’t want substi
tute another ingredient For exam
ple, if you’re concerned about
sodium, substitute a can of lower
salt tomato sauce for a can of reg
ular, or low-sodium bouillon gra
nules for a regular bouillon cube.
My nutritional recipe analysis is
approximate and is a guide only. It
is based on the latest nutritional
statistics. Where two choices of
ingredients or amounts are given,
the first is used in the analysis.
Optional ingredients listed as
“(optional)” are not included in
the analysis. Two-percent milk is
used unless otherwise stated. Reg
ular not light, low-calorie, low
salt or low-fat ingredients are
used unless otherwise stated.
The following low-calorie
recipes are from a new booklet,
“Fast and Fit.” The 29-page book
let offers two pages of quick tips
for success in microwaving, a
power level conversion chart, a
sweetener conversion chart and 23
recipes including soups, main dis
hes, salads and desserts. The
recipes call for Sweet ’N Low
heat-stable sugar subsitutc and
ingredients that represent reduced
fat, calories or sodium. Each
recipe includes only a caloric con
tent. Both are tasty and colorful.
To order a copy of “Fast and
Fit,” send 75 cents for postage and
handling to: Cumberland Packing
Corp., 60 Flushing Avenue, Dept.
PK, Brooklyn, NY 11205.
Sweet and Sour Vegetables
(Salad)
'A cup red wine vinegar
Vi cup water
'A cup vegetable oil
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2 cloves garlic, minced
'A cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh or 1
teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 packet Sweet ’N Low granulated
sugar substitute
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 small head cauliflower, separ
ated into small flowerettes (about
1 pound)
3 carrots, sliced diagonally into
1-inch pieces
1 small onion, cut into rings
1 yellow or green pepper, cut into
1-inch squares
1 red pepper, cut into 1-inch
squares
1 can (8 'A ounces) garbanzo
beans, drained
4 green onions, sliced diagonally
into 1-incyh pieces.
In 3- to 4-quart microwave-safe
casserole or bowl, combine vine
gar, water, oil, garlic, parsley,
basil, oregano, Sweet ’N Low,
black pepper and salt. Add caulif
lower, carrots, celery, onion and
peppers. Mix well. Cover with lid
or plastic wrap.
Microwave (High) 7 to 9
minutes, stirring once, or until
vegetables are barely tender-crisp.
Stir in garbanzo beans and green
onion. Refrigerate several hours
before serving. Makes about 10 Cl
cup each) servings.
Each serving: 123 calories, Sg
protein, IQgfat, 16g carbohydrate,
29 mg sodium, 0 cholesterol.
Questions for Joyce?
Do you have a question about
microwave cooking? Send it to
Microwave Minutes, c/o Extra
Newspaper Features, P.O. Box
6118, Rochester. MN 55903.
Please include a self-addressed,
stamped, business-size envelope.
Recipes in this column are
tested in 600- to 650-watt micro
wave ovens. With an oven of dif
ferent wattage output, timings
may need slight adjustment