814-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 29, 2000
Quick And Healthy Cooking For Dummies
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
EPHRATA (Lancaster Co.)
Dinner in 10 minutes?
How could a meal made in such
short notice taste good or be
healthful?
Amazingly it can fill both crite
ria if you follow Lynn Fischer’s
guidelines and recipes in her new
cookbook, “Quick & Healthy
Cooking for Dummies,” published
by Books Worldwide, Inc.
According to Fischer, some
cookbooks are overloaded with
technical details and advice you’ll
never use; others don’t include
any information other than reci
pes. Her cookbook appeals not
only to the frustrated beginning
cook, but also the seasoned cook
who is always searching for new
recipes and better ways to prepare
food.
This is the 23rd cookbook
Fischer has compiled, evidence of
her ability to offer wonderful-tast
ing food and expertise in design
ing the easy-to-read and under
stand instructions. The 350-page
soft-cover cookbook includes 150
recipes and some colored food
photographs, but what makes it
really unique and helpful is the in
formation on so many different
aspects related to cooking.
Fischer shows how to cook by
combining fresh, canned, prepar
ed, and frozen foods. She explains
how the excess salt contained in
many canned foods can be diluted
without sacrificing taste by adding
fresh herbs and spices.
“Taste is very important to
me,” Fischer said. For that reason,
every recipe is taste tested. If there
is any question as to the taste, the
recipe is not included.
Also included in the cookbook
are shopping tips, cooking tricks,
and tons of nutritional advice and
information.
One chapter explains how to
match herbs, spices, condiments,
and sauces with foods. For exam
ple, beef is best matched with salt,
pepper, onions, onion powder or
salt, garlic salt, sugar, fresh garlic
cloves, horseradish, parsley, bay
leaf, thyme, tarragon, cayenne,
sundried tomatoes, herbs de Prov
ence, bouquet garni, bay leaves,
red wine, Worcestershire sauce,
soy sauce, steak sauce, ketchup,
and dry, prepared or Dijon mus
tard.
Fish and shellfish are best sea
soned with salt, pepper, onions,
onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt,
basil, tarragon, oregano, dill, sun
dried tomatoes, m mayonnaise,
and white wine.
Milk Protein Can Put Sizzle Into Lowfat Meats
COLUMBUS, Ohio Remember tion is the key to its success as a
Sunday mornings when the smell fat substitute. Through gelation,
of sausage filled the house? Then the whey proteins entrap water
the lowfat craze kicked in, making molecules; this water-binding ac
full-fat sausage off limits for tion contributes to a tender and
many. Unfortunately, lowfat sau- juicy meat product.
sages, hot dogs and other pro- The whey protein and water
cessed meats left much to be de- solution forms little gel bubbles
sired. throughout the meat. This breaks
Now, Ohio State University up the meat structure and adds
food scientists have developed lubricity, like fat does in regular
lowfat meats that taste-test panel- meats,” Mangino said. “It simu
ists found superior not only to lates what meat ought to feel like
lowfat meat products currently on w hen you bite into it.”
the market, but in some cases, to Using the whey protein and
their full-fat counterparts as well. water solution to replace fat in
Researchers found they could ere- processed meats also results in less
ate lowfat meats with taste and shrinkage during cooking than
texture remarkably similar to that fui|.f a t products, Mangino said,
of full-fat products by replacing The unique properties of whey
most of the fat with a solution of protein provide a flavor boost in
whey protein, a byproduct of addition to its functional advan
cheese manufacturing, and water, (ages. Upon heating, the sugar
Mike Mangino, professor of an( j p ro tein react to produce what
Food Science and Technology, Mangino refers to as “an en
discovered that heating whey pro- hanced meaty flavor »
tern changes its molecular struc- Replacing fat with a whey p ro .
ture in a way that enables it to tdn w | ter solution adds
form strong, irreversible gels when nutritional due t 0 slightly
heated with water. This gel forma- °
Flavor secrets: Small amounts
of citrus juice (such as orange or
lemon), combined with triple the
amount of water, vegetable broth,
or defatted chicken stock, can en
hance many vegetables. If you
like, add herbs, spices, ginger, on
ions, or garlic.
For carrots, parsnips, turnips,
rutabagas, sweet potatoes, yams,
or all the winter squash...: Steam
or microwave in small amounts of
apricot juice or orange juice and
water. Add a pinch of cinnamon,
nutmeg, Cajun spice blend, curry
powder, or Chinese five-spice
powder.
For spinach, beet greens, col
lard greens, kale, mustard greens,
Swiss chard, or other greens,
steam or microwave in small
amounts of cider vinegar, rice
wine vinegar, or lemon juice com
bined with triple the amount of
water, vegetable stock, or defatted
chicken stock. Season with
splashes of vinegar.
Discover how to understand
healthy cooking basics, outfit your
kitchen for speed and health, and
plan fast and easy menus.
“Quick & Healthy Cooking for
Dummies” is available for $19.99
at bookstores. Visit the website at
www.dummies.com
Here is a sampling of the reci
pes in the cookbook:
One-Pot Poor Man’s Pasta
Easy and fast, this is a some
what sweet dish (because of the
carrots and barbecue sauce), yet
it’s very tasty and filling. It’s
also fresh-tasting with the
crunch of the celery. You can
vary the dish with some quick
additions, such as a small can
of drained mushrooms.
'A pound ground 93 percent
lean ground or diced top sir
loin
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
'A pound angel hair pasta, bro
ken in half
14.5-ounce can diced red toma
toes with Italian-style herbs
(or 1 large tomato, diced,
with 2 pinches each oregano
and basil)
1 cup shredded carrots
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
10-ounce package frozen
French-style green beans
'A cup barbecue sauce
Lightly spray a pot of high
sided skillet (such as an iron fry
ing pan or Dutch oven) with cook
ing spray. Brown the meat, on
ions, and garlic for 6-8 minutes
over medium-high heat, stirring
often.
Add 3 cups water and bring
meat and water to a boil.
Add the angel hair, tomatoes,
carrots, and celery and, over high
heat, return to a boil. Reduce heat
to medium-low. Cover and cook
for 6-8 minutes or until the pasta
is al dente.
Add green beans and barbecue
sauce and cook for 1 to 2 minutes
or until green beans are heated.
Nutrition at a glance (per serv
ing): Calories 252.4 g; Protein 14.6
g; Carbohydrates 39.8 g; Dietary
fiber 4.0 g; Total fat 3.7 g; Satu
rated fat 1.2 g; Cholesterol 22.5
mg; Sodium 462.9 mg.
Lynn’s tip: You can make this
recipe with 10 minute brown rice
or two 15-ounce cans of beans in
stead of the pasta.
Hot Oatmeal With Berries
And Scalloped Apples
Plain hot oatmeal topped
with berries (either raspberries,
blackberries, or blueberries and
scalloped apples cooked in skim
milk make this a calcium and
fiber-filled breakfast. Serve with
rich fatfree liquid creamer or
the new fatfree half-and-half,
both found in cartons near the
milk. You can change the fruits
if you want. My tester loved the
blueberries, I loved the raspber
ries, and we both liked old-fash
ioned oats better than quick
oats, which were mushier.
Preparation/cooking time: IS
minutes.
Yield: 2 cups oatmeal and 2 cups
fruit; 8 Vi cup servings.
Raspberries And
Scalloped Apples
2 apples, thinly sliced, un
peeled, or peeled
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed
lemon juice
Vi cup sugar
/i teaspoon ground cinnamon
V* teaspoon allspice
1 cup raspberries
Oatmeal
2 cups milk
1 cup old-fashioned or quick
oatmeal
'/«cup water
1 tablespoon oat bran
To make the raspberries and
scalloped apples: In a medium mi
crowaveable bowl, combine
apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinna
mon, and allspice. Leave out the
raspberries. Cover loosely with
microwavable plastic wrap and
slit the wrap.
Microwave on high, stirring oc
casionally, for 5 minutes, or until
the apples are almost tender. Add
the raspberries and microwave of
increased protein and significantly
less saturated fat content. In fact,
Mangino’s low-fat sausage patty:
Contains 110 calories, com
pared with 310 in a similar full-fat
product.
Contains S grams of fat, com
pared with 30 grams in a full-fat
product.
Contains 2 grams of saturated
fat, compared with 11 grams in a
full-fat product.
Contains 14 grams of protein,
compared with 9 grams in a full
fat product.
In Mangino’s lowfat meats,
whey protein makes up a small
percentage of the final product.
For every 10 percent of fat re
moved from a formula, up to 10
percent water and 1 percent whey
protein can be substituted. The
whey protein gels at the same
temperature as meat proteins,
which makes it easily substituted
in meat formulations. Manufac
turers may need to adjust their
spice mixes, cooking and smoking
times due to the whey protein’s
i 5a neolMy
A Reference for the Rest of Us!'
1 or 2 additional minutes. Don’t
stir or the berries will bleed.
Meanwhile, to make the oat
meal: In a medium saucepan, add
the milk, oatmeal, water, oat bran,
and maybe a dish of salt and stir
to mix. Bring to a full boil, stirring
occasionally. Remove from heat,
cover with a lid, and let sit for 3 to
5 minutes until it thickens.
Serve topped with raspberries
and apples, and any creamy top
ping such as fatfree half-and-half
or plain or hazelnut liquid nonda
iry fatfree creamer.
Nutrition at a glance (per serv
ing): Calories 462.51; Protein
16.26 g; Carbohydrates 96.13 g;
Dietary fiber 13.08 g; Total fat
4.07 g; Saturated fat 0.88 g; Cho
lesterol 4.41 mg; Sodium 129.55
mg.
Lynn’s health watch: Oat bran,
made from the outer layers of oat
kernels, is rich in soluble fiber,
which helps lower cholesterol and
boost your fiber intake. Add it by
the tablespoon (substituting it of a
little of the flour) to oatmeal,
cookies, cereals, pancakes, breads,
muffins, yogurt snacks, or meat
loaf.
Lemon Cloud
Fluffy and soft on a graham
crust, this feels and tastes like a
nice rich Midwestern dessert full
offamiliar flavors. It tastes like
a cloud and is delicious.
Preparation/Cooking Time: 10
minutes (plus 2 hours to chill)
Yield: 12 servings.
2 small boxes lemon gelatin,
sugar or sugar-free
flavor binding and enhancing
properties.
OSU food scientists tested low
fat whey breakfast sausage, hot
dogs and hamburger with success
ful results particularly with the
breakfast sausage. Taste-test pan
elists judged the taste of the lowfat
sausage, which has one-fifth the
fat and one-third the calories of
regular sausage, superior to that
of full-fat varieties. OSU food sci
entists had similarly successful re
12-ounce container
whipped topping
36 to 38 cinnamon graham
cracker squares
4 large bananas, sliced
'A cup lowfat cinnamon graham
cracker crumbs
In a large metal bowl, dissolve
gelatin in 1 cup hot water. Add 1
cup ice water to pop into the
freezer until cold or syrupy, about
5 minutes.
Fold the whipped topping into
the cold gelatin in a steady stream
until fully incorporated.
Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan
with cooking spray, wiping out
any excess. Cover the bottom with
a layer of graham cracker squares.
Cover the crackers with a layer
of banana slices and pour in the
whipped filling. Spread to make
an even layer. Sprinkle the top
with the graham cracker crumbs.
Chill for 2 hours.
Nutrition at a glance (per serv
ing): Calories 202.1 g; Protein 2,8
g; Carbohydrates 45.1 g; Dietary
fiber 1.6 g; total fat 1.0 g; Saturat
ed fat 0.3 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; So
dium 165.2 mg.
Lynn’s tip: You can change the
flavor to any you like or add fresh
fruit in between or on the side.
The original recipe was to make
this with two 6-ounce cans very
cold evaporated skim milk and 2 A
cups sugar, beating it into soft
peaks and adding the gelatin in a
stream. Chill as directed. Both
versions taste great, but the time is
shortened and the taste is still
great with the lowfat version.
suits with lowfat hot dogs and
hamburger. Mangino said the
whey and water solution could be
used to replace fat in most any
chopped meat product. Mangino
said major food companies and
restaurant chains have expressed
interest in development and mar
keting of lowfat whey meat prod
ucts, but added that it’s too early
to predict when consumers will
see these products on supermarket
fatfree