Double Delicious (19 page)

My brothers and I like to eat nachos while we watch sports with our dad.

Calories: 298, Carbohydrate: 34 g, Protein: 27 g, Total Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 2 g, Sodium: 680 mg, Fiber: 4 g

Skinny Egg Salad

These ingredients are always stocked in my kitchen, so I’ll often make this for lunch in a pinch. My grandmother used to make me egg salad when I was little. This version is far less fattening and just as good.

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Prep:

20 minutes

Total:
25 minutes

Yield:
Serves 4

• 1 dozen large eggs
  
• 4 green onions
  
• 6 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
  
• ¼ cup nonfat plain yogurt
  
• ½ cup
  cauliflower puree
  
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
  
• Pinch or 2 of sweet paprika
  
• 8 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
  

• 1.
  Place the eggs in a large saucepan. Cover completely with cold water. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Cover and let the eggs rest 15 minutes. Drain the eggs, peel, and cut in half. Chop all of the whites and 4 yolks, discard the rest.
  
• 2.
  Thinly slice the white part of the green onions and place in a large bowl. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, cauliflower puree, and mustard.
  
• 3.
  Gently stir in the eggs and yolks, and add the pepper and paprika.
  
• 4.
  Divide the filling evenly on top of 4 slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread and serve.
  

Shepherd:

Sometimes my mom puts this in a pita pocket for me.

Calories: 349, Carbohydrate: 33 g, Protein: 23 g, Total Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 2.5 g, Sodium: 750 mg, Fiber: 5 g

Corn Bread

We are a corn bread family. We love it. Period. I serve it with eggs and black beans for breakfast, spicy grilled chicken for lunch or dinner, and Jerry and the kids love it as a snack, too.

Photograph “Summer Corn Fritters”.

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Prep:

10 minutes

Total:

30 minutes

Yield:

Serves 12

• Nonstick cooking spray
  
• 1½ cups fine ground cornmeal
  
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
  
• ½ cup whole-wheat flour
  
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
  
• ½ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 cup of nonfat (skim) milk
  
• ½ cup
  carrot puree
  
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  
• ¼ cup light olive oil or canola oil
  
• 2 large eggs
  

• 1.
  Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 9-inch square pan or 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray.
  
• 2.
  In a mixing bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flours, baking powder, and salt until well combined. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, carrot puree, maple syrup, oil, and eggs. Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir until just combined—there may still be some unmixed flour or cornmeal. Don’t overmix.
  
• 3.
  Pour the batter into the sprayed pan and bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. The corn bread is cooked when a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top begins to brown too much, cover with a small sheet of aluminum foil and finish baking.
  

Sascha:

I like to have jam on my corn bread.

Calories: 57, Carbohydrate: 8.5 g, Protein: 1.5 g, Total Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 0 g, Sodium: 62 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g

French Dressing

A healthier and tastier version than the bottled kind, made with carrot puree. One of my friends loves to serve this dressing on top of long stems of crunchy romaine lettuce.

Photograph “French Dressing”.

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Prep:

10 minutes

Total:
10 minutes

Yield:
¾ cup

• ½ cup
  carrot puree
  
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
  
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
  
• Juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
  
• 1 tablespoon water
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
  

• 1.
  Combine all the ingredients in a mini-chopper and blend until smooth. Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
  

1 serving = 2 tablespoons
Calories: 55, Carbohydrate: 5 g, Protein: 0.5 g, Total Fat: 4 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Sodium: 210 mg, Fiber: 1 g

Caesar Dressing

I love that you can reduce fat by using cauliflower puree and still maintain all the flavor of a good Caesar dressing. This dressing helped me get my kids to enjoy salad.

Shown here with French and Thousand Island Dressings (recipes “French Dressing” and “Thousand Island Dressing”).

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Prep:

10 minutes

Total:

10 minutes

Yield:

1 cup

• ¾ cup
  cauliflower puree
  
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
  
• Juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
  
• 2 tablespoons water
  
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
  
• ½ teaspoon low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
  
• ½ teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
  
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
  

• 1.
  Place all the ingredients in a mini-chopper and blend until smooth. Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, 4 to 5 days.
  

Sascha:

I love romaine lettuce because it’s crunchy. This dressing is so good on top.

1 serving = 2 tablespoons
Calories: 32, Carbohydrate: 1.5 g, Protein: 1.5 g, Total Fat: 2.5 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Sodium: 120 mg, Fiber: 0.5 g

Thousand Island Dressing

The butternut squash puree gives this dressing more goodness than the store-bought kind, which is often high in calories, sodium, and preservatives.

Photograph “French Dressing”.

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Prep:

10 minutes

Total:
10 minutes

Yield:
1 cup

• 1 large egg, hard-boiled
  
• ½ cup
  butternut squash puree
  
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
  
• 2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
  
• 1 pickle, cut in thirds
  
• 1 teaspoon chili sauce
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
  
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  

• 1.
  Peel the hard-boiled egg and discard the yolk.
  
• 2.
  Place the white in a mini-chopper, along with the butternut squash puree, mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle, chili sauce, salt, paprika, and garlic powder. Blend until smooth.
  
• 3.
  Store, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  

1 serving = 2 tablespoons
Calories: 38, Carbohydrate: 3 g, Protein: 1 g, Total Fat: 2 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Sodium: 200 mg, Fiber: 1 g

Dessert