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If you’re like most Americans, you’re not only hungry for good food in a hurry, you’re also watching your waistline. But is it possible to prepare a dinner in 15 minutes that’s delicious and low in fat? You bet it is. The most important place to launch an assault on those love handles is in the pantry. Begin by using fatty ingredients that have as much flavor as possible — and by using less of them! For example, in my book, “Low-Fat Cooking to Beat the Clock,” the low-fat pesto sauce has one tablespoon of olive oil instead of the normal 1/3 to 1/2 cup. But that olive oil is absolutely the most flavorful oil I can afford. And isn’t it better to spend money on good food than on cockamamie diet plans? Another way to cut fat is to keep plenty of fresh herbs and spices on hand. Most supermarkets carry several fresh herbs. I use mint, basil, thyme, chives, tarragon, rosemary, dill, and cilantro most often. For parsley, I prefer the more flavorful flat-leaf, or Italian type. As for dried herbs, sage, thyme, rosemary, mint, and marjoram (all in leaf form, not ground) are decent substitutes for fresh herbs. Oregano is actually better dried, but only the sweeter, more fragrant oregano from Greece, Turkey, or Sicily. Herbes de Provence is a terrific all-purpose seasoning blend. For more flavor, I grind small batches of whole spices like cumin, allspice, and dried ginger root in a mini chopper. Black pepper and nutmeg are always freshly ground and that makes a world of difference. Other important spices include red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, saffron threads, curry powder, crystallized ginger, hot or sweet paprika, Chinese five-spice powder, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, chili powder, and other dried chilies such as ancho, New Mexico, and chipotle peppers. The most vital seasoning, however, is salt. So unless you’re on a sodium-restricted diet, don’t stint on the salt in cooking. Salting at the table isn’t always a good solution because the salt doesn’t get fully integrated into the dish. A third pantry weapon for fighting fat in quick meals is reduced fat ingredients. This area can be tricky because not all reduced or low-fat (not to mention nonfat) ingredients are worth using. For example, nonfat yogurt is a wonderful alternative to low-fat and regular yogurt. But nonfat cheeses are, almost without exception, dreadful. My rule of thumb with lower fat cheeses is that their fat should be reduced no more than 50 percent. The following recipe uses one of my favorite fat-fighting ingredients, light coconut milk. Despite its reduced fat, you’ll hardly notice the difference from regular coconut milk. Curried Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Canola oil spray 1)Spray a 12-inch, nonstick sauté pan with canola oil spray and put over medium heat. Peel and quarter the onion. Peel the garlic. Put the onion and the garlic into a food processor. Pulse just until chopped. (Or chop by hand.) Scrape into the pan, raise the heat to medium-high, and stir. 2)Remove the tails, if any, from the shrimp and cut in half crosswise. Add to the pan and stir. Stir in the curry powder. Cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and 1-percent milk. Stir and cover. 3)Husk the corn. To remove the kernels, stand each cob on end and, beginning at the middle, cut down all around the cob. Then reverse the ends and repeat. (If using frozen corn, empty the box into a colander and let hot tap water run over for 1 to 2 minutes until defrosted.) Add the kernels to the pan. Take the back of a chef’s knife and rub it against the cobs over the pan to remove the flavorful “milk.” 4)Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and salt and black pepper to taste to the pan. Stir and cover until the soup comes to a simmer, about 4 minutes. Do not boil. 5)Meanwhile, chop the cilantro leaves. Add to the soup, cook for 1 minute. Add more cayenne pepper, if desired, and serve. Serves 4 Per serving: 353 calories, 34 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate, 8.7 grams fat, 3.7 grams saturated fat, 179 mg cholesterol, 294 mg sodium.
Sam Gugino
Copyright 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Sam Gugino. All rights
reserved. |
