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Lighten Up!
Unless you are one of those rare
people with incredible will power, come January 1 you are likely feeling some guilt
about all those holiday indulgences. It also would be nice to have once more a
comfortable relationship with your scale each morning. The obvious solution is
to ‘lighten up’ both figuratively and in the actual sense.
Our daylight time is in the
upswing, but according to the 2016 Farmer’s Almanac we only gain 48
minutes of daylight in the month of January. At the same time winter has
finally arrived in Maine this year with properly low temperatures and the first
significant snowfall ending 2015.
This is hardly is the time to
encourage us to ‘lighten up’ by going to lighter meals of cool salads. The body
naturally desires warm substantial fare to chase away the winter chill, but not
all such meals need to be heavy or smothered with rich sauces. It is possible
to achieve meals that satisfy our cravings for substance by providing
substantial flavors without the substantial calories.
Clear vegetable soups and tomato
based soups are always tasty when prepared with generous portions of herbs. My
favorite quick soup that actually can be prepared in 20 minutes, is low calorie
and will chase away the chill admirably.
Quick tomato – cabbage (rice) soup
Heat together: 3 cups chicken or
vegetable broth with 2 cups tomato juice and 1 tsp. any strong flavored herb
seasoning blend. Stir in 2 cups shredded cabbage and continue to cook on medium
heat for 15 minutes. Serve hot. If you have leftover cooked rice, you can
substitute that for the cabbage and cook only 5 minutes.
Broiled fish
Broiled, rather than fried fish
comes to mind as a light source of protein. Alas, unless grilled on a campfire
it tends to be rather ‘blah’. However, both salmon and white fish like
haddock and cod, basted with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil, mixed with a
teaspoon of Dijon mustard and couple of teaspoons of white wine vinegar, a bit
of salt and pepper can become a very tasting offering when broiled for 9 to 10
minutes.
Roast chicken can be ‘light’ if not
smothered with gravy. Grilled chicken is wonderful in its season, but most of
us do not like standing over an outdoor grill in a snow-bank. However, other
flavorful effects can be achieved with oven ‘fried’ chicken, which is much less
caloric than fried chicken, but still provides that delectable crunch.
Oven fried chicken with Gruyère
This can be prepared with 3 bone-in
skinless half chicken breasts (~12 oz. each) or 5-6 bone-in skinless chicken
thighs. In a shallow bowl mix: ¼ cup spicy brown mustard, 1 Tblsp. herb
seasoning mix, 2 Tblsp. light sour cream, ½ tsp. garlic powder, ½ tsp.
lemon-pepper (optional). On another plate stir together 3 cups cornflake
cereal, lightly crushed with ¼ cup shredded Gruyère cheese (or Parmesan). Coat
the chicken pieces with the flavored paste, then roll in the crumb mixture.
Place on a baking sheet lightly coated with butter flavor cooking spray and
lightly spray the chicken on top with the same spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1
hour until chicken is golden brown. Serve warm.
If your sweet tooth is about to go
in ‘withdrawal’ after the delights of the holiday season, there are simple
fruit desserts that do not require much sugar and have a negligible fat
content. My two favorites require very little effort.
Oven poached pears with cranberries
In a 1 quart pan stir together: ½
cup white wine, ¾ cups sugar, ½ tsp. fresh grated ginger, ¼ tsp. ground
cinnamon, ¼ tsp. ground cloves, 2 Tblsp. cider vinegar. Heat to just boiling
with stirring to dissolve the sugar. Thinly pare 4 Bosc pears, halve and scoop
out the core. Thinly slice 1 lemon, discarding the ends. Lay pears in a
1-2 inch deep 2 qt. baking dish, spread the lemon slices among them. Scatter 1
cup fresh or frozen cranberries on top. If using dried cranberries, first steam
them briefly to reconstitute. Pour the sauce over everything. Cover dish
tightly with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Serve warm or at
room temperature.
Roasted honey pineapple
Peel and quarter a golden pineapple.
Cut each quarter in 3 long wedges. In the microwave heat ½ cup orange juice
with 2 Tblsp. honey and 1 Tblsp. lemon juice. Pour over pineapple in a
shallow dish and marinate for 30 minutes, basting occasionally. Preheat oven to
450 degrees on roast. Drain pineapple, spread single layer on a parchment lined
shallow pan and roast for 10 minutes. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with a
bit more honey.
Starting the New Year ‘light’
should prove to be quite delicious.
(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the
author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5.00 a Day: the
Smart-Frugal Food Plan”; website: www.winicov-harrington.com)
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