Get Artistic with Sauces
A lot of healthy foods can be too boring for their own good.
Naked steamed vegetables. Plain broiled fish. Unadorned oatmeal.
It's enough to make a dieter take a detour. But if you draw on your creativity, you can stay on the right road and keep meals colorful for your palate.
Cooking is an art, after all, and dieting shouldn't take flair off your plate. Want a secret to success? Try sauces.
They dress up dishes in a flash, and they can be very versatile. The downside is that sauces are often high in calories, but there are ways to lighten them up.
So plug in your blender and get your saucepan ready. Here are three tasteful works of art that brush off the mealtime blahs.
Roasting red peppers works wonders. This zesty and practically fat-free sauce is a knockout on baked fish.Author Kathleen Daelemans also recommends it for grilled steak or roasted chicken. And if you use this instead of mayonnaise on a sandwich, you'll save 92 calories and 10.8 fat grams per tablespoon.2 large red bell peppers, roasted, cored, peeled and seeded1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed2 tablespoons Dijon mustard2 tablespoons red wine vinegar1 tablespoon roughly chopped basil leaves¼ teaspoon red pepper flakesCoarse-grained salt and cracked black pepperPlace peppers, garlic, mustard, vinegar, basil and red pepper flakes in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or refrigerate tightly covered for two to three days.Makes about 1 cup of sauce.Per tablespoon: 8.1 calories, 0.2 fat gramsSOURCE: Cooking Thin with Chef Kathleen
Step away from the Cheez Whiz and avoid being blinded by the neon orange powder that comes in boxes of macaroni. This recipe uses the real thing, and it has about half the calories and less than half the fat of Cheez Whiz.One key to this sauce is steeping the milk with a bay leaf and peppercorns. Also, I found that substituting sharp cheddar made with 2 percent milk saves just enough calories to make room in the saucepan for a little butter.The end result flatters steamed vegetables and adds pizzazz to broiled fish. You can also mix it with pasta, and if you need some nachos, try topping baked tortilla chips with this sauce and your favorite salsa.½ tablespoon butter1 tablespoon all-purpose flourDash of ground white pepper1 bay leaf3 whole black peppercorns¾ cup 1 percent milk¾ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese made with 2 percent milkIn a small and heavy saucepan, add the bay leaf and peppercorns to the milk and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Strain mixture through a sieve into a bowl and discard the bay leaf and peppercorns.Melt the butter in the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour and white pepper over low heat until the mixture is evenly combined.Gradually add the milk to the saucepan, stirring constantly with a whisk to prevent lumps. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the shredded cheese into the sauce until completely melted.Makes about 1 cup sauce.Adapted from a Cooking Light recipePer tablespoon: 24 calories and 1.6 fat grams.
Fruit sauces can be a great way to perk up plain foods and boost your intake of produce at the same time — as long as they're not loaded with sugar. This version of raspberry sauce shows that sometimes the best things in life are free — sugar-free and fat-free, that is.This sauce is sublime when drizzled over fruit salad. You can stir it into oatmeal, and it's delicious on frozen yogurt and angel food cake. If you use Z\v cup of this sauce on pancakes or waffles in place of a tablespoon of butter and cup of maple syrup, you'll save 262 calories and 11.5 fat grams.And you don't need to take out a loan to buy those costly little containers of fresh berries — frozen ones work well here.3 cups fresh or frozen raspberries1/3 cup Splenda1 teaspoon cornstarchThaw the berries, if frozen, but do not drain them. Place half of the berries in a blender and process until berries are smooth. Press berries through a fine-mesh sieve and discard seeds. Repeat with remaining berries. (You should have about ½ cup sieved puree from each 1½ cups berries.)In a heavy saucepan, stir together Splenda and cornstarch. Add sieved berries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature before serving.Makes about 1 cup sauce.Per tablespoon: 12 calories, no fat.
