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Freakishly
Fantastic Faux-Fried Zucchini with 9 grams of
fiber and only 1/2 gram of fat is just a sampling
of the low-fat, low-calorie and high-fiber recipes
found in Lisa Lillien's second cookbook,
"Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" (St.
Martin's Griffin, $19.95).
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Key Lime
Mousse Pie with just 88 calories and 6 grams of fiber.
Chicken nuggets made with crushed barbecue chips.
Faux-fried zucchini with 9 grams of fiber and only ½ gram
of fat.
These are
just a sampling of the low-fat, low-calorie and high-fiber
recipes found in Lisa Lillien's second cookbook,
"Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" (St. Martin's
Griffin, $19.95).
In 2004,
Lillien started Hungry Girl, a Web site dedicated to
helping dieters by providing product news and reviews,
recipes and inspiration and daily free e-mail to more than
650,000 subscribers. Lillien makes it clear she's not a
doctor, chef or nutrition professional.
She's just
a hungry girl obsessed with food, who, like many other
yo-yo dieters, says she struggled to lose the same 15
pounds for much of her life. Once Lillien, 43, of Encino,
Calif., lost 25 pounds by changing her lifestyle, she
realized she had to stick with it.
Those
changes morphed into www.hungrygirl.com, and "Hungry
Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free
Eating in the Real World" (St. Martin's Griffin,
$17.95). It spent 6 months on the New York Times Best
Sellers list.
Cutting the
fat and calories, Lillien relies on the obvious, such as
using egg whites instead of whole eggs, sugar substitutes
and reduced-fat or fat-free products.
Fans of
Hungry Girl will like the book's breezy style. If you try
Lillien's recipes, be prepared to stock your pantry with
her recommended fat-free, reduced-fat and high-fiber
products.
KEY LIME
MOUSSE PIE
Serves: 8 /
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time:
1 hour (plus chilling time)
CRUST
¼ cup
light whipped butter or light butter spread
2
tablespoons water
1 ¾ cups
original Fiber One bran cereal
4
no-calorie sweetener packets
1 teaspoon
cinnamon
FILLING
1 cup
boiling water
1 small (4
serving size) package sugar-free lime gelatin
1
no-calorie sweetener packet
½ cup cold
water
1 ½
tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon
vanilla extract
2 cups
fat-free whipped topping
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.
In a
microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter with the water.
Microwave until the butter is just melted.
In a
blender or food processor, grind the cereal to a bread
crumb-like consistency.
In a medium
mixing bowl, combine the cereal crumbs with the butter
mixture, sweetener and cinnamon. Stir well until mixed.
Spray a
9-inch pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Press the
crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the
dish. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool.
Meanwhile,
in a medium mixing bowl, combine the boiling water with
the gelatin and sweetener. Stir the mixture for 2 minutes
or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the cold
water, lemon juice and vanilla extract; mix well.
Refrigerate
for about 45 minutes or until slightly thickened, but not
set.
Once the
gelatin is thickened slightly, stir in the whipped
topping. Whisk until thoroughly blended; pour the mixture
into the pie crust.
Refrigerate
until firm, at least 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator
until ready to serve. Cut into slices.
From
"Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien
(St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).
Tested by
Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
85 calories
(31 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 18
grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 127 mg sodium, 8 mg
cholesterol, 48 mg calcium, 6 grams fiber.
___
H-O-T HOT
BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS
Serves: 2
(5 wings each)
Preparation
time: 10 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes
¼ cup
Fiber One Original bran cereal
1 ounce
(about 14 crisps) Pringles Light Fat-Free Barbecue potato
crisps or another brand of fat-free barbecue-flavored
potato chips
Dash of
onion powder
Dash of
garlic powder
Dash of
cayenne pepper
Dash of
black pepper
Dash of
salt
8 ounces
boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 10 nuggets
3
tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper sauce
Nonstick
cooking spray
Preheat
oven to 375 degrees.
In a
blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a bread
crumb-like consistency. Crush the potato crisps in a bowl.
In a small dish, mix crushed crisps with cereal crumbs.
Add the onion powder and garlic powder, cayenne pepper,
black pepper and salt and mix well.
Place the
chicken pieces in a separate dish. Cover with the hot
sauce and toss to coat.
Coat a
nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray. Give each
chicken piece a shake so it's not dripping with sauce,
then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Place crumb-covered
nuggets on the baking sheet.
Bake in the
oven for 10 minutes.
Flip
nuggets over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until
outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.
From
"Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien
(St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).
Tested by
Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
Analysis
per 5 wings.
193
calories (14 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (1 gram sat.
fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein, 731 mg
sodium, 63 mg cholesterol, 43 mg calcium, 5 grams fiber.
___
FREAKISHLY
FANTASTIC FAUX-FRIED ZUCCHINI
Serves: 3 /
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Total time:
30 minutes
These are a
tasty snack and an excellent source of fiber.
¾ cup
Fiber One Original bran cereal
1
tablespoon dry ranch dressing or dip mix
¼ teaspoon
plus 1 dash garlic powder, divided
¼ teaspoon
plus 1 dash onion powder, divided
¼ teaspoon
plus 1 dash oregano, divided
2 dashes
black pepper, divided
2 dashes
salt, divided
¼ cup
fat-free liquid egg substitute
2 large
zucchini, ends removed
Nonstick
cooking spray
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.
In a food
processor or blender, place the Fiber One cereal. Add the
ranch dressing or dip mix and ¼ teaspoon each of the
garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Add a dash each
of salt and pepper. Grind to a bread crumb-like
consistency. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl.
In another
medium bowl, combine the egg substitute with a dash each
of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
Stir thoroughly.
Cut the
zucchini into ½-wide circles. Blot away any excess
moisture with a paper towel.
Spray a
large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss zucchini
circles in seasoned egg substitute until they are evenly
covered. One by one, give zucchini slices a shake to
remove excess egg substitute, coat them with the bread
crumbs and lay them flat on the baking sheet.
Bake in the
oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the zucchini slices
over. Bake in the oven for 10 additional minutes or until
the outsides are crispy and zucchini is cooked through.
From
"Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien
(St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).
Tested by
Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.
78 calories
(9 percent from fat ), 1 gram fat (0 grams sat. fat ), 21
grams carbohydrates , 5 grams protein , 311 mg sodium , 0
mg cholesterol , 84 mg calcium , 9 grams fiber .
___
THE HUNGRY
GIRL'S MEAL-PLANNING STRATEGIES
For Lisa
Lillien, the light bulb went off in her head when she was
taking pastries to be analyzed at a food lab because she
didn't believe the nutrition label. She thought she could
help people by sharing what she'd learned.
Her Hungry
Girl persona evolved from that desire.
Lillien's
Web site, www.hungrygirl.com, offers advice and product
news for dieters. I caught up with Lillien by phone to
talk about the Hungry Girl approach.
QUESTION:
How should people use this book?
ANSWER:
Whatever they want to use it for. ... You can create meal
plans or find recipes for your family or just snacks.
Q: What are
you trying to accomplish?
A: I think
people should understand that they shouldn't be afraid of
food and that food should be loved and embraced. You can
find ways to eat the foods you like, and love and maintain
a healthy weight.
Q: How can
one do that?
A: There is
no magic bullet, but there are temporary fixes. But in
order to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight you
have to change your lifestyle.
Q: What one
food have you found to be misleading?
A: Salad
dressing. With just one little pour you take a 500-calorie
meal and turn it into a 1,000-calorie meal.
Q: What's
your meal plan for a typical day?
A: I tend
to eat Egg Beaters with a low-fat cheese in the morning.
... And I am always eating fresh fruits and vegetables. I
am a big protein eater. I am a meat eater, so I eat
turkey, chicken, and I try to eat a lot of lean meat and
fish.