If the thought of a platter of spaghetti and meatballs makes you salivate but also cringe at all of its fat, cholesterol and calories, then relax. It doesn`t have to be that way.
Pasta itself, especially the form of pure, eggless spaghetti, linguine or mostaccoli, is nothing but carbohydrates-no cholesterol and only a smattering of fat. It is, in fact, a great diet food. The trouble comes when you add a sauce that`s full of fatty meat, cheese, cream or oil.
But there is no reason that your pasta sauce has to be heavy. Just like there`s no reason it has to be Italian. Almost anything can go on pasta, including a lot of healthful vegetables.
To help in proposing low-calorie alternatives to meatballs, Norman Kolpas has written a cookbook called ”Pasta Light” (Contemporary Books; paperback, $7.95), a collection of 80 pasta sauces that are low in fat, calories and sodium.
Some are vegetarian, some use meat, others fish and seafood. There are sauces with a Mediterranean flavor, those using Mexican ingredients, an oriental sauce or two, a few with a California touch and some from Cajun country. Most contain fewer than 250 calories per serving and all include nutritional information on calories, fat, cholesterol and sodium.
What`s more, many of the recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
CHICKEN TIKKA WITH MINT RAITA
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Marinating time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Adapted from ”Pasta Light.” Though chicken tikka is traditionally grilled in a specially built Indian oven, this recipe produces similar succulent and flavorful results with a home broiler. The pasta is sauced with the yogurt and cucumber salad known as raita, given extra flavor here by the addition of fresh mint leaves. Serve over medium-to-large strands or ribbons of pasta.
2 cups low-fat yogurt
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon each: ground coriander, sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat
1 small Maui onion or other sweet, mild onion, chopped fine
1/2 pound pickling cucumbers, unpeeled, coarsely shredded
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped mint leaves
Salt to taste
8 ounces pasta, cooked, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1. Stir together 3/4 cup of the yogurt and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice with the ginger, coriander, paprika, cumin and turmeric in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn them to coat well. Marinate at room temperature for about 30 minutes, turning them once or twice.
2. Remove the broiler tray and spray it lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the broiler without the tray. Put the chicken on the tray and place under broiler until golden, about 7 minutes. Turn and cook other side until golden.
3. Meanwhile, make the raita: stir together the remaining yogurt and lemon juice with the onion, cucumber, mint and salt.
4. As soon as the chicken is done, cut it into rough 1-inch chunks. Spoon the raita over cooked pasta, top with the chicken and garnish with cilantro.
Dietary information per serving (sauce only): 193 calories; 6.9 gms fat;
66 mgs cholesterol; 183 mgs sodium.
