For a delightfully different way to serve your morning cereal, try this oatmeal. The first time I had a dish like this was at the Omni Hotel in Chicago. I was so impressed with the taste and texture that I asked the chef how he made it. When he told me that he cooked the oatmeal in half-and-half and topped it with creme anglaise, the rich custard sauce made with egg yolks, I knew that I had a serious revision of his recipe ahead of me. Frozen vanilla yogurt was the answer.
I have topped it with raspberries because I like the intensity of their flavor and the bright touch of color they add. However, it can be made with other types of berries or other fruits such as sliced bananas or peaches.
OATMEAL AND ”CREAM”
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
1 1/2 cups skim milk
1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup frozen vanilla yogurt, slightly softened
1/2 cup fresh raspberries
1. Put milk, oatmeal, salt and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar into a medium saucepan. Heat to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
2. Heat broiler. Divide mixture between 2 ovenproof bowls or gratin dishes. Top each with 1/4 cup of the softened yogurt and 1 tablespoon of the remaining brown sugar. Broil, 6 inches from heat source, until the sugar starts to bubble and caramelize, 1 to 2 minutes. Arrange 1/4 cup raspberries over each. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 271 Fat …………. 2.5 g Cholesterol …… 6 mg
Sodium ……. 265 mg Carbohydrates …. 52 g Protein ………..12 g
A reader recently sent in a delicious chicken casserole for hearty appetites, but it was much too high in sodium: more than 2,000 milligrams per serving. I eliminated the canned cheese soup and used more low-fat sharp Cheddar cheese for flavor. I also increased the milk to provide moisture lost from eliminating the soup.
Using low-fat creamed soups instead of full-fat soups helped, as did eliminating one of the cans of olives. These solutions helped lower the calories, cholesterol and fat to more reasonable levels.
SOUTH-OF-THE-BORDER CHICKEN
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Chilling time: Overnight
Cooking time: 1 1/2 hoursYield: 8 servings
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can each (10 3/4 ounces): low-fat cream of mushroom soup, low-fat cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 cans (7 ounces each) green chili salsa
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced olives, drained
10 ounces low-fat sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
6 chicken breast halves, cooked, cut into strips
12 corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
1. Coat a 13- by 9-inch baking pan with a non-stick vegetable spray; set aside. Mix onion, cream soups, milk, salsa, olives and 1 cup of the cheese in a large bowl.
2. Lay half the chicken strips in the bottom of the prepared pan. Cover with half the tortilla pieces, then top with half the soup mixture. Sprinkle with half the remaining cheese, then repeat the layers, finishing with the remaining cheese. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.
3. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, about 1 1/2 hours. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ….410 Fat …15 g Cholesterol … 90 mg Sodium .. 1,223 mg
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