This recipe is from my latest book, “Jeanne Jones’ Homestyle Cooking Made Healthy” (Rodale Press, $27.95). Using frozen pie shells in this recipe is an enormous timesaver. Of course, if you have a favorite pie-crust recipe of your own, by all means, use it! In the original recipe for this pie, each piece contained 521 calories and 18 grams of fat. In this revised recipe, each piece contains 333 calories and 12 grams of fat, which means you can enjoy your dessert even more.
CHERRY PIE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Thawing time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
If using fresh cherries, add 1/2 cup water or juice to the saucepan.
1 can (16 ounces) sour cherries, packed in water
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 frozen 9-inch pie shells
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Drain cherries; pour liquid into saucepan. Add cornstarch, sugar and salt; mix well. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and clear, about 4-5 minutes. Add cherries, lemon juice and almond extract. Remove from heat; allow to cool slightly.
2. Fill one frozen pie shell with cherry mixture. Cover with other pie shell and allow to thaw about 20 minutes, or until soft enough to crimp edges without breaking crust. Make a few cuts in top with a knife to allow steam to escape.
3. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees; bake 30 more minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven; cool on wire rack.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 290 Fat ……….. 10 g Sat. fat …. 1.6 g
% cal. from fat …… 32 Chol. ……… 0 mg Sodium ….. 225 mg
Carb. ………….. 48 g Protein …… 1.8 g Fiber ……… 1 g
Q–I would like a lighter version of a wonderful holiday family favorite called festive onions. It is a great accompaniment to ham, turkey or just a nice roast. However, as we should be watching our fat intake, it limits how often we can enjoy it. Can you help?
Ginger Scobie, Kent, Wash.
FESTIVE ONIONS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
2 large onions, sliced
5 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Saute onions in butter until they are transparent, about 5 minutes; put in 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Beat eggs until light. Mix in half-and-half, salt and pepper.
2. Pour egg mixture over onions. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake until center does not jiggle and top is golden, 15 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 240 Fat ………… 19 g Saturated fat .. 12 g
% calories from fat .. 71 Cholesterol .. 120 mg Sodium ……. 535 mg
Carbohydrates ……. 9 g Protein ……… 9 g Fiber ……… 1.4 g
A–What a pleasure to have a quick and delicious side dish that can be served for any occasion. I reduced the high amount of fat by using less butter and cheese and only one egg yolk. A combination of non-fat milk and light sour cream made a rich-tasting alternative to the half-and-half.
FESTIVE BUT LIGHTER ONIONS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 6 (1/2-cup) servings
2 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, sliced
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1/2 cup each: non-fat milk, light sour cream
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Add onions; cook until transparent, about 5 minutes. Put onions in 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Whisk egg, egg whites, milk, sour cream, salt and pepper together until smooth.
2. Pour egg mixture over onions. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake until center does not jiggle and top is golden, 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 170 Fat ………… 11 g Saturated fat .. 6 g
% calories from fat .. 56 Cholesterol .. 130 mg Sodium …… 350 mg
Carbohydrates …… 10 g Protein …….. 10 g Fiber …….. 1.4 g
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Send your recipe for revision to: Cook it light, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4041.
