More Light and Healthy Cooking

Continuing on my theme of last week, light and healthy cooking, I must admit that I was a bit hasty. I believe I said I was tired of all the sweet and buttery food. Well, my sweet tooth protested and so did my husband’s. The search for light and healthy desserts and sweet treats was on.


Desserts offer the biggest challenge to healthy, low calorie eating. For one thing, desserts that don’t have as much sugar and/or fat are usually not that good. I only eat dessert when it’s really good. My husband, however, has a greater love of sweets than I and he is really trying to cut back, too—so what’s a good wife to do?

First stop—breakfast. Around here, good breakfast treats abound because we have to feed our bed and breakfast guests yummy food. Of course, when all that food is around—on the stove, on the counters, cooling, getting ready to serve, temptation is very great to snitch a little. Then, too, we have to try new recipes and taste them.

Down to the bowels of the house—the basement office where I house my cookbook and magazine collection. I finally settled on magazines—Cooking Light, specifically. I must admit that this magazine has the best lower calorie and light foods of any publication I have seen. Part of their goodness lies in the fact that they don’t cut things down too much. They use no artificial sweeteners—which is a boon for me since I really hate them and I’m not convinced they are really that good for you.

I turned almost immediately to a picture in the January/February 2008 issue of Cooking Light; there on the last page was a tempting pan of Cardamom-Lime Sweet Rolls, looking good enough to satisfy anyone. Checking the recipe, it doesn’t really seem too light, but each roll has 130 calories, which isn’t bad for a sweet roll. The secret? They’re really small—but that’s okay. Most people don’t really need or want a great big roll along with other foods at breakfast. I made some modifications and baked up a batch—Wow! We really loved them. I didn’t have any lime, but figured we’d like the rolls with an orange twist.

Cardamom-Orange Sweet Rolls

Dough

1 pkg. dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (100-110deg)
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
¾ tsp. salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 1/3 cups flour, divided
Cooking spray

Filling:

½ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp grated orange rind
¾ tsp. ground cardamom
2 Tbsp. butter, melted, divided

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp fresh orange juice

To prepare dough, dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Gradually stir yeast mixture into sour cream mixture. Add 2 cups of flour to sour cream mixture, stirring to form a soft dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 8 minutes. Or, use a high-power stand mixer with a dough hook. Add enough of remaining flour until dough doesn’t stick to your hands or dough leaves the side of the mixing bowl. Place dough in large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.

To prepare filling; combine brown sugar, rind and cardamom. Divide dough into two equal portions, working with 1 portion at a time, roll dough into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle; brush with 1 tablespoon butter. Sprinkle half of filling over dough. Beginning with a long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion; pinch seam to seal. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, 1 tbsp. butter and filling. Cut each roll into 12 (one-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides up in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350. Uncover dough. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan 5 minutes on a wire rack. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and juice, stirring until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Yield: 24 rolls (serving size: 1 roll).

Everyday Food, another great little magazine, devoted its Jan/Feb issue to “Light Done Right”. I am anxious to try several of the recipes; but I chose this little gem to do first and we love these!

Mocha-Chip Meringues

¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 large egg whites, room temperature
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch; set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt on medium speed until frothy. Beating constantly, add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time; beat until stiff, glossy peaks form, 6 to 8 minutes total (scrape down the bowl halfway through). Add espresso powder and cocoa; beat until well blended. With a rubber spatula, fold in chocolate chips. Drop batter by level tablespoons onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Bake until crisp, about 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Cool completely on sheets, about 20 minutes. Makes 48; 23 calories apiece.