PIN IT!- 1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 1/2-3 pounds whole chicken legs, skin removed, trimmed and cut into thighs and drumsticks
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Olive oil cooking spray
Meal Makeover: Comfort Food
08.20.10
There’s no better cure to the blues than comfort food, in my opinion. As soon as you take that first bite of Mom’s homemade apple pie, your mind drifts back to the days of your youth, where you had no worry in the world, a life of carefree jubilance. Now, my days are filled with responsibilities, obligations and concerns, and sometimes the only way I can rediscover that childhood joy is through a bite of fried chicken or a piece of apple pie.
Well, it doesn’t take a nutritionist to know that fried chicken and apple pie aren’t too diet friendly [they are diet’s worst nemesis, actually]. So to avoid having to give up those nostalgic foods, I’ve instead found two alternatives that have half the fat, calories, sugar and sodium but have all of the flavor. Call me crazy, but I just refuse to give up on those little pieces of comfort and childhood.
Fried Chicken [KFC versus oven-fried]
- A breast of KFC Original Recipe Fried Chicken has over 320 calories and 15 grams of fat. [And who eats just one piece?] By adding a thigh, you tack on an extra 220 calories and 15 grams of fat!
- Homemade oven-fried chicken has only 256 calories and 5 grams of fat! [But tastes just as delicious!] And two pieces of it don’t even add up to the amount of fat in ONE piece of KFC!
Oven-Fried Chicken [courtesy of Eating Well]
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- Whisk buttermilk, mustard, garlic and hot sauce in a shallow glass dish until well blended. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or for up to 8 hours.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, sesame seeds, paprika, thyme, baking powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place the flour mixture in a paper bag or large sealable plastic bag. Shaking off excess marinade, place one or two pieces of chicken at a time in the bag and shake to coat. Shake off excess flour and place the chicken on the prepared rack. (Discard any leftover flour mixture and marinade.) Spray the chicken pieces with cooking spray.
- Bake the chicken until golden brown and no longer pink in the center, 40 to 50 minutes.
Nutritional Facts [FULL]: 226 calories, 7 grams of fat, 258 grams of sodium, 34 grams of protein & 130 m. grams of cholesterol.
Apple Pie Showdown [regular versus low-calorie]
- A piece of homemade apple pie can have 320 calories and 20 grams of fat [at least, depending on recipe!]! Add a dollop of vanilla ice cream and you are adding 150 calories and another 5 grams of fat. That’s 570 calories and 25 grams of fat for just a slice of dessert!
- A slice of this lower-fat, lower-calorie apple struesal pie has just 270 calories and 11 grams of fat! Add a dollop of light vanilla ice-cream for a total of 380 calories and 15 grams of fat [almost the total amount of just the pie above!]
Apple Struesel Pie [courtesy of Group Recipes]
Ingredients:
- PIE FILLING:
- Pastry for single-crust 9-inch pie
- 18 packets Equal or sugar substitute equavelant
- 2 Tbs. cornstarch
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- ¾ tsp. ground cinnamonshopping list
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 6 cups peeled, cored, sliced granny smith apples( about 6 medium )
- STREUSEL TOPPING:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 12 packets Equal or sugar substitute equavelant
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 4 Tbs. margarine, melted
- ½ cup chopped nuts
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Roll pastry on a floured surface into a circle 1 inch larger than 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into plate; trim and flute edge. Set aside.
- FOR PIE FILLING: Combine 18 packets Equal, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; sprinkle over apples in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Spoon apples into pie crust.
- FOR STREUSEL TOPPING: Combine flour, Equal, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in melted butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over apples. Bake at 375 for 45 to 55 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or room temperature.
Nutritional Facts [FULL]: 270 calories, 11 grams of fat, 158 m. grams of sodium, 2 grams of protein & 16 m. grams of cholesterol
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