Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy

by Ellie Krieger

Overview

Comfort food made healthy, from New York Times bestselling author Ellie Krieger In Comfort Food Fix, Ellie Krieger presents a healthier take on classic American comfort food — without sacrificing the comfort part. These 150 soul-satisfying recipes include such hearty favorites as meatloaf, lasagna, chicken potpie, crab cakes, and mashed potatoes, but without all the calories and saturated fat. With simple tricks and tips, Ellie serves up healthy delights like delicious sweet potato casserole with just a third of the calories and amazing buttermilk waffles with just a fraction of the fat. With full nutrition information for every recipe and gorgeous full-color photos that are sure to whet any appetite, Comfort Food Fix is the perfect cookbook for healthy eaters with healthy appetites.
• Ellie Krieger is the host of the popular show Healthy Appetite, which airs on the Cooking Channel, and the author of the New York Times bestsellers So Easy and The Food You Crave
• The book features 150 delicious comfort food recipes that are lower in calories and fat than you would ever guess based on how great they taste
• 50 lavish full-color photographs beautifully illustrate finished dishes When it comes to healthy cooking, Ellie Krieger is the chef you can trust. In Comfort Food Fix, she takes the guilt out of guilty pleasures.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470603093
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	10/11/2011
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	152,508
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

New York Times best-selling author and registered dietitian ELLIE KRIEGER was the host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite, which also aired on the Cooking Channel. She regularly contributes to CNN and USA Today, and appears often on national morning shows.

Table of Contents

8 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

10 INTRODUCTION

16 CHAPTER 1: BREAKFAST, BRUNCH, AND BAKERY

50 CHAPTER 2: SNACK AND STARTERS

92 CHAPTER 3: SOUPS AND SANDWICHES

126 CHAPTER 4: MEAT MAIN DISHES

158 CHAPTER 5: POULTRY MAIN DISHES

182 CHAPTER 6: SEAFOOD MAIN DISHES

202 CHAPTER 7: VEGETARIAN MAIN DISHES

218 CHAPTER 8: SIDES AND SALADS

254 CHAPTER 9: DESSERTS

298 INDEX

Recipe

Spicy Chicken Fried Rice with Peanuts

This aromatic rice dish is a meal-in-a-bowl you can really cozy up with. It is chock-full of tasty treasures-sweet bell peppers, crunchy water chestnuts, peanuts, and chunks of chicken, all stir-fried with just the right spicy kick. Made with a fraction of the oil typically used, you certainly won't miss the grease-or the extra calories.

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion, diced
3 scallions, finely sliced
2 medium red bell peppers, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
One 5-ounce can water chestnuts, diced
2 cups diced cooked chicken
4 cups very cold cooked brown rice
1/3 cup coarsely chopped unsalted peanut

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, and chili flakes until the sugar is dissolved. Heat the canola oil in a very large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the onion, scallions, and bell peppers and cook until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Add the water chestnuts, chicken, and rice and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce mixture and toss to coat evenly. Garnish with the peanuts and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Serving Size 2 cups

Per Serving Calories 580; total Fat 20 g (sat Fat 3 g, Mono Fat 9.81g, Poly Fat 6.04 g); Protein 32 g; Carb 68 g; Fiber 9 g; Cholesterol 60 mg; sodium 360 mg

Excellent Source of Fiber, Magnesium, Manganese, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Selenium, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin K

Good Source of Copper, Folate, Iron, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Zinc

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OVEN-FRIED SHRIMP

Every bite of this dish is pure enjoyment, from the initial herb-and lemon–laced crunch to the succulent shrimp center. Whether served simply with citrus or dunked in decadent Avocado Green Goddess Dipping Sauce (recipe follows), it hits that fried shrimp craving square on the head.

Olive oil cooking spray
1/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
2 large egg whites
1 1/3 cup Light-and-Crisp Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 pound large shrimp (20-25 per pound) peeled and deveined, tails on
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425ºf. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the flour on a plate. Beat the egg whites in a shallow bowl. On another plate, combine the bread crumbs, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and cayenne.

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels. A few pieces at a time, dip the shrimp into the flour, dusting off the excess. Then dip the shrimp into the egg whites, and coat with the bread crumbs. Set the breaded shrimp onto a large plate.

When all the shrimp are breaded, place the prepared baking tray into the oven to preheat for 3 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and place the breaded shrimp on it. Spray the tops of the shrimp with cooking spray. Bake until crispy outside and cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with avocado Green Goddess dipping Sauce (recipe follows) or lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings

SERVING SIZE 5 to 6 shrimp

PER SERVING Calories 220; Total fat 3 g (Sat fat 0.5 g, Mono fat 0.8 g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 30 g; Carb 18 g; Fiber 3 g; Cholesterol 170 mg; Sodium 470 mg

EXCELLENT SOURCE OF Copper, iron, Protein, Manganese, niacin, Phosphorus, Selenium, Vitamin B12

GOOD SOURCE OFFiber, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Zinc

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Double Chocolate and Banana Milkshake

Frozen ripe bananas make this rich chocolate shake naturally sweet, thick, and frothy.

1 pint chocolate frozen yogurt or light ice cream
2 cups nonfat milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 very ripe bananas, cut into chunks and frozen
1 ½ cups ice

Place the yogurt, milk, cocoa, bananas, and ice in a blender and blend until smooth. Divide among four glasses and serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings

Serving Size 1 ½ cups

Per Serving Calories 210; total Fat 3.5 g (sat Fat 2 g, Mono Fat 0.9 g, Poly Fat 0.1g); Protein 8 g; Carb 39 g; Fiber 4 g; Cholesterol 15 mg; sodium 105 mg

Excellent Source of Calcium, Iodine, Phosphorus, Riboflavin

Good Source of Fiber, Magnesium, Manganese, Potassium, Protein, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D

Editorial Reviews

Comfort food doesn't have to unhealthy. That's the upbeat message of this new book by cookbook author Ellie Krieger (It's Easy; The Food You Crave). The 150 recipes in Comfort Food Fix include mouthwatering standards like chicken potpie, lasagna, crab cakes, buttermilk waffles, and banana-pecan pie. Thanks to Krieger's healthy "fix," each of these goodies have been retooled to reduce calories, fat, cholesterol, and sodium. In many cases, the savings are radical; for instance, her Honey-Crisp Oven-Fried Chicken reduces the calories from 560 to 330 and the saturated fat by more than half. Think of it as a gift of love—or sheer self-indulgence.

Bringing sensibility to sensory pleasures, this accessible, health-minded cookbook is a welcome resource in a burger and bacon-obsessed moment. Recognizing that there are good biological and emotional reasons why we seek out starchy, hearty, creamy dishes to sate ourselves, dietician and Food Network star Krieger (The Food You Crave), sees no reason why anyone should have to give them up wholesale. The goal, then, is to reduce fat, sodium and sugar without sacrificing flavor. Krieger avoids using artificial sweeteners and egg replacers—instead, she relies on what she terms the 15 Fix Factors to make her recipes healthier. These include substituting low-fat milk, evaporated milk and Greek yogurt for cream; baking breaded dishes instead of frying; adding smaller quantities of real, extra-flavorful cheeses and employing trimmed lean cuts of meat. Mango Stuffed Challah French Toast is lightened up with light ricotta, low-fat milk and nonstick cooking spray for a calorie savings of 150, while chicken parmesan loses 210 calories with light bread crumbs, egg whites, nonfat milk and part-skim mozzarella. With a nod to the cultural relativism of “comfort food,” Krieger’s repertoire runs the international gamut, from Easy Cassoulet to Kasha Varnishkas to Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers. Krieger’s simple, time-conscious recipes with easy-to-find ingredients will satisfy sophisticated eaters and down-home palates alike. Photos. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Bringing sensibility to sensory pleasures, this accessible, health-minded cookbook is a welcome resource in a burger and bacon-obsessed moment. Recognizing that there are good biological and emotional reasons why we seek out starchy, hearty, creamy dishes to sate ourselves, dietician and Food Network star Krieger (The Food You Crave), sees no reason why anyone should have to give them up wholesale. The goal, then, is to reduce fat, sodium and sugar without sacrificing flavor. Krieger avoids using artificial sweeteners and egg replacers—instead, she relies on what she terms the 15 Fix Factors to make her recipes healthier. These include substituting low-fat milk, evaporated milk and Greek yogurt for cream; baking breaded dishes instead of frying; adding smaller quantities of real, extra-flavorful cheeses and employing trimmed lean cuts of meat. Mango Stuffed Challah French Toast is lightened up with light ricotta, low-fat milk and nonstick cooking spray for a calorie savings of 150, while chicken parmesan loses 210 calories with light bread crumbs, egg whites, nonfat milk and part-skim mozzarella. With a nod to the cultural relativism of "comfort food," Krieger's repertoire runs the international gamut, from Easy Cassoulet to Kasha Varnishkas to Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafers. Krieger's simple, time-conscious recipes with easy-to-find ingredients will satisfy sophisticated eaters and down-home palates alike. Photos. (Oct.) (PublishersWeekly.com)

From the Publisher