Recipes Offer Easy Ways to Cut Down on Fats for Easter

Preparing an elaborate Easter menu with an eye on fats and calories is easier than ever before, since health organizations began offering tips for low-fat cooking to the public.

Following the recommendation that Americans decrease the amount of fat in their diet to no more than 30% of the day’s total calories, groups such as the American Heart Assn., the American Dietetic Assn. and the American Cancer Society have emphasized that moderation and wise food selection are the keys to meeting that goal.

The following recipes take advantage of a few of the easiest changes fat-watchers can make in the diet:

--Substituting nonfat milk for whole milk in Dutch Babies recipe saves 8 grams of fat per 8 ounces.

--Make meat loaf with ground turkey instead of regular ground beef, which represents a whopping 34% of the fat in the typical American diet.

--Choose part-skim varieties of whole-milk cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta or select naturally lower-in-fat cheeses like feta, which has about 75 calories and 6 grams fat per ounce compared with Cheddar, Swiss or blue varieties, which can offer between 107 to 114 calories and 8 to 9 grams of fat.

--Reduce intake of saturated fats from all sources, including vegetable oils and cook with more monounsaturated fats like olive oil.

--Eliminate recipes for high-fat ground beef from the recipe file and substitute with leaner pork and beef cuts such as tenderloin and flank steak.

--Avoid rich sour cream or whipping cream-based sauce and look to plain yogurt for creamy texture.

DUTCH BABIES

3 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup nonfat milk

1/2 cup flour

Dash salt

Lemon juice

Powdered sugar

Fresh berries

Beat eggs together well. Whisk in milk, then slowly add flour and salt. Pour batter in one (12-inch) or two (6-inch) skillets sprayed with non-stick vegetable coating spray. Bake at 450 degrees 15 minutes. Small babies will be done after 15 minutes. For large baby, reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking 10 minutes or until puffed and brown.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with lemon juice, powdered sugar and fruit. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

SPINACH-FILLED

TURKEY LOAF

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey

1 cup soft bread crumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups frozen cut leaf spinach, thawed

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/3 cup apple jelly, optional

Combine turkey, bread crumbs, eggs, onion, garlic and salt. Blend well. Pat mixture into 12 x 8-inch rectangle on sheet of foil. Set aside.

Combine spinach and cheeses in separate bowl and blend well. Spread filling evenly over turkey mixture, then, starting with 8-inch side, roll up using foil to help rolling process. Place loaf, seam side down, in 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Heat apple jelly in small saucepan until melted, stirring occasionally. Brush half of melted jelly over loaf. Bake at 375 degrees 55 to 65 minutes, brushing with remaining apple jelly halfway through baking. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain off excess liquid and carefully lift loaf out of pan. Place on serving plate. Cut into 8 (1-inch) servings. Makes 8 servings.

ORANGE-ROSEMARY

ROAST CHICKEN

2 oranges

1 (3-pound) chicken

1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon rosemary

Salt, pepper

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 small red potatoes

2 carrots

16 mushrooms

Squeeze juice of 1 orange over chicken. Place peel in cavity of chicken and truss. Season with poultry seasoning, garlic powder, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken in roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Slice potatoes and carrots and add to roasting pan. Squeeze juice of remaining orange over chicken and vegetables. Roast at 375 degrees 30 minutes, then baste with pan juices. Add mushrooms to pan and continue cooking until chicken and vegetables are done, about 30 to 40 minutes longer. Makes 4 servings.

GREEK-STYLE SHRIMP

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup sliced green onions

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined

3/4 cup vegetable juice cocktail

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Dash black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oil in heat-proof 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink, stirring constantly. Stir in vegetable juice cocktail. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, 2 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and place under broiler. Heat 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly melted. Sprinkle with pepper and parsley. Makes 4 servings.

APRICOT PORK

MEDALLIONS

1 pound pork tenderloin

2 tablespoons margarine

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

2 green onions, sliced

1/4 teaspoon powdered ginger

1 teaspoon wine vinegar

2 teaspoons brown sugar

Dash hot pepper sauce

Cut tenderloin crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Flatten each piece slightly with heel of hand. Heat 1 tablespoon margarine in large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown medallions, about 2 minutes on each side. Add apricots, onions, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar and hot pepper sauce to pan along with remaining margarine. Cover and simmer 3 to 4 minutes. Remove medallions to serving platter and spoon sauce over. Makes 4 servings.

PEPPERED BEEF WITH ASPARAGUS

1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 pound beef flank steak

Salt

1 cup sliced mushrooms

7 green onions, sliced

1/3 cup water

1/2 teaspoon instant beef bouillon granules

1 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

10 ounces fresh asparagus spears or 1 (10-ounce) package frozen, cooked

Sprinkle half of pepper on one side of steak. rub over meat, pressing in with hands. Turn steak. Rub remaining pepper on other side of meat. Place steak on unheated rack of broiler pan. Broil 3 inches from heat 8 to 10 minutes or until done, turning once and sprinkling with small amount of salt. Keep steak warm.

Combine mushrooms, onions, water and beef bouillon granules in saucepan. Cook, covered, over medium heat 5 minutes until mushrooms are tender. Do not drain.

Sift flour and mustard into yogurt, then add to mushroom mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute longer.

To serve, cut steak across grain into 1/4-inch thick strips. Arrange beef slices on serving plates. Arrange asparagus spears on top. Spoon sauce over all. Makes 4 servings.