Recipe: Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol, Low-Sodium Dessert Recipes - Continued

Good morning, Elly,

It has been a pleasure doing this for you. I can easily put myself in your position and I also like to know WAY in advance what I'm doing and (more or less) how it's going to turn out. I figured that you'd want to test some or all of the recipes before the guests arrived so the earlier you had some ideas, the better. I love the recipes and ideas you post - keeping those coming is thanks enough! After you've had a chance to look everything over, do let me know if you want anything else looked up.

I've been using a product made by Parkay, called "Buttery Spray" (0 cal; 0 fat; 0 chol; 5mg sodium) that I think is wonderful, and that you may want to buy and try or suggest to your friends. I've actually replaced butter with this spray as you can use it to spritz on dry foods (such as toast) as well as on moist foods. You'll find it in where you find butter in the grocery store.

Back to DESSERTS:

APPLE RAISIN CRUNCH
(Serves 6)

Vegetable oil spray
2 pounds tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 5-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbs margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x8-inch baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

Arrange apples and raisins in prepared dish and pour orange juice over all. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir to mix well. Distribute mixture evenly over fruit. Bake 40 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Spoon into six individual serving dishes and serve warm.

Calories 259; Total Fat 10 gm; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 95 mg.

Apple-Raisin Crunch with Ice Milk:
Serve 1/2 cup of ice milk on top of each serving.
Calories 351; Total Fat 13 gm; Cholesterol 9 mg; Sodium 147 mg.

OAT BLUEBERRY CRISP
(Serves 8)

Vegetable oil spray
7 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 cup margarine
3 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/8 tsp salt
4 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed, stems removed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

In a blender or in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine 7 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, oatmeal, nutmeg, cinnamon and sesame seeds. Process 10 seconds. Cut margarine in 1/2-inch pieces, add to flour mixture and process 10 seconds. Set aside.

In a bowl, combine remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 cup flour with lemon rind and salt. Stir well, breaking up any lumps. Add blueberries and toss gently until coated evenly. Pour into prepared pan. Add oatmeal topping and bake 30 to 35 minutes.

Calories 215; Total Fat 7 gm; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 110 mg.

CHERRY CRISP
(Serves 9)

Vegetable oil spray
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup rolled oatmeal
1/3 cup margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1 16-ounce can pitted no-sugar-added sour cherries, canned in natural juices
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 Tbs cornstarch
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

In a bowl, combine flour and rolled oatmeal. Cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Add 1/3 cup sugar and mix well. Set aside for topping.

Drain cherries, reserving cherries and juice.

In a saucepan, combine remaining sugar with cornstarch, spices, and lemon juice. Slowly blend in cherry juice. Place over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is thick and clear. Add cherries. Pour into prepared baking pan and sprinkle with topping.

Bake 30 minutes.

Calories 186; Total Fat 8 gm; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 80 mg.

PEACH CLAFOUTI
(Serves 8)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

Immerse peaches in a pan of simmering water for 1 minute. Remove to a bowl of ice water. Slip skins off peaches, remove pits and slice fruit. Set aside.

In a blender or the workbowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine milk, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, eggs, extracts, flour, mace and salt. Process until mixture forms a smooth batter. Pour about 1/2 cup batter into prepared pan. Place in oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until set.

Remove pan from oven and evenly distribute fruit on top of cooked batter. Pour remaining batter over top.

Bake 20 minutes, then sprinkle pine nuts over clafouti.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over top of tart. Bake 40 minutes more. Serve warm.

Calories 160; Total Fat 4 gm; Cholesterol 104 mg; Sodium 117 mg.


FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE
(Serves 8)

1-1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
1 Tbs water
6 cups fresh strawberries, rinsed and hulled
3 Tbs cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp grated orange rind
Few drops of red food coloring
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 9-inch pie crust, baked and cooled (recipe follows)

In a small bowl, combine gelatin and 1 tablespoon water. Set aside.

Measure 4 cups whole strawberries of uniform size. Place strawberries, points up, on bottom of pie shell.

Place remaining 2 cups strawberries in a bowl and crush with a fork or potato masher. Place in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cornstarch, sugar and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and clear. Remove from heat and add gelatin. Cool and add rind, food coloring, and extract.

Pour into pie shell, cover and refrigerate. Chill several hours before serving.

You can top this with "Cool Whip" non-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed, if desired.

Calories 244; Total Fat 10 gm; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 90 mg.

Mrs. Park's Piecrust
(1 piecrust)

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 cup acceptable vegetable oil
3 Tbs ice water

Sift flour and salt together into a mixing bowl. Set aside.

In a small bowl or a 1-cup measure, whisk together oil and water. Pour liquid all at once into flour mixture. Stir lightly with a fork until blended, adding more water if necessary to hold dough together. Form into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for a few minutes to make dough easier to work.

Flatten dough slightly and place between two sheets of wax paper and roll out quickly. Do not roll too thin. Remove top sheet of paper and turn dough onto pie plate. Trim and flute edges with a fork or your fingers.

Crust may be covered and refrigerated or frozen before filling.

For a baked pie shell (to be filled later), bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes or until edges are light brown. To prevent the crust from puffing up or losing shape during baking, cover pastry with wax paper and weigh it down with dried beans, pie weights, or an aluminum-foil pie plate.

Calories 150; Total Fat 9 gm; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 89 mg.

ANGEL FOOD CAKE
(Serves 12)

1 cup cake flour
10 large egg whites*
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup sugar

*Remember that even a single drop of egg yolk will prevent egg whites from rising, so separate eggs very carefully, one at a time.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift flour and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat until very stiff, but not dry. Add sugar, two tablespoons at a time, and continue to beat just until mixture is smooth. Using a spatula, gently fold in flour.

Pour the batter into an ungreased, 10-inch tube pan. Draw a knife through the batter to remove any large air bubbles. Place the pan in the lower third of the oven and bake 45 minutes, or until cracks feel dry and top springs back when touched lightly.

When cake is done, remove it from the oven and invert the pan. If the tube in the center of the pan is not high enough for the inverted cake to be suspended in the air, use a heatproof funnel or a thin-necked soda bottle on which to rest the pan. Let the cake hang and cool for 1-1/2 hours.

Remove the cake from its perch and slide a sharp knife inside the edges of the pan to release the cake.

Calories 106.78; Total Fat 0.06 gr; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 58.92 mg.

PUMPKIN PECAN BREAD
(Makes 4 loaves - 16 slices per loaf -
Serves 64 - 1 slice per serving)

Vegetable oil spray
4 eggs (or 8 egg whites or egg substitute equivalent to 4 eggs)
2 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup acceptable vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted dry-roasted chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray four 8x4-inch loaf pans with vegetable oil spray.

In a bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add pumpkin, oil and water. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add sugar and stir to mix thoroughly.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add pumpkin mixture all at once. Mix well and add nuts. Stir to mix well.

Pour batter into four prepared loaf pans, filling each half full.

Bake 1 hour, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Calories 85; Total Fat 5 gm; Cholesterol 17 mg; Sodium 80 mg.



Elly, this runs my initial selection from the American Heart Association cookbooks (AHA Cookbook-5th Edition, and AHA Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook) but, again, let me know if you have any special requests. I'll be checking back here regularly!

Janet