After a couple of weeks of following a low salt diet, you'll find that your taste changes and that you'll actually be satisfied with far less salt. You'll even find that the olives and potato chips and peanuts that once tasted just right, now seem too salty. We've found that with salt, the less you eat, the less you feel you need$but be patient because this doesn't happen overnight.
For that matter, a preference for low fat cooking may not happen overnight either. In fact, to level with you, I think that in most cases it won't happen overnight. If you're not used to the low fat substitutions for rich sauces and gravies, some of the recipes in this chapter may seem downright Spartan to you the first time you try them. But once you're used to them, you may find as Frank and I have, that with time it's not only possible to get used to lighter cooking, it's actually possible to prefer it.
BARBECUE DRUMSTICKSServes 8 Microwave Recipe To save additional fat and calories, remove the skin from the drumsticks. I wouldn't recommend this for a conventional oven recipe because the meat would dry out. But microwaving retains moisture, and the sauce adds flavor. 8 roaster drumsticks 1 cup water 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/3 cup tomato paste 1 tablespoon vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper Remove skin from drumsticks and discard. In 4-cup glass container, combine water, onion, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, chili powder, mustard and pepper until well blended. Cover with plastic wrap; microwave at HIGH (100% power) 5 minutes. Stir and microwave, uncovered, 5 minutes longer. Pour half the mixture over bottom of a 12 x 8-inch microwave-safe utensil. Place drumsticks in sauce with meatier portions toward outer edge of utensil. Pour remaining sauce over drumsticks; cover with wax paper. Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) 12 minutes per pound. Halfway through cooking time, turn drumsticks over and move drumsticks to sides of utensil. Re-cover with wax paper; complete cooking. Let stand, covered, 15 minutes before serving. Nutritional Figures Per Serving Calories 94. Protein 16 grams. Carbohydrate 3 grams. Fat 2 grams. Cholesterol 51 mg. Sodium 142 mg. BURGUNDY CHICKENServes 4 Microwave Recipe The Perdue home economists say that microwave recipes are often more nutritious than their conventional versions because microwaving requires much less liquid, ensuring that vitamins and minerals are not washed away. 1 chicken, cut in serving pieces 1/2 cup Burgundy or other dry red wine 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 1 bay leaf 1/2 pound pearl onions, peeled 1/4 pound small mushrooms, sliced 8 small new potatoes, cut into quarters 2 carrots (about 1 cup), thinly sliced 2 tablespoons water 1-1/2 tablespoon cornstarch Remove and discard skin and visible fat from the larger chicken pieces. In a 3-quart microwave-safe utensil, combine wine, chicken broth, thyme, pepper, and bay leaf. Add onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and carrots. Cover and microwave at HIGH (100% power) 5 minutes. Arrange chicken on top of vegetables, bone-side up, with meatier portions toward outer edge of utensil. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 15 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and rearrange, spooning vegetable mixture over each piece. Re- cover; microwave 5-6 minutes per pound or until chicken and vegetables are fork tender. Remove chicken pieces and vegetables; cover to keep warm. In microwave-safe cup, combine water and cornstarch. Add small amount of hot pan juices to cup and stir to blend; gradually stir cornstarch mixture into remaining juices. Microwave on HIGH 2 minutes; stir and microwave 2 minutes longer or until boiling. Serve sauce over chicken and vegetables. Nutritional Figures Per Serving Calories 438. Protein 42 grams. Carbohydrate 29 grams. Fat 17 grams. Cholesterol 122 mg. Sodium 137 mg. CHICKEN AU POIVREServes 4 Pepper's piquant flavor helps disguise the lack of salt. l roaster boneless breast or 1 package thin sliced roaster breast 2 tablespoons flour 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper l teaspoon dry mustard 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry red wine 1 tablespoon minced, fresh parsley Remove and discard visible fat from boneless breast; slice thin. (You can skip this step if you have the thin sliced roaster breast.) Place chicken slices between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/8 inch thickness. On wax paper, combine flour, pepper and mustard. Lightly coat chicken with flour mixture, pressing to make pepper adhere. In large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add garlic; saute 30 seconds. Place chicken in skillet so that pieces do not touch. Cook about 3 minutes or until lightly browned, turning once. Remove to serving platter; keep warm. Pour off fat; stir in wine. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened and liquid is reduced by one-half. Stir in parsley. Spoon sauce over chicken.
Nutritional Figures Per Serving
Calories 255. Protein 36 grams. Carbohydrate 5 grams.
Fat 9 grams. Cholesterol 90 mg. Sodium 81 mg.
CHICKEN PROVENCALServes 4 Microwave Recipe Do you know why you brown chicken first in traditional stews and casseroles? It's to seal in the juices. You don't need to in microwave cooking, so you save the fat calories from the butter or margarine or oil you'd use for browning, and the chicken still ends up moist and tender. 4 chicken breast halves 3 cups coarsely chopped fresh Italian plum tomatoes
or a 28-ounce can, drained 1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (12-ounces) 1/3 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley Remove and discard skin from chicken breasts. In a 3-quart microwave-safe utensil, combine tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Cover with wax paper. Microwave at HIGH (100% power) 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in cup combine wine and cornstarch, stir into tomato mixture. Place chicken breasts, bone-side up and meatier portions toward outside of utensil, on top of tomato mixture. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 5 minutes. Reduce power to MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) and cook 10 minutes per pound. Halfway through cooking time, turn chicken breasts over and stir tomato mixture. After cooking, let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Remove chicken to serving platter; stir parsley into tomato mixture and spoon some over breasts; serve remaining sauce on side.
Nutritional Figures Per Serving Calories 347. Protein 63 grams. Carbohydrate 13 grams. Fat 4 grams. Cholesterol 152 mg. Sodium 283 mg.
CHICKEN RATATOUILLEMakes 6 drumsticks. When "ratatouille" appears in a recipe's name, you can be sure it will have eggplant in it and probably tomatoes and peppers as well. These vegetables will be noticeably more delicious if you use them very fresh rather than after storage in the refrigerator. The flavor of these vegetables all deteriorate at refrigerator temperatures. They're warm weather crops and nature didn't mean for them to be in the chilling temperatures of a refrigerator. 6 chicken drumsticks 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 cup coarsely chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 pound eggplant, peeled and cubed 2 medium zucchini (about 1/2 pound) cubed 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1 green pepper, cut in thin 1-inch strips 1 tablespoon minced, fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried 3/4 teaspoon minced, fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dried 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper Remove and discard skin and visible fat from drumsticks. In large skillet, over medium-heat, heat oil. Add drumsticks; cook about 15 minutes, turning until browned on all sides. Remove drumsticks; drain on paper towels. Add onion and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, green pepper, basil, oregano and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place drumsticks in vegetable mixture; cook about 30 minutes longer or until drumsticks are tender, occasionally spooning vegetables over chicken.
Nutritional Figures Per Drumstick Calories 126. Protein 12 grams. Carbohydrate 8 grams. Fat 6 grams. Cholesterol 33 mg. Sodium 41 mg.
CHICKEN IN MUSTARD SAUCEServes 4 If controlling sodium is important to you, use an ordinary table wine for the white wine called for in this recipe. Cooking wines often contain salt and should be avoided by anyone who is watching sodium intake. Likewise, sweet wines and fortified ones such as sherry, Madeira and Marsala should be used sparingly because they are higher in calories than dry wines. No wines contain alcohol after cooking. 1 roaster boneless breast or 1 package thin sliced roaster breast 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced (2 cups) 2 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley l tablespoon minced shallot or scallion l/8 teaspoon ground pepper l/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth l/4 cup dry white wine l tablespoon Dijon mustard Remove and discard visible fat from breast; slice thin. (If using thin sliced product, skip this step.) In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add breast slices a few at a time, placing so that pieces do not touch. Saute 4 minutes, turning once, until chicken is lightly browned on both sides. Remove from skillet; keep warm. Heat remaining oil. Add mushrooms, parsley, shallot and pepper. Stirring frequently, cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth and wine; bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half (about 1/3 cup). Reduce heat to low; stir in mustard until well blended. Spoon over chicken.