Diner de-lites: one order no-guilt comfort food, comin' up!

Think those New Year's diet resolutions mean you can't indulge in your favorite comfort foods--you know, diner-style specials like mac-cheese or frosted layer cake? Think again. The lightened-up versions on these pages have all the lusciousness of the originals, but won't wreck your waistline-watching plans. So on those cold days in January when you find yourself craving cozy comfort foods the most, have them!

We totally transformed these yummy standards--even blue cheese dressing and eggplant Parmesan--in the calorie and fat departments, yet we promise you can't tell the flavor difference. We even came up with a creative, nutritious twist on creamy scalloped potatoes by substituting sweet potatoes, for their vitamin-filled goodness. Finally, the icing on the cake is ... our iced chocolate cake--a gooey, dense delight that's surprisingly light. Now that's comforting!

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Serves 8

There are lots of reasons to scallop
sweet potatoes instead of
spuds. Vitamins A and E--both
good for the immune system--are
two. And since this recipe has only
3 grams of fat (versus the 9
more in many homemade versions),
you won't have to turn down seconds!

1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups roasted or low-sodium
  vegetable broth
1 cup low-fat milk
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 bay leaf
3 medium sweet potatoes (about
2 1/2 lb.), peeled and thinly
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat 8 8-oz.
ramekins or 9x13-inch baking dish
with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan
over medium heat. Add onion slices,
and saute until soft, about 7 to
10 minutes. Add broth, mill garlic,
thyme, nutmeg and bay leaf; bring
to a simmer. Cook until liquid is
reduced to just under 3 cups, about
7 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and
season to taste with salt and

3. Add sweet potatoes to liquid.
Return to a simmer, and cook,
stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

4. Pour mixture into ramekins
or baking dish; bake 30 minutes
baking dish, basting potatoes
occasionally with liquid in dish.
Sprinkle cheese over potatoes,
and bake ramekins 10 minutes;
large dish 20 minutes. Let both
rest 5 minutes before serving.

PER SERVING: 161 CAL; 4G PROT; 3G TOTAL FAT (1.5G SAT. FAT); 30G CARB; 7MG CHOL; 194MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 2G SUGARS

MAC AND CHEESE

Serves 8

This enlightened recipe has 200 fewer
calories than the standard homemade
mac and cheese--yet it's still creamy-cheesy.
It's great with a spinach and
mushroom salad.

8 oz. medium-sized macaroni
4 slices whale wheat bread
2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 tsp. olive oil
1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
3 cups reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 9x13-inch
baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Bring large pot of salted water to
boil. Cook pasta according to package
directions, until al dente. Drain,
rinse under cold water; drain again.

3. Process bread slices in food
processor to fine crumbs. Add butter
and 2 tsp. oil, and pulse to moisten.
Transfer to small bowl.

4. Puree cottage cheese in processor.

5. Whisk 1/2 cup milk, flour and
mustard in small bowl until smooth.

6. In large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat
remaining 1 tsp. oil over medium
heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring
often, 6 to 8 minutes, or until
softened. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups
milk, and bring to a bare simmer.
Whisk in flour mixture, and cook,
stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes, or
until thickened. Remove from heat.

7. Whisk in pureed cottage cheese,
Cheddar, and salt and black pepper
to taste. Stir in macaroni, and
transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle
top with breadcrumb mixture.

8. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35
minutes, or until bubbly and lightly
browned. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes
before serving.

PER SERVING: 389 CAL; 20G PROT; 15G TOTAL FAT (8G SAT. FAT); 43G CARB; 37MG CHOL; 709MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 8G SUGARS

EGGPLANT PARM
Serves 6

Oven-frying the eggplant slices makes
a succulent dish that has only 9 grams
of fat--instead of 20 or more.

3 large egg whites
I cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium eggplants, sliced
  into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
  cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat
2 baking sheets and 8x11 1/2-inch
baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Whisk egg whites with 3 Tbs. water
in bowl until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs,
1/4 cup Parmesan, and salt and
pepper to taste in shallow dish.
Dip eggplant slices into egg whites,
then coat with breadcrumb mixture
and arrange on baking sheets.

3. Bake until golden; turn; bake until
golden again, about 30 minutes total.

4. Stir basil into marinara sauce.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in baking dish.
Top with half of eggplant, slightly
overlapping slices. Cover with 1 cup
of sauce; sprinkle with half of
mozzarella. Cover with remaining
eggplant, and top with remaining
sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.

5. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes,
or until bubbly and golden. Let stand
10 minutes; serve.

PER SERVING: 247 CAL; 14G PROT; 9G TOTAL FAT (3G SAT. FAT); 28G CARB; 13MG CHOL; 752MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 11G SUGARS

BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

Makes about 3/4 cup
30 minutes or fewer

Restaurant versions of this dressing can
be lethal. Buttermilk makes ours taste
just as rich but keeps it super light--down
from more than 100 calories to
30 and from 5 grams of fat to 2.
For a retro-style diner treat, pour it
over a wedge of iceburg lettuce; for
more substance, try romaine or endive.

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup buttermilk
3 Tbs. fat-free sour cream
2 Tbs. low-fat mayonnaise
2 tsp. sherry vinegar
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1. Mash 1/4 cup blue cheese and
buttermilk in small bowl with fork
until mixture resembles small curds.
Stir in rest of ingredients and
remaining blue cheese. Season to
taste with salt and pepper.

2. Serve immediately, or cover and
refrigerate until ready to use.

PER TABLESPOON: 30 CAL; 2G PROT; 2G TOTAL FAT (1G SAT. FAT); 2G CARB; 5MG CHOL; 113MG SOD 0G FIBER; 1G SUGARS

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Serves 6

Traditional French onion soup can
come in as high as 39 grams of fat per
serving. Ours has just 10.5 and tastes
amazing. Slowly caramelizing the
onions gives this soup its diner-divine
rich flavor (don't try to hurry the
onions; they're worth the time!). Slices
of toasted sourdough and just enough
melted cheese complete the order.

2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
5 large onions (about 3 lb.), halved
  and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
6 cups roasted or low-sodium
  vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry sherry
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sherry vinegar
6 1/2-inch slices sourdough
  bread, toasted
3/4 cup shredded Jarlsberg
  or Gruyere cheese

l. Heat butter and oil in heavy,
large saucepan over medium
heat. Add onions, garlic and
salt, and cook 5 minutes,
stirring often. Reduce heat to
very low, and cook, stirring
occasionally, 50 to 60 minutes,
until onions are very tender
and brown.

2. Stir in flour, and cook 3 to 4
minutes, stirring constantly. Blend in
broth, sherry and mustard. Cover,
and simmer 15 minutes, stirring
occasionally. Stir in sherry vinegar.

3. Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into six
heatproof bowls. Top each with slice
of toast and grated cheese. Broil until
cheese is bubbly and golden, about
1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot.

PER SERVING: 279 CAL; 9G PROT; 10.5G TOTAL FAT (4.5G SAT. FAT); 39G CARB; 18MG CHOL; 794MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 7G SUGARS

CHOCOLATE LAYER CAKE

Serves 12 * Vegan

If there's a synonym for ooey gooey,
this is it: diner-style chocolate
cake. But while this version has
a moist, velvety texture and a deep
chocolate flavor, it's surprisingly
light--227 calories per slice; others
run anywhere from 450 to 620.

Cake

1 cup pureed firm silken law-fat tofu
1 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed strong coffee, cold
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Chocolate Frosting

10.5 oz. extra-firm silken tofu
2 tsp. vanilla extract
6 oz. vegan semisweet chocolate,
melted
Raspberries for garnish, optional

1. To make Cake: Preheat oven to
350E Grease and flour 2 8-inch round
cake pans. Whisk together tofu, syrup,
coffee and vanilla with 1/4 cup cold
water in large bowl until smooth.

2. Sift together all remaining cake
ingredients. Add to tofu mixture, and
beat with electric mixer until smooth,
about 2 to 4 minutes.

3. Divide batter between cake pans.
Bake about 15 minutes, or until
springy to the touch. Cool in pans on
wire racks 10 minutes. Invert cakes
onto racks, and cool completely.

4. To make Chocolate Frosting:
Place tofu, vanilla and chocolate
in blender or food processor, and
process until smooth.

5. To assemble: Place 1 cake layer on
serving plate. Spread with 1/2 cup
frosting. Top with second cake layer.
Decoratively frost top and sides.
Garnish with raspberries, if desired.

PER SERVING: 227 CAL: 7G PROT: 6.5G TOTAL FAT (3G SAT, FAT); 40G CARB: 0MG CHOL; 173MG SOD; 4G FIBER: 24G SUGARS

Photographs by Jacqueline Hopkins

Food Styling by Frank P. Melodia

Prop Styling by Karen Quatsoe

COPYRIGHT 2006 Vegetarian Times, Inc. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group