Wednesday, June 9, 1999 | 9:27 a.m.
Just in time for Father's Day comes a cookbook designed with men in mind.
"A Guy's Guide to Great Eating" by Don Mauer (Houghton Mifflin, $17) features fat-reduced recipes for men who love to eat and to cook.
"It drives me crazy that dietitians assume that a serving size of macaroni and cheese is a single half-cup. Puh-leeze. These recipes are for real world appetites," Mauer says.
Mauer, a newspaper columnist and motivational speaker, lost more than 100 pounds when he reworked his favorite recipes to make them more healthful.
What better gift for your dad (and mom) than a plan to eat well and stay trim and healthy.
Women who share these recipes probably should cut down the portions, but they'll enjoy knowing that every recipe gets no more than 25 percent of its calories from fat.
Sunday Morning
Pecan-Topped
French Toast Casserole1 8-oz loaf French bread, cut into egg substitute)
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fresh-grated nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
Topping
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1 1/2-oz packet Butter Buds, mixed with 1/2 c. hot water
2 Tbs dark corn syrup
1 oz pecans, finely chopped (1/4 c.)1. Lightly spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil. Place the bread slices on their sides in the baking dish (crowding is OK). The dish will be completely covered with bread and filled to the top.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, evaporated milk, egg whites, eggs, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon until combined. Pour over the bread slices, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate overnight.
3. The next morning, make the topping: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, Butter Buds and corn syrup until the sugar dissolves.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Drizzle the topping evenly over the bread slices. Sprinkle with the pecans. Bake, uncovered, until puffed and golden, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.
Per serving:Calories 391; calories from fat 18.8 percent; total fat 8.2g; cholesterol 81mg; sodium 545mg; carbohydrates 63g; protein 16.7g.
(Originally, this recipe had almost 700 calories per serving. If that wasn't bad enough, each serving packed in almost 44 grams of fat -- 57.7 percent of calories. Wow! It was one tasty breakfast dish, but it exceeded my fat allowance for an entire day.
The fat came from half-and-half, whole eggs, a stick of butter and a cup of pecans. I made some substitutions, but maintained the rich taste and delightful pecan flavor. Start preparing this dish the day before you plan to use it. )
Lean suggestion: This casserole is sweet, so serve it with some lean ham browned in a touch of vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet.
Extra-Crunchy Country-Style
Oven Fried Chicken
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
1 tsp dried basil, crumbled
1 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 large egg whites
1/4 c. low-fat buttermilk
2 tsp Dijon mustard
4 c. corn flakes
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 3 lbs total), rinsed under cold water and patted dry1. Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray a jelly-roll pan with vegetable oil.
2. Place the flour, thyme, basil, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, pepper, salt, curry powder and cayenne in a 1-quart recloseable plastic bag. Seal and shake until combined. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites, buttermilk and mustard. Set aside.
4. Place the corn flakes in a food processor with the steel blade in place and process, pulsing, until broken up but not turned into crumbs. Place into a medium bowl.
5. One at a time, place each chicken breast in the seasoning bag and shake until coated. Then dip it into the buttermilk mixture and then into the corn flakes, firmly pressing the corn flakes onto the chicken breast. Place each chicken breast, not touching, on the jelly-roll pan. Spray the chicken lightly with vegetable oil.
6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the coating is golden and the chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.
Per serving:Calories 289; calories from fat 8.2 percent; total fat 2.7g; saturated fat 0.6g; cholesterol 98mg; sodium 534mg; carbohydrates 21.8g; protein 40.8g.
(Those fast-food joints sure know how to make fried chicken. The only problem is that the breading sucks up oil from the fryer, making greasy -- albeit tasty -- chicken.
I like to coat chicken breasts with a flavorful crunchy coating and "fry" it in the oven at a high temperature. They come out cracklin' crisp, very low in fat and so good you'll be licking your fingers. )
Salt sense: Omitting the salt reduces the sodium to 357 mg per serving.
Cooking tip: This chicken stays crunchy for only a short time after it has been removed from the oven.
Great Grilled Spicy Shrimp1 c. kosher salt
2 1/3 lbs large shrimp, shelled, leaving the tail and the first shell next to the tail intact, deveined
1 Tbs chili powder
1 1/2 tsp paprika (preferably Hungarian)
1 1/2 tsp packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp dry ground mustard (preferably Colman's)
Scant 1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Lemon wedges1. In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Place the kosher salt in a large heat-proof bowl. Add the boiling water and stir until the salt is mostly dissolved. Add 6 cups ice water (with ice cubes) to the bowl and stir until the salt completely dissolves. Add the shrimp and let stand for 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients, except for the lemon wedges. Set aside.
3. Drain and rinse the shrimp thoroughly under cold running water. Arrange them in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan and sprinkle with half the spice mixture. Turn the shrimp over and sprinkle with the remaining spice mixture. Thread the shrimp onto 4 long metal skewers.
4. Prepare a fire in the grill. When the coals are covered with a light ash, spread them in an even layer. Oil the grill rack, place it 5 to 6 inches over the coals and preheat the rack for 5 minutes.
5. Place the skewers on the grill and cook for 3 minutes. Turn and cook for 3 minutes more, or until the shrimp are pink and offer resistance when pressed. Serve the shrimp immediately on the skewers, with the lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: Calories 258; calories from fat 16 percent; total fat 4.5; saturated fat 0.8g; cholesterol 349mg; sodium 566mg; carbohydrates 4.9g; protein 49g.
("Great" is no overstatement. Soaking the shrimp in the brine before cooking plumps them up so they are incredibly moist and juicy when they come off the grill. The spicy seasonings are perfect for the sweetness of the shrimp. Purchasing shelled and deveined shrimp makes the preparation of this dish go very quickly.)
Cooking tip: If you are going to serve the shrimp cold, make sure to coat them with as much of the spice mixture as possible, since chilling dulls the flavor.
Lean suggestion: Serve with spring peas and sliced ripe tomatoes. I ask my guests to shell the peas. A margarita made with good tequila doesn't hurt either.
Giant Black-Bottom Brownies
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
Cream Cheese Filling
2 8-oz packages nonfat cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 Tbs minimorsel semisweet chocolate chips
Brownie Batter
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 c. granulated sugar1. Place a strainer over a bowl deep enough so the bottom of the strainer doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Put the applesauce in the strainer and set aside to drain for 15 minutes; you should have 1 cup drained applesauce.
2. Place the oven rack in the lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with butter-flavored vegetable oil and set aside.
3. To make the filling: Mix the cream cheese, egg, egg whites and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand. St aside.
4. To make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Set aside. Place the eggs and egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whisk until foamy. Add the sugar, drained applesauce and vanilla and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Fold in the flour mixture until the dry ingredients are just moistened.
5. Pour half the brownie batter into the baking pan. Spoon the cream cheese mixture on top. Pour the remaining brownie batter on top of the cream cheese mixture. With a butter knife, make swirls through the batter to produce a marbled effect. Bake for 55 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool on a rack, cut into 2-inch squares and serve. Makes 24 brownies.
Per serving: Calories 224; calories from fat 9.7 percent; total fat 2.4g; saturated fat 1.2g; cholesterol 29mg; sodium 158mg; carbohydrates 47.3g; protein 6.5g.
(These giant brownies have a chocolate-chip-flecked layer of cheesecake swirled into the dark chocolate batter, thereby combining the best of both brownies and cheesecake. )
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