DEAR JEANNE: At family-get-together dinners, everyone loves this dish. Can it be revised in any way? Love your column! - Mary Lou Schaad, Wadsworth, Ohio
DEAR MARY LOU: I decided to eliminate the cornbread mix and make my own so I could better control the nutritional bottom line. After two tries, I finally came up with a winning combination that included substituting buttermilk for the sour cream and egg whites for the eggs. I think you will be surprised how my "mix 'n' match" approach still provides you with the rich, moist corn dish you and your family love.Each serving contains approximately: Original Recipe: 263 calories; 58 mg cholesterol; 16 gm fat; 557 mg sodium. Revised Recipe: 189 calories; 1 mg cholesterol; 6 gm fat; 524 mg sodium.
DEAR READERS: As a bonus today, I'm adding the recipe I use most frequently myself. It is also the recipe I have had the most requests to run again in my column from readers who have lost it since it first appeared several years ago. My recipe for apple butter calls for dried unsulfured apples, which are available in health-food stores, because they give the apple butter a richer and darker color than the sulfured variety. Sulfured apples will also work, however, if you can't find the unsulfured kind.
Use this tasty, fat-free topping on toast, bagels, muffins, pancakes and waffles. Also try it on oatmeal or other hot cereals instead of sugar - it's delicious! It is even good on yogurt or ice cream as a dessert.
It's hard to beat the ease and convenience of one-dish meals, and it's even better when they're healthful! Order my pamphlet, Easy and Nutritious One-Dish Meals, for some of my favorites. Send $1 and a stamped (52 cents), self-addressed, legal-size envelope to One-Dish, PO Box 5541, Riverton, NJ 08077.
- Jeanne Jones is a consultant on menu planning, recipes and new-product development for major hotels and spas. She is also the author of 19 cookbooks, most recently "Jeanne Jones Entertains" (Crown, $30).
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Deseret News
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Corn Casserole
1 (16 1/2-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (16 1/2-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8 1/2-ounce) box Jiffy corn-bread mix
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 stick melted margarine
1 cup sour cream
Mix all ingredients together, adding sour cream last. Pour into a greased casserole and bake 1 hour at 350 F.
Winning Corn Casserole
1 (16 1/2-ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 (16 1/2-ounce) can cream-style corn
3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
3 egg whites
1/3 cup corn-oil margarine, melted
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick vegetable coating and bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 1 hour. Serves 12.
Apple Butter
1/4 pound dried unsulfured sliced apples (2 cups)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Pour into a blender container and blend until smooth. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a tightly covered container. It will keep for months.
Makes 2 cups, sixteen 2-tablespoon servings.
Each serving contains approximately 35 calories; negligible fat; no cholesterol; 5 mg sodium.