When the food and beverage manager at LaJolla's La Valencia Hotel asked me to come up with another breakfast item to compete with my already popular Gingerbread Pancakes, I tried to think of something I like as much as gingerbread. I immediately thought of peanut butter and developed these peanut butter waffles.
The trick was to achieve a strong peanut butter flavor without an outrageous amount of fat. At the hotel they are served with apple butter and breakfast cheese (a blended mixture of 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese and 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt), a sublimely flavorful combination that brings the percentage of calories from fat down to an acceptable 30 percent. You can serve these waffles with your own favorite fruit, fruit butter or light spread and, for a more festive presentation, bake the waffles in one of the many different-shaped waffles irons available in kitchen stores everywhere.
Dear Jeanne: This Pasta Jambalaya is one of my favorite dishes from one of my favorite restaurants, Mr. B.'s Bistro. On my last visit to New Orleans I requested and was given the recipe. It is very easy to make and is just as good at home as in the restaurant. Unfortunately, I now know how much saturated fat it contains. Can you revise it?
- Anna Duggan Salvesen,
San Diego, Calif.
Dear Anna: Some of the ingredients for this recipe must be purchased at a gourmet or specialty shop, but for lovers of fine Southern cuisine, the extra shopping is definitely worth it. I reduced the butter by using margarine and butter sprinkles, halved the amount of sausage and increased the amount of shrimp and stock to maintain the volume necessary for the sauce. I also found I could reduce the amount of pasta by half to make a more realistic serving size.
Each serving contains approximately:
Original Recipe: 1,403 calories; 431 mg cholesterol; 92 gm fat; 1,682 mg sodium; 62 gm protein; 84 gm carbohydrates.
Revised Recipe: 549 calories; 229 mg cholesterol; 17 gm fat; 898 mg sodium; 49 gm protein; 47 gm carbohydrates.
For more "enlightened" pasta recipes, order my booklet, "Pasta - Everybody's Favorite Food." Send $3 and a stamped (55 cents), self-addressed, No.10 envelope to Pasta, P.O. Box 5541, Riverton, NJ 08077-5541.
Jeanne Jones is a consultant on menu planning, recipes and new-product development for major hotels and spas. She is also the author of 28 cookbooks, most recently "Cook It Light One-Dish Meals" (Macmillan).
Send your recipe for revision to:
Cook It Light
(Deseret News)
P.O. Box 1212
La Jolla, CA 92038
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*****
Recipes
PEANUT BUTTER WAFFLES
11/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unhomogenized crunchy peanut butter
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
2 cups nonfat milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat a waffle iron and spray it with nonstick vegetable coating. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oatmeal, baking powder and salt and mix well.
In another bowl, combine the peanut butter, oil and sugars and mix until completely blended. Add the egg whites and mix well. Add the milk, a little at a time, blending well after each addition. Add the vanilla and again mix well.
Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overmix. Immediately spoon 1/2 cup batter into the preheated waffle iron and bake for about 7 minutes, or until golden brown and the waffle stops steaming.
Makes 8 waffles.
- Each waffle contains approximately 340 calories; 1 mg cholesterol; 15 gram fat; 450 mg sodium.
MR. B'S BISTRO PASTA JAMBALAYA
4 ounces melted butter
6 ounces andouille sausage, cubed
4 ounces cooked duck breast, cubed
4 ounces raw chicken breast, sliced thinly
12 large shrimp
1/2 cup diced onion
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup veal stock
1/2 cup diced ripe tomato
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
10 ounces cold sweet butter pieces
1 pound spinach fettuccine pasta, cooked
Add andouille, duck, chicken, shrimp, onion, garlic and pepper flakes to hot saute pan with melted butter. Saute over high flame, stirring with fork and shaking pan. When shrimp are half cooked through, about 2 minutes, add veal stock, tomatoes and seasoning. Reduce by one-third.
Swirl in cold butter pieces, continuously stirring with fork and rotating saute pan until all butter is incorporated (sauce should be smooth and light). Place warm pasta in bowl, pour jambalaya on top and serve immediately. Serves 4.
ADJUSTED PASTA JAMBALAYA
1 tablespoon corn-oil margarine
3 ounces andouille sausage, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces cooked duck breast, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
4 ounces raw chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 cup diced onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup defatted veal stock
1/2 cup diced fresh tomato
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 tablespoon butter-flavored sprinkles
1 pound large shrimp (21-25 count)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
8 ounces spinach fettuccine, cooked according to package instructions
In a large skillet, melt margarine over high heat. Add sausage, duck, chicken, onions, garlic and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes, then add veal stock, tomatoes, Creole seasoning and butter-flavored sprinkles. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add shrimp to skillet and cook 5 minutes more, until shrimp is cooked and mixture is reduced by about one-third. Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to skillet. Stir until slightly thickened. Serve over hot fettuccine.
Makes 4 servings.