Dear Jeanne: I absolutely love sauces with heavy cream. I know it's not good for me, but I never can get the same texture and flavor when I replace the cream with skim milk or even canned skim milk. I have this fantastic recipe; do you have a solution? — Francine Aguilar, Upland, Calif.
Dear Francine: Yes, this is delicious, but look at the fat and calories! You are right to want to reduce them. I find that this particular kind of recipe does well with fat-free half-and-half. The caveat is that when you boil it, you must add cornstarch or flour to keep it from separating. The recipe already has some good vegetables, but I had some asparagus and it sounded good to me, so I added it. You also could add broccoli florets or any other small vegetable pieces.
CHICKEN ASHLEY
1 pound chicken breasts (off bone)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, divided use
1/2 pound mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 cup white wine
1 tomato
2 cups heavy cream
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoons basil (fresh, or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound angel-hair pasta
Cut chicken into strips. Dip in the flour, mixed with salt and pepper to taste. Saute in half of the butter until golden brown. Put in oven to keep heated. In separate pan, saute sliced mushrooms and diced red and green peppers with the rest of the butter and the wine until tender. Add diced tomato; saute a few minutes. Add heavy cream, salt, pepper and basil. Simmer on low. Add grated cheese. In a separate pot, cook angel hair. Serve chicken over pasta with cream sauce.
Makes 6 servings.
REDUCED-FAT CHICKEN ASHLEY
1/2 pound angel-hair pasta
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon butter
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups asparagus, cut into 1-to-2-inch pieces
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups fat-free half-and-half
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 fresh tomato, diced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1. In a large pot of boiling water, boil the angel hair until al dente. Drain.
2. Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Saute the chicken strips until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Cover with foil and set aside, or place in a low oven to keep warm.
3. Melt the butter in the same skillet, and saute the peppers and garlic for 1 minute. Add the asparagus, wine, mushrooms and black pepper, and cook another 3 minutes.
4. Dissolve the cornstarch completely in the half-and-half and add to the vegetable mixture, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Add the cheese, tomato and basil, and return the chicken to the pan. Return to a simmer. Serve over the angel-hair pasta.
Makes 6 servings.
Each serving contains approximately: Original Recipe: 952 calories; 52 gm fat; 207 mg cholesterol; 842 mg sodium; 78 gm carbohydrates; 37 gm protein; 4 gm fiber. Revised Recipe: 385 calories; 7 gm fat; 57 mg cholesterol; 272 mg sodium; 47 gm carbohydrates; 27 gm protein; 4 gm fiber.
Jeanne Jones is the author of 33 cookbooks, most recently "Cooking From the Cupboard" (Rodale Press). For more information, you can go to her Web site, jeannejones.com. Send your recipe for revision to: Cook It Light, Deseret News, P.O. Box 1212, La Jolla, CA 92038. Please include a stamped (59 cents), self-addressed envelope. © King Features Syndicate Inc.