Taste Test Tuesday: Mayo Made With Olive Oil?

There are two mayonnaise options on the supermarket shelf these days featuring the nutritionally popular olive oil. It was only a matter of time before mayonnaise would be made with olive oil instead of other vegetable oils like soybean oil.

Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil
It's a bit pricey but this 10-ounce plastic squirt bottle of reduced fat mayonnaise caught my eye. The cap is olive green and there's a picture of an appetizing green olive on the label.

But if you think this product was made exclusively with olive oil, you better check out the ingredient label. You'll find: water, olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and vinegar, listed as the first 5 ingredients.

How do the nutritional numbers turn out compared to Best Foods Light Mayonnaise?
Using mostly olive oil has bumped up the monounsaturated fat and bumped down the polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat. The calories are a little higher per tablespoon as well.

Per Tablespoon:

Kraft Mayo with Olive Oil:	Best Foods Light Mayonnaise:
45 calories	35 calories
4 g fat	3.5 g fat
0 g saturated fat	.5 g saturated fat
1 g polyunsaturated fat	2 g polyunsaturated fat
2 g monounsaturated fat	1 g monounsaturated fat
<5 mg cholesterol	<5 mg cholesterol
95 mg sodium	130 mg sodium

How does it taste?
Let's just say I made tuna salad with it and my "Best Foods Light" husband didn't notice the difference. The look and taste of this mayonnaise is similar enough that many would be perfectly content using it in all their sandwich and recipe adventures. Be prepared though, a more discerning mayonnaise fan, however, might raise the red flag in revolt.

Another Option
Best Foods (known as Hellmann's east of the Rocky Mountains) makes a Mayo Dressing With Extra Virgin Olive Oil and they also still use soybean oil. This product is a little higher in calories, grams of fat, and polyunsaturated fat compared to the Kraft Mayo option.

Homemade Cookie Dough You Can Eat Raw!

Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough is the latest in a string of food/product recalls to take place over the past couple of years. Until further notice, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness).

I know how popular commercial cookie dough is in America so to tie everyone over until this recent food safety scare is resolved… how about a recipe for chocolate chip cookies (that just happen to be more healthful)? You can even eat the cookie dough raw because this recipe uses egg substitute instead of eggs (which are pasteurized, eliminating the risk of salmonella from raw eggs.)

Photo: Elaine Magee

Chocolate Chip Oat Cookies
Ingredients:
1/4 cup less fat margarine (with 8 grams fat per tablespoon)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup egg substitute
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch or two of ground clove
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
6 ounces high cacao semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.


2. In large mixing bowl, combine margarine, sugars, salt, and vanilla together by beating until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add egg substitute to the mixing bowl and beat until well mixed, scraping sides of bowl midway.


3. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and spices. With mixer on low speed, beat half of the flour mixture into the margarine mixture. Beat in remaining flour mixture, oats, pecans (if desired) and chocolate chips.


4. Use a cookie scoop to drop balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until barely golden and still moist. Cool cookies on rack.

Yield: Makes 18 cookies

Nutritional Analysis per cookie: 127 calories, 2.2 g protein, 20 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 2.2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 127 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 35 percent.

Taste Test Tuesday: Starbucks Gluten-free Valencia Orange Cake

On top of the pedestal in the bakery case at my local Starbucks was this little orange round cake. You might pass it up thinking it's loaded with sugar and white flour...or you might pass it up because you just noticed the name tag on the product boasts "Gluten-Free", a term that may have come to mean "taste-free" in your house based on sampling other gluten-free products.

But...I didn't pass it up and I shared it with a friend and we were both pleasantly surprised with the taste and the texture. This little cake was so good there is no way I'm sharing my next one!

The first five ingredients are:

Whole eggs
Valencia orange pulp
Almonds
Sugar
Orange peel

If you are slightly alarmed by whole eggs being the first ingredient, know that each cake contains 125 mg cholesterol, which is the equivalent of slightly more than half of an egg. The second ingredient, the orange pulp, is contributing a good portion of the impressive 4 grams of fiber that comes with each cake. Yes, it's pretty high in fat, 16 grams, but there are only 2 grams of saturated fat and zero grams of trans fat per cake serving. Where is the 16 grams coming from anyway? If there is a little over half an egg in each cake then that accounts for 3 grams of fat. And with a little detective work I found out that most of the remaining fat grams come from almonds. The Valencia Orange Cake is composed of 24% almonds in the form of sliced almonds sprinkled on top of the cake and almond flour used in the cake batter. That's good news because almonds are a great source of smart fats and phytochemicals.

The cake definitely doesn't taste too sweet and there is actually less sugar added than there are almonds sprinkled on top as garnish, according to the list of ingredients. Here's what each cake contains:

290 calories
16 g fat
2 g saturated fat
0 g trans fat
125 mg cholesterol
32 g carbohydrate
4 g fiber
40 mg sodium

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Toll House Cookie Alternative : Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies

Editor's Note: In light of Nestle USA's voluntary recall of its Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the FDA's investigation of suspected E.coli contamination, Elaine would like you take a second look at this lightened and healthy homemade alternative chocolate chip cookie recipe. Enjoy!


The original recipe for these cookies is a top rated recipe on the Food Network website and it was contributed by Wendy Gaynor, the owner of the Ruby et Violette cookie bakery in New York City. The original recipe calls for a stick of butter; I switched to a less fat margarine with a low amount of saturated fat and no trans fat. I decreased the sugar by 1/3 and used a majority of whole-wheat flour to make the dough, which adds nutrients and fiber. The original cookie recipe calls for 3 types of chips (peanut butter chips, toffee chips and semisweet chocolate chips). I kept the two types of chocolate and took out the toffee chips.

WHAT YOU SAVE
Making these changes cut from each cookie:

• 63 calories
• 5 grams total fat
• 4 grams saturated fat
• 17 mg cholesterol

And fiber increases by about 1 gram per serving!

Lightened NYC Bakery Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

1/2 cup less fat margarine (8 grams fat per tablespoon and no trans fat)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
1 large egg, higher omega-3 if available
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup peanut butter or butterscotch chips
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chunks (60% cocoa if possible)

Preparation:

1. In large mixing bowl, combine margarine with dark brown sugar until thoroughly blended, scarping sides and bottom of bowl frequently. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat on low speed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl, until blended.
2. In separate bowl, combine flours, salt and baking soda. Add flour mixture to margarine/sugar mixture while beating on low speed until combined. Stir in both types of chocolate chips and marshmallows with a scraper or spoon. Cover bowl and refrigerate until cold (at least two hours).
3. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and use a cookie scoop to drop balls of dough (about 2 tablespoons each), 2 inches apart, on prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 10 minutes (bake longer if you like your cookies crisp and not chewy). Let them rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes then remove cookies to a wire rack and let them cool.

Yield: Makes 18 bakery size cookies

Nutrition Information
Per serving: 168 calories, 2 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 7.5 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 1.2 g fiber, 112 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 40 percent.

Journal as: 1 portion medium dessert

The Series:

• Comfort Food Makeovers
• The Mashed Potato Makeover
• Macaroni and Cheese, Please!
• The Fried Chicken Makeover
• Top-Rated Gourmet Meatloaf
• Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Recipe Makeover: Tyler Florence's Chicken Francese

Have you ever noticed how popular chicken is with all those Food Network television chefs? I often cruise through the Food Network website looking for some interesting recipes to lighten and I've got to say, poultry seems to reign supreme! So I wasn't that surprised when the recipe that appealed to me from Tyler Florence featured chicken.

The original recipe calls for dredging the chicken breasts in seasoned flour and then in beaten whole eggs. They are then fried in 1/4 cup of oil in a skillet. Instead, I used an egg substitute "with yolk" product that is lower in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than beaten whole eggs (and it's really easy to use too). I still used olive oil to brown the chicken breast, but I used 2 1/2 tablespoons instead of 4. With a nonstick skillet, this was just the right amount of oil. The original recipe then calls for a lemon sauce to be made in the skillet using all sorts of flavorful ingredients like sliced lemon, white wine, chicken broth, parsley, and a couple tablespoons of butter. I took out the butter completely and switched to a sweeter white wine that wouldn't need the butter to help mellow the flavor.

These changes cut the calories by 28% and fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol by about 60%.

	Before	After
Calories	475	340
Fat(g)	26	11
Saturated Fat (g)	7.5	2.2
Cholesterol mg)	217	96
Fiber (g)	.6	.6

Light & Easy Chicken Francese

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper (depending on preference)
1 cup egg substitute "with yolk" (if that product is not available, use 3/4 cup of any type of egg substitute and blend with 1 large egg)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, with rind, cut in thin rounds
1/2 cup sweet white wine
1 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (regular parsley can be substituted)

Directions:

1. Lay one chicken breast in between two sheets of wax paper and pound with the flat side of meat mallet until about 1/4-inch thick. Put the flour in a medium bowl and combine with salt and pepper. Place egg substitute or egg mixture in a wide medium bowl.
2. Add a tablespoon of the oil to a nonstick skillet or large frying pan and begin to heat on medium-high. Begin to dredge both sides of each chicken breast in the flour mixture and then dip them in the egg mixture to coat completely. When the oil is hot, add two cutlets to the skillet and cook until underside is golden (about 2 minutes). Coat the top of the chicken cutlets with canola or olive oil cooking spray. Flip chicken over and cook until second side is golden. Remove chicken to a large platter and cover with foil to keep warm.
3. Repeat step #2 with the remaining oil and chicken breasts.
4. When all 4 chicken breasts are keeping warm on the platter, add the lemon slices to the same skillet and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the wine, broth, and lemon juice and when the mixture comes to a gentle boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until the sauce is reduced a little (about 4 minutes total).
5. Blend about 3 tablespoons of the hot liquid with 1 tablespoon of white flour to form a loose paste. Add flour paste to the skillet and whisk into the hot liquid and continue to cook and stir until a nicely thickened smooth sauce forms.
6. Place the chicken back in the skillet with the sauce and place the lemon slices on top of the chicken as the chicken simmers for a couple of minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley right before serving!

Yield: Makes 4 servings

Nutrition Information per serving: 340 calories, 41 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 2.2 g saturated fat, 6.5 g monounsaturated fat, 1.7 g polyunsaturated fat, 96 mg cholesterol, .6 g fiber, 238 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 29 percent.

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Taste Test Tuesday: Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps

I've tasted my share of "veggie" chips over the years but these new Flat Earth Baked Veggie Crisps are, in my opinion, one of the best tasting so far. There are several flavors in this line of veggie crisps but I tasted the "garlic & herb field" flavored ones.

Each ounce of these veggie crisps has the equivalent of 1/2 serving of vegetables baked in them, according to the mother company that makes them (Frito Lay). So just what vegetables are being "baked in?" Would you believe pumpkin? The main vegetable appears to be potato, however.

The first six ingredients are:

Rice flour
Potato flakes
Corn oil
Modified cornstarch
Dehydrated vegetables blend (pumpkin, tomato paste, onion)
Whole oat flour

How do they compare to an ounce of ruffled potato chips?

1-ounce of the Crisps	1-ounce of Potato Chips
(about 12 crisps) contain:	contain:
130 calories	160 calories
5 g fat	10 g fat
1 g saturated fat	1 g saturated fat
2.5 g polyunsaturated fat	3 g polyunsaturated fat
1.5 g monounsaturated fat	6 g monounsaturated fat
2 g fiber	1 g fiber
90 mg sodium	160 mg sodium
10% Daily Value for vitamin A	0% Daily Value for vitamin A
10% Daily Value for vitamin C	10% Daily Value for vitamin C

So they are lower in calories with half the fat but high in fiber with about the same sodium and saturated fat levels.

Let's be honest, there is no way these chips are as good for you as eating vegetables in their whole state, but they do appear to be a better options compared to regular potato chips.

Maybe with the extra gram of fiber, people will be satisfied with an ounce of these high flavor chips. Hey, it's possible!

If you try this flavor or one of the other flavors, let us all know what you think!

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Recipe Makeover: Paula Deen's Chicken & Rice Casserole

I love doing Paula Deen recipe makeovers because:

1. She rocks the kitchen.


2. She has a tendency toward my kind of cooking (comfort food).


3. There are always quite a few changes I can make for a big ticket nutritional pay off.

Today we are making over Paula’s popular Chicken & Rice Casserole. The original recipe calls for canned green beans. I don't do canned vegetables (not that there is anything wrong with that - except the added sodium); I just would rather use frozen or fresh vegetables. I think they taste better, although it seems that people prefer whatever they were raised with.

I also used skinless roasted chicken breast instead of any type of chicken meat with skin. And I used the 98% fat free condensed cream of chicken soup instead of regular and reduced fat sharp cheddar instead of regular. I made a blend of light mayonnaise and fat free sour cream instead of real mayonnaise, which creates a wonderful tasting mixture with 75% less grams of fat compared to the real thing.

Lastly the original recipe calls for a box of long grain white and wild rice. I used 4 cups of cooked brown rice and it seemed to work great. The pinch of salt (or any salt or that matter) simply isn't needed with the other ingredients that will contribute some sodium.

We cut the calories by 45% and the total fat and saturated fat were cut by about 70%! Cholesterol was cut in half and the fiber increased by 2 grams per serving.

Here’s the best part...it still tastes terrific - savory and satisfying!

	Before	After
Calories	646	354
Fat (g)	38	11
Saturated Fat (g)	9	3
Cholesterol (mg)	120	62
Fiber (g)	3.5	5.5

Light & Easy Chicken & Rice Casserole

Photo: Elaine Magee

Ingredients:

10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken or celery soup
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
3 cups frozen green beans
3 cups diced, cooked chicken breast, without skin
1 medium sweet or yellow onion, chopped
8 ounce can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
4 ounce jar or can pimentos, drained (optional)
4 cups cooked brown rice (or cooked brown rice and wild rice blend)
1 cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or 3-quart casserole dish) with canola cooking spray.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine condensed soup, light mayonnaise and fat free sour cream.
3. Add remaining ingredients to the mixing bowl and combine with mayonnaise mixture. Spread into prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: makes 8 servings

Nutritional Information per serving: 354 calories, 25 g protein, 38.5 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 4 g monounsaturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 435 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 28 percent.

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Taste Test Tuesday: Weight Watchers Giant Mint Fudge Ice Cream Sundae Cone

These are one of the better low fat ice cream treats in the frozen dessert aisle for sure. The chocolate cone is definitely unique and so is the mint ice cream that fills it. But Weight Watchers had me with the "2 Points Per Cone" written on the box. Each cone is very tasty and satisfying with one serving being a perfectly sized portion.

The low fat mint ice cream is made with milk fat and nonfat milk, sugar, polydextrose, maltodextrin, cellulose gel, and a few other ingredients, while the chocolate cone is made with mostly bleached white flour, sugar, cocoa processed with alkali, natural and artificial flavors, oat fiber, and canola oil. This tells us that 4 grams of fiber per cone is coming from a couple different directions and that sugar is the second or third ingredient for the ice cream and the cone. A quick glance at the grams of sugar per cone plus a bit of math and now 43% of the calories for this yummy dessert comes from sugar. Here are the rest of the nutritional numbers.

Each cone contains:

140 calories
3 g protein
27 g carbohydrate
15 g sugar
4 g fat
1 g saturated fat (0 g trans)
Less than 5 mg cholesterol
4 g fiber
70 mg sodium

I would buy these again, perhaps occasionally, because they are enjoyable to eat and one serving doesn't get me too far up in calories. Although the % of calories from sugar is a bit higher than I would like, the grams of fiber is surprisingly high as well.

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Hurry and Grab Some Curry for Weight Loss?

Photo: Alpha

There's a component found in certain plants that reduced body weight gain and total body fat without any other change in the food intake when it was included in a "high fat" diet given to mice. The researchers noticed mice with the special diet had less blood vessel growth, specifically in fat tissue . The special phytochemical is curcumin, a bioactive component found in turmeric and some curry spice blends (such as korma curry paste, yellow curry paste, and most commercial curry powders). The noticeable bight yellow color of curry comes courtesy of turmeric, a common ingredient in Indian cooking.

The mice whose diet was supplemented with curcumin also benefited from lower blood levels of glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol and lower liver fat levels. It sure sounds like we should all hurry and start cooking with curry, doesn't it?

The next step for researchers is to study whether cooking with reasonable amounts of curcumin would actually help reduce weight in humans and lower serum triglycerides, cholesterol and glucose.

***

Turmeric Tips: Who knew turmeric has an interesting history! It's been dried and sold as a powder and used in cooking since before the time of Christ. In the Middle Ages, it was called "Indian saffron" and used as a cheaper alternative to saffron thanks to its bright yellow color. Store turmeric in a cool dark cabinet (as is best for most herbs and spices) because it is sensitive to light.

Source: Journal of Nutrition May 2009 Vol 139

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