Low-fat Cooking

If you participated in healthy heart month (or even if you didn't) and limited your fat, salt and other dietary undesirables throughout February, don't reach for those Burger King coupons just yet.

Why not continue your heart wise efforts and make 1994 a healthy heart year? According to area dieticians, low fat eating has come a long way since the days of rice cakes and broiled blandness. And it's gotten a little less complicated.

The American Heart Association recommends that we limit fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories. Linda Ber, R.D. at Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, said the bottom line is all you need to worry about when it comes to that daily fat tally.

"We recommend lowering total fat-vegetable fats as well as animal (saturated) fats," Ber said, "because too much of both types of fats can contribute to heart disease."

That 30 percent guideline equates to a daily total of about 40 to 50 grams for women and 60 or 70 grams for men, according to Eileen Howe, R.D. at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet. If you don't want to deal with nutritional story problems, "The general rule is six ounces of lean meat, fish or poultry and three teaspoons of fat per day," Howe said.

For some additional guidance in the kitchen, Ber recommends a good low fat cookbook such as "The New Dieter's Cookbook," (Better Homes and Gardens Books, 1992) or, one of Howe's favorites, "Microwaving Light and Healthy," (Cy De Cosse, Inc., 1985).

Here are a couple of low fat recipes to get you started.

Chicken Chili

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1 clove minced garlic

1 15.5 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5 oz can low salt whole tomatoes

1 8 oz can low salt tomato sauce

1 8 oz can low salt whole kernal corn, drained

2 Tbs red wine vinegar

2 Tbs Worchestshershire sauce

1 to 1.5 cups cut up cooked chicken (or turkey)

1 Tbs packed brown sugar

1 to 3 tsp. chili powder to taste

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp pepper

In 2 quart casserole, combine first 3 ingredients. Cover, microwave on high two to four minutes until tender crisp. Add remaining ingredients-stir to break apart tomatoes. Cover, reduce power to medium or 70 percent and microwave for 25 to 30 minutes. Stir twice. Makes six 1-cup servings.

Dishwasher Salmon

Sprinkle a three to four pound salmon with salt, pepper, lemon juice and fresh dill. Seal in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run through one complete wash and dry cycle. Serve hot or cold. You can do your dishes at the same time, just make sure the foil is tightly sealed.

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