Brownies

By Hklbrries

"It’s a week into the new year. That’s a week of living on salad. Or grilled chicken breast. Or grapefruit. Or whatever magic food you’ve picked to help shed pounds.

Going nuts yet?

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows that food boredom is a big diet killer. After all, there’s only so much one can do with carrot sticks, skinless chicken breasts and nonfat yogurt. Right?

Wrong.

Francie Radecki, a local leader for Weight Watchers, said one of the biggest things people need to do to lose weight is make sure their healthy food tastes good.

“Make your food plan interesting so you don’t get rid of it,” she said, “because you’ll be doing it for the rest of your life.”

Good point. Any decent weight-loss plan is less about shedding quick pounds than about changing habits to ensure the weight stays off.

Intellectually, we all know that the secret to weight loss is to burn more calories that we consume. The trick is to make those calories taste as great as possible.

“A lot of what I tell people is already out there,” said registered dietitian Elaine Reid, spokeswoman for the Spokane Dietetic Association. “People can go on the Internet and find anything out.”

We know to cook chicken without the skin. We know to trim fat from beef. We know to use herbs. We know to use applesauce and prunes in lieu of fat in baked goods.

Still, sometimes we need inspiration. So, in the spirit of calorie-counters everywhere, here are 10 things you can do to add flavor to your food without adding a lot of fat or calories. “Stop dieting,” Radecki said, “and start living.”

“”One of the things we tell people is that when a recipe says to cook onion and garlic in oil, instead use a nonstick pan and a little water, then cover and cook them over low heat to get all the flavor out of them,” Reid said.

“Make your own vinaigrette, using a ratio of one part extra-virgin olive oil, one part “mellow” vinegar, such as balsamic, and one part citrus juice, Reid suggested.

“Roasted garlic adds terrific flavor to just about any dish, and can be used as a spread on bagels or toast. Trim the top off a head of garlic, add a little bit of water, wrap it in a piece of foil and cook for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. “That makes it really soft, and you can spread it like butter,” Reid said.

“Roast those vegetables. “A lot of people know they need to eat more vegetables,” Reid said. “If you roast them in a hot oven, you’re going to caramelize all the natural sugars in them, and they taste so much better.”

“Flavored extra-virgin olive oil and flavored vinegars, used in moderation, will add complexity to dishes. As Radecki suggested, “Balsamic vinegar is a really great flavor enhancer. I’ll grill a chicken breast on my Foreman grill. I have some really good balsamic I bought in Seattle, and I just dip my chicken in it.”

“Choose those condiments wisely, Reid said. “There are several condiments that are more flavor than they are fat: Mustard, hot sauce, salsa, horseradish, aged balsamic vinegar. You can add some of those higher flavored condiments to pan drippings to get different sauces so that you don’t have to add cream or butter.”

“Go ahead. Rub it in. “The rubs you can get are so much more healthy than the marinades that you soak your meat in,” Radecki said.

“Say goodbye to mild cheese. Cheese is fattening, and the low-fat and fat-free versions can be unappealing. The trick, Reid said, is to use less of a really strongly flavored cheese. Aged cheddar, parmesan, blue and gorgonzola all pack a flavor punch, so you often can get away with using less of it.

“Use spray bottles to add vinegar and oil to dishes, so you’ll use less of it. Or put soy sauce in a spray bottle and give some air-popped popcorn a light spritz. It’s a nice way to satisfy a salt craving.

“Try sun-dried tomatoes – either packed dry or drained of oil – in place of bacon in soups, stews and pizza, Reid suggested. It won’t taste the same, but the roasted flavor of the tomatoes will lend a hint of smokiness to a dish, without nearly the fat.

Need more inspiration? Here are a few good recipes to get going. Put that salad down and enjoy some real food."

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

Step 1

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 F. Line an 8-inch-square metal baking pan with parchment paper or foil, then lightly coat with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl; set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the cocoa, water, vanilla and espresso powder together; set aside. Microwave the butter and chocolate together in a medium microwave-safe bowl on 50 percent power until melted, about 1 minute; whisk until the mixture is smooth. Whisk in the sugar and salt until completely incorporated. Whisk in the cocoa mixture, then whisk in the egg. Stir in the flour mixture until just incorporated (do not overmix).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking (do not overbake). Cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour, lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping onto the parchment paper and cut into 12 brownies.

Nutrition Information:
Per brownie
130 calories
5 grams fat (2.5 grams saturated, 35 percent fat calories)
1.5 grams protein
17 grams carbohydrates
25 milligrams cholesterol
Less than 1 gram dietary fiber
40 milligrams sodium