Resolution Alfredo Sauce

It's resolution time and what does everyone vow to do: lose weight. Most people, including my husband, think that eating lite means eating bland, which is just not the case. Martha's Everyday Food issue for January/February is always her annual Lite Issue and features amazing calorie-cut meals that you can hardly tell a difference from the original.

I actually eat fairly healthy, but the problem is I love tasty food and I eat too much of it, and a lack of exercise, but we are working on that in 2011.

In the spirit of New Year's resolutions to eat better and get fit, I whipped up a lite Alfredo sauce that even impressed myself. Alfredo sauce is a vice I try to avoid except on special occasions like anniversary or birthday because it is so loaded with cheese and fatty cream that even a little bit can mean a lot of calories. But when the occasion calls for it, you should be able to make a tasty, low-calorie substitute that can fool any guest or husband.

Lite Alfredo Sauce

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, preferably fresh

1 cup half and half

3 cups chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp fresh basil

coarse salt/pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Add butter and garlic to a hot pan. Once butter has melted, add flour and stir until mixed. Once butter flour starts to bubble slowly add half and half. Whisk until flour dissolves and mixture thickens. Slowly add chicken broth, one cup at a time. You may want to alternate broth and half and half until you get a color and consistency you like. I was honestly winging this whole Alfredo project, so I am not for sure how much I used of what.

Add fresh cut basil, salt and pepper. I also added a little bit of Italian seasoning, but not much at all. Be sure to taste test your sauce to get the flavor you want. Finally, stir in cheese until melted. The sauce should be thick and coat a spoon.

Now what to do with all this wonderful Alfredo?? We made a linguine dish with basil pasta, spinach and spicy shrimp. But here are some other ideas for using Alfredo:

• Use in place of tomato sauce on pizza
• Add to a white, vegetarian lasagna
• Top soup with a tablespoon for a soup swirl
• substitute cream of chicken in recipes
• add to spinach dips and crab dips to make extra creamy

Whatever you do, please have a happy and safe New Year's celebration. And don't forget to make my Black-eyed Pea Spinach Pie for New Year's Day. Black-eyed peas and greens (spinach) are for good luck and riches in the new year.

Wild Rice Casserole

Alright folks, it's Christmas and you can't cut-back ALL year. This is my family's wild rice casserole and I have plenty of friends and family who will contest to the greatness of this dish. It's almost a meal in itself but it makes an excellent side to Christmas dinner. I was introduced to the term "sidesgiving" for vegetarians who don't eat turkey or other meat main courses for Thanksgiving, so this should be a great recipe for those who are having a side dish holiday feast.

In all honesty, this dish does not resurrect well, so I highly recommend making it for a large group and taking it out in one night. Hopefully that won't be a problem ;)

Wild Rice Casserole

2 box Uncle Ben's traditional wild rice

1 pint slice mushrooms

3-4 stalks celery, chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

2-4 tbsp butter

minced garlic

1 pint heavy cream or evaporated milk or combination of both

1/4 block of Velveta cheese, cubed

Cook rice according to package instructions. For some reason the "quick rice" doesn't work as well with this recipe - probably because it is also baked. So use the traditional recipe box.

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Melt butter into pan and add garlic, onion and celery. I hardly ever saute using butter, but it just tastes so much better in this recipe. And after all the heavy cream and Velveta, you're not saving much on calories. Once celery is soft, add mushrooms and saute. Season with garlic salt and pepper.

Once rice is done, stir in vegetables. Spread into a 2 quart baking dish - preferably glass - and pour cream over rice. I've always made this recipe with cream, but one year Mom used leftover evaporated milk and it was great and also make the dish more of a traditional casserole. I normally have both in the house during the holidays so a mix is probably best. The rice mix should be well saturated - the rice will still absorb a lot of the cream when it bakes. Evenly spread the Velveta cubes over the casserole.

Bake casserole for 45-60 minutes or until the top starts to brown. Let the casserole sit to cool! I can't count how many times I burnt my tongue waiting for that thing to cool. It's just so good.

Happy Holidays everyone and enjoy all your Christmas goodies.

Fatty Salad

I am being literal actually. Everyone has heard the scare tactics of "salads are that's good for you" hinting at the calorie-fest from cheesy, creaming traditional Cesar salads and similar salad dressings. I'm sorry Zaxby's fans - fried chicken, cheese and creamy dressing do not make your salad healthy.

But healthy is also a relative term. Is low-calorie or low-fat considered healthy? Fat is a great tool in food preparation if used properly. One thing about dinner salads that puts me off is the fact that something I eat as an appetizer will be my sole menu option. Good fats promote healthy arteries and fill you up so you don't crave empty calories.

Introducing my fatty salad: this good-fat-rich dinner salad is a quick, filling meal for vegetarian foodies or those trying to watch their calorie in-take. This recipe is slightly altered from Martha's version, but I emphasize the "quick" aka store-bought salad dressing.

Avacado and nuts are some of the best ways to absorb good fats in your diet. Fish and seafood have a great reputation for their Omega-3 fatty oils, although shrimp is on the low end of high fat. Pepitas do fall into the seeds, not nuts, category, but feel free to interchange ingredients to heart-healthy almonds. Pepitas do offer a good amount of protein to the meal, which will assist pure vegetarian eaters.

Fatty Salad

1 lb. precooked shrimp

salt and lemon pepper

1 ripe avacado

Butter lettuce, Bibb lettuce or Romaine

pepitas (pumpkin seeds), salted, roasted or neither

reduced fat or full-fat Ranch (do not use fat free dressings)

Precooked shrimp will more than likely be half the price and tailed already. Raw shrimp tends to be jumbo aka more expensive, and easy to overcook. Rinse shrimp and add to a heated pan. Season and salt and lemon pepper - or preferred seafood seasoning - and cover with a fitted lip. Cook shrimp until hot but do not overcook.

While shrimp is heating, slightly chop lettuce. I used a butter lettuce because it is tender and colorful. But any lettuce preference is fine. I do recommend getting a plastic salad knife. Metal knives will bruise lettuce more easily, so the plastic knife helps to keep lettuces crisp.

To cut your avocado first slice the fruit from top to bottom and twist. Cut the unseeded side cross hatch with a butter knife. Use a spoon to scoop out the avocado cubes onto your salad. One avocado half will cover two salads. It is okay to use an avocado with some brown spots but the fruit should not be mushy. If only using half the avocado, seal tightly and use avocado slices on sandwiches.

Top avocado with cooked shrimp and pepitas. Serve dressing on the side to control how much you are using. Use a good, natural ranch dressing or buttermilk garlic dressing. I normally do not recommend fatty dressings but creamy ranch does help to fill you up and compliment the shrimp and avocado.

Banana Bread Pudding

This is a wonderful "leftovers" recipe for your stale bread or ripe bananas. This is not quite a holiday recipe, but it is absolutely delicious.

Another Martha Stewart creation. I used more bananas and not-quite whole milk to cut back on calories. This dessert is served great with whip cream, ice cream or with coffee. It also makes a beautiful table dish for company. This dish rivals the bread pudding at Harry Bissett's in Athens (all my UGA readers know what I'm talking about) but with the convenience of eating at home.

Banana Bread Pudding

8-12 oz. bread loaf, depending on the size of your casserole dish

4 bananas, cut into 1 inch slices

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

2.5 cups reduced fat 2% milk

1/2 cup raw sugar plus more for coating

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Whisk together milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla extract and eggs.

Cut up bread into 1.5 inch cubes. I use a 2 quart lasagna dish for this recipe and I can only hold about 8 oz. of bread. I buy the French loaves at the grocery store for "day old" discounts. When slicing your bananas, try to cut at an angle for a longer surface cut. Toss together bread, bananas and raisins. The first time I made this I did not use raisins and it was just as good. I use raisins when I have them though.

Pour milk mixture over bread mixture and turn. Let sit for a few minutes until milk is absorbed. If you are using more bread, add more milk. Turn bread pudding into a greased, 2 quart shallow dish. Sprinkle raw sugar on top and bake for 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes.

Pasta with Spicy Vegetables and Vegan Tomato Sauce

Pasta is a great ingredient for recipes when trying to take out leftovers - pasta stores easily and practically forever. This is a recipe I threw together after days of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers and we needed a turkey break. Additionally, I am featuring a vegan "creamy" tomato sauce that foodie friend recommended.

Vegetable Pasta

8-10 oz. whole wheat penne, or other short pasta (about half a box)

1-2 carrots, shredded

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced

big handful baby spinach, stemmed

vegan tomato sauce:

5-7 cloves garlic, minced

24 oz. can whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes

1 cup roasted nuts, such as almonds or cashews

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (cheese substitute)

crushed red pepper

fresh basil (or frozen)

rosemary

Nutritional yeast is typically used as a cheese or cream substitute in vegan meals. Although referred to as "yeast" it is more of a thickening agent than a leavening ingredient. Toast your nuts at 425 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until fragrant. You will want to use a fatty nut like cashews or almonds, but do not use peanuts. These nuts contain good fats and will make for a heartier sauce.

Saute garlic in olive oil. If you are using frozen basil packed in olive oil, you do not need to add any oil. Add crushed red pepper, rosemary and basil (if using fresh). Once garlic is golden add soy milk, tomatoes and nuts. Let tomatoes heat through and use a submersion blender to cream the tomatoes and nuts. I found it difficult to blend the nuts to a consistency that I liked, so I would recommend crushing your nuts in a coffee grinder or rolling pin (in a plastic bag) before adding to the sauce. If you like a nuttier texture, blend the nuts whole. Once you have a texture you like, stir in nutritional yeast.

Boil pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining pasta.

This is also a great opportunity to take out some leftover vegetables or frozen vegetables. I have frozen shredded carrot, leftover celery from Thanksgiving stuffing and a little bit of spinach that was about to go bad. I also have jalapeños growing in our garden, finally. You can add other vegetables that you think will partner well. Carrots, celery and onion, known as mirepoix, are quite universal but add a little sweetness to any recipe. That is why this recipe has a lot of herbs and some spice.

Saute vegetables in olive oil until soft. Stir in tomato sauce and heat to a simmer. Stir in spinach until leaves wilt slightly. Pour modest amount over pasta - add reserved pasta water, or soy milk, if needed.

For a quicker version of this recipe, use spicy Arrabbiata tomato sauce.