The Colorful Plate
High Fat Meat, Poultry, Fish, or Meat Substitutes

Favorite Family Recipes Can be Rescued! Creating low-fat dishes that still have great taste means learning the art of balancing flavors and textures to compensate for the contribution that fat makes to a dish. The following guidelines, not rules, have proved successful in replacing the fat in favorite recipes.

• Control portions of meat. Servings should be 3 ounces cooked.
• Reduce meat portions in casseroles, saucy meat dishes and burgers by adding vegetables and grains.
• Trim fat from meat.
• Remove poultry skin. If marinating or braising, remove skin before cooking. If roasting, remove skin after cooking.
• Recreate the smoky flavor of ham or salt pork in dishes such as baked beans or chili by substituting dried tomatoes.
• Chill canned soup in the refrigerator before use. Open and remove fat layered on top.
• Replace half of the oil in salad dressings with fruit juices, vegetable juices, or water.
• Increase seasonings in a low-fat dish to compensate for flavor lost by removing fats.
• Cook butter until light nutty brown to stretch the flavor and use a smaller amount.
• Replace one cup of butter with one cup of liquid butter buds in sauces but not in sautéing.
• Avoid non-fat margarines in cooking or baking. They do not melt well.
• Use a small amount of high-quality, extra-virgin olive oil rather than a larger amount of pure or "light" olive oil. This will increase flavor.

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