Eric's Cooking/Eating Page
Low fat is the overarching character of both the cuisine I cook and that I eat. Here's some of my favorite recipes, all of which I personally developed:
Eric's Oatmeal Bread -- I like
baking bread in my breadmaker. The best bread I make is Eric's
Oatmeal Bread. Here's the recipe:
1 tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cracked wheat
2 cups bread flour
1 cup oatmeal
1.5 cups 110-120 degree water
Other breads that I make are just variations on the above recipe.
Of the variations, my favorite is Eric's Buckwheat Bread, where I
substitute buckwheat pancake mix for the oatmeal. The cracked
wheat in the recipe is difficult to find at stores, but well
worth the search -- it adds a delightful zestyness.
Another good one is Eric's spaghetti bread. Just substitute semolina flour for the oatmeal. Believe it or not, the resulting bread has a wonderful buttery taste!
Eric's fat-free Pumpkin Pie Pudding
-- If you love pumpkin pie but hate fat, you will love this!
Here's the recipe:
Get canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling and follow the
instructions thereon for pumpkin pie except:
substitute two egg whites for every whole egg called for
do not use a crust at all
use fat-free condensed milk
for a real treat, add blueberries!
Spaghetti ala Eric -- The secret
to good spaghetti is in the sauce and the secret to good sauce is
... pineapple chunks! Here's the recipe:
Cook your favorite pasta (e.g., thin spaghetti)
For sauce, start with any fat-free tomato-based sauce
(e.g., Ragu Light or Healthy Choice)
Add an 8-oz can of Pineapple chunks
Also add other spices to taste (I add onion, chili powder,
oregano, and steak sauce)
Add frozen mixed vegetables to make this even more healthful
Breakfast -- For breakfast, I typically eat a selection of cold cereals with skim milk. These days, the selection includes Corn Flakes, Wheaties, and Wheat Chex.
Lunches -- During the work week, I often go out to the local Subway and order a vegetarian sandwich with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, green peppers, black pepper, and oregano -- very yummy when eaten with an orange juice chaser.
General guidelines -- In general, the key to a healthful diet, I believe, is to keep fat intake as low as reasonably possible, while maximizing intake of fruits and vegetables. Here are some general techniques I use to implement them in my day-to-day life:
Avoid fatty foods: In general, I try not to put anything in my mouth that has more than 10% of its calories coming from fat. Here's info on how to help do that:
Fruits -- When living in Hawaii, I came to find that most things tend to taste better with pineapple. I add pineapple to many items I make. I prefer fruit juice to any other sort of beverage. My favorite fruit juice is actually a vegetable juice -- carrot juice.
Vegetables -- I often add frozen vegetables to things I make. This is a simple means of adding nutrients and variety to your meals. Fresh vegetables would be nice, but frozen vegetables tend to be more "fresh" than "fresh" vegetables. And frozen vegetables keep for months!
Exceptions -- I don't claim to have a perfect diet. I make exceptions for chocolate and pizza.
Steaming -- I've recently started cooking many foods by steaming. It is faster than boiling (because you use less water, it comes to a boil faster), seems to give similar results, and I've heard rumors that it tends not to "wash away" as many nutrients. Among my favorite steamed foods: Asparagus and Sugar Snap pea pods.
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This page last updated 01/04/02
© 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002 Eric E. Haas