Resolved: Let’s Lighten Up

We hate to give in to cliches, but we’ve just returned from one last New Year’s buffet and we’re full. Just like the poor slobs in the health spa ads, we want to lighten up. It’s resolution time.

In this collection of low-fat recipes, we’ve gone for fresh flavors: a chicken soup made with escarole and lemon juice, a grapefruit ice that is only slightly sweet, a light tuna and white bean salad. It’s good, clean eating.

GRAPEFRUIT ICE

Few foods are cleaner-tasting than this grapefruit ice. After so many turkeys and rich holiday desserts, this recipe became one of our favorites in The Times Test Kitchen. It not only tastes great but also has a beautiful pink hue. The amount of sugar will vary according to the sweetness of the grapefruit--some people love it without any sugar. The ice is best when served slightly slushy.

2 cups pink grapefruit juice (about 3 grapefruit)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

1 tablespoon lime juice

Combine grapefruit juice, sugar, Grand Marnier and lime juice. Freeze in ice cream freezer according to manufacturer’s directions. Spoon into chilled glass dishes, cover and freeze until serving time.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

105 calories; 1 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0 grams fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0 grams fiber.

ESCAROLE CHICKEN SOUP

The slightly bitter flavor of the escarole and the tartness of the lemon juice gives the chicken broth a light, clean taste. You get more flavor when you poach the chicken in nonfat chicken broth instead of water. Be sure to skim excess fat off the broth before adding the escarole. A large soup plate of this is substantial enough for a meal. Note that the fat count given below can be lowered significantly through diligent skimming. The figures below reflect standard skimming.

1 (1 1/2- to 2-pound) chicken

2 (49 1/2-ounce) cans nonfat chicken broth

1 celery top

1 small onion, quartered

Nonstick cooking spray

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 head escarole, cut into 1-inch crosswise slices

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Lime slices

Sprigs of cilantro

Wash chicken well and remove giblets. Save liver for another use and set aside remaining giblets.

Place whole chicken in soup pot along with chicken broth, celery top and onion. Add remaining giblets. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from broth and let cool. Chill chicken broth overnight along with chicken or let broth stand until fat rises to top. Skim off excess fat and strain.

Discard skin or reserve for another use. Cover meat and set aside. Lightly spray wok or skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Add garlic and saute lightly.

Add escarole and cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add escarole to broth and heat to boiling. Stir in lemon juice.

Arrange several slices of chicken breast in bottom of large soup plate. Spoon broth over top. Garnish each with lime slice and cilantro sprig.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Each of 8 servings contains about:

137 calories; 136 mg sodium; 33 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.17 grams fiber.

WHITE BEAN AND GRILLED TUNA SALAD

The juices from the cooked tuna combine with fresh lemon juice to provide the no-oil “dressing” for this salad. The beans are more flavorful when cooked in chicken broth with garlic instead of plain water. If you want to cut even more fat, use canned tuna packed in water (the salad dressing will have a little less flavor).

1 (16-ounce) package dried navy beans

1 (49 1/2-ounce) can nonfat chicken broth

1 head garlic, cut in half

1/2 pound fresh tuna steak

1 clove garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

Nonstick mesquite flavor cooking spray

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup sliced green onions

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 bunch watercress

1 tomato, sliced

Soak beans overnight or several hours in water to cover.

Drain beans and place in large heavy pot with chicken broth and garlic head halves. Cover pot and cook over medium-low heat until beans are tender but not mushy, about 45 minutes. Drain broth and use for another dish or discard. Set beans aside.

Season tuna steak with minced garlic and kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Spray grill pan with nonstick cooking spray and sear outside of tuna steak, leaving center slightly pink. Or broil until tuna is almost cooked through but slightly pink in center, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Flake tuna and toss together with cooked drained white beans, parsley, green onions, lemon juice and pan juices from tuna. Season to taste with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Serve on plate lined with fresh watercress and garnish with tomato slices.

Alternately, leave tuna steaks whole. Mix beans, parsley, green onion, lemon juice and pan juices and serve on plate lined with watercress. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with tomato slices and tuna steaks.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about:

511 calories; 1451 mg sodium; 17 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 76 grams carbohydrates; 42 grams protein; 6.71 grams fiber.

CUCUMBER ICE

Tarragon adds an anise-like depth to this light ice. Here, it’s served in tomato cups, which makes it a great lunch or brunch choice. You can scallop the edges of the tomato if you want to get fancy. Serve the ice with the bagel toasts with smoked salmon for a good-tasting light meal.

2 large cucumbers

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons minced fresh dill plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon minced tarragon

6 small tomatoes

Peel and seed cucumbers, then cut into chunks. Puree cucumbers in food processor or blender with lemon juice, salt and white pepper until smooth. Stir in garlic, dill and tarragon.

Place mixture in ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer’s directions.

Cut tops off tomatoes and scoop out centers. Spoon about 1/4 cup frozen cucumber ice into each tomato cup. Garnish with extra minced dill.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

37 calories; 110 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 0 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.28 grams fiber.

BAGEL TOASTS WITH SMOKED SALMON

Neufchatel cheese--about one-third lower in fat than regular cream cheese--combined with a small amount of minced salmon gives you a lox-and-bagel taste with less fat than the usual deli brunch nosh.

1 (8-ounce) carton whipped Neufchatel cheese

1 ounce smoked salmon, minced

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 tablespoon capers, drained

1 onion bagel

Butter-flavored cooking spray

Stir together Neufchatel cheese, salmon, lemon juice, chives and capers in bowl.

Cut bagel in half then cut each half into 5 thin slices. Put bagel slices on baking sheet. Spray bagel slices with butter-flavored cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Serve bagel toasts with bowl of salmon-cheese dip, or spread dip on toasts then serve.

Makes 10 dip-smeared bagel toasts.

Each dip-smeared bagel toast contains about:

64 calories; 191 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.21 grams fiber.

FRESH VEGETABLE SALAD TOSS WITH GREEN PEA DRESSING

The dressing looks like high-fat Green Goddess, but it’s made with fresh herbs and green peas--and no added oil or fat. Nonfat chicken broth is used instead to thin the pureed peas to a pourable consistency. Frozen peas are used here, but in season, you should use fresh.

GREEN PEA DRESSING

1 (10-ounce) package frozen green peas, thawed

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped mint

2 tablespoons chopped basil

Dash salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Puree peas in food processor or blender along with chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, mint, basil, salt and white pepper. Strain. If dressing seems too thick, add additional chicken broth.

SALAD

1 head fennel

1 cucumber

4 green onions

2 cups shredded carrots

1 (6-ounce) bag baby spinach leaves

1 (3 1/2-ounce) box radish sprouts

Remove tops from fennel and slice remainder. Peel cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seed and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Cut green onions into 3-inch pieces, then quarter lengthwise.

Toss together fennel, cucumber, green onions, carrots, spinach leaves and radish sprouts. Serve with Green Pea Dressing.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

84 calories; 202 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 2.28 grams fiber.

VEGETABLE STIR FRY

One of my favorite things to serve during January is this flavorful vegetable stir-fry. Once the vegetables are cut, the stir-fry comes together easily, with one vegetable quickly cooked right after another. (After you’ve finished stir-frying, you’ll notice many wonderful juices that have collected in the bottom of the bowl; this is a natural sauce that tastes great when spooned over cooked brown rice.)

It is important to stir-fry each of the vegetables separately so they are all perfectly done. Remember the vegetables will continue to “cook” as they rest in the bowl, so be careful not to overcook. Covering the vegetables during the last half of the cooking helps to steam and cook them through. The broccoli is the most difficult to stir-fry when using nonfat cooking spray instead of oil, but we were able to do it without any precooking. The broccoli florets should be cut small to allow even cooking.

Nonstick cooking spray

Herb-spice seasoning flakes

1 bunch bok choy, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices

1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced

1 (10.5-ounce) package firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1/2 pound broccoli florets

1/2 pound bean sprouts

1/4 pound fresh pea pods

Spray wok or skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat until hot. Sprinkle seasoning flakes over bottom of wok to cover. Add bok choy and stir-fry until just tender but still crisp, about 7 minutes total, covering wok halfway through process to let vegetables steam. Remove bok choy to large bowl, cover and keep warm while cooking remaining vegetables.

Spray and season wok (off heat) as before. Add mushrooms and tofu and stir-fry just until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes, covering wok halfway through cooking. Remove to bowl with bok choy and keep warm.

Spray and season wok as before. Add red, green and yellow bell pepper strips and stir-fry until tender yet crisp, about 4 minutes, covering wok halfway through cooking. Add to bowl with cooked vegetables.

Spray and season wok as before. Add broccoli and stir-fry until tender but crisp, about 5 minutes, covering wok halfway through cooking. Remove to vegetable bowl.

Spray and season wok as before. Add bean sprouts and stir-fry about 1 minute, covering wok halfway through cooking. Remove to vegetable bowl.

Spray and season wok as before. Add pea pods and stir-fry until tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes, covering wok halfway through cooking. Remove to vegetable bowl.

Toss cooked vegetables together.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

132 calories; 53 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 13 grams carbohydrates; 13 grams protein; 2.26 grams fiber.

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Kitchen Tip

Soaking dried beans before you cook them does nothing to increase their digestibility and only shortens their cooking time by 20 to 30 minutes. Beans cooked without soaking have a richer flavor and a more consistent texture. To cook 1 pound of dried beans, cover them by 3 inches with boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of salt, cover tightly and bake at 250 degrees until beans are soft but firm, between 1 hour and 1 hour and 45 minutes, depending on the type and age of the bean.