EATING LIGHT: SEMIFINALISTCasserole boosts flavor and cuts fatBarbara Slaughenhoupt's efforts to lose weight led her to eating lighter.And with her efforts to turn everyday recipes into light ones, Ms. Slaughenhoupt found herself in the semi-finals of The Herald's ``What's Cooking in Your World?'' Recipe Contest. ``I'm on a diet and I've been on it for two months,'' she said. ``I look at recipes and try to take them down from the regular to the light. I'm a believer that anything you cook can be made into light food.'' Her ``Eggplant Casserole'' contains about 180 to 200 calories a serving. Mrs. Slaughenhoupt, who lives at 21 Zahniser Road, Jefferson Township, takes the recipe to the store and starts thinking light. ``It was a regular recipe made with all fat foods _ the heavy ricotta cheese and things,'' she said. ``But if you look, you will see there are alternatives.'' Mrs. Slaughenhoupt enjoys cooking and looking in her cookbooks for recipes. She's in the process of converting her favorite recipes to light. She said shoppers simply need to look for fat-free, sugarless and no-salt or low-salt products. Mrs. Slaughenhoupt said she used to cook with a lot of butter and salt but now has changed her cooking and eating ways. ``It all tastes good,'' she said. ``You can't tell the difference. I even had a friend over and I didn't tell him what he was eating was light. He liked it and didn't know what he was eating.'' But Mrs. Slaughenhoupt does add a word of caution about her recipe. ``If you don't like eggplant you're not going to like this,'' she said. ``I love eggplant and I try to do as much with it as I can.'' Eggplant Casserole2 large eggplants1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees . Use an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish/pan. 2. Peel and slice eggplants about 1/2- to 3/4-inches thick. Dip in flour, salt and pepper and brown in skillet sprayed with cooking spray. Set aside until all pieces are browned. 3. To assemble: Spread about 1/2 cup of sauce on bottom of baking dish. 4. Layer in order: eggplant, ricotta cheese, shredded mozzarella cheese, sauce and a little grated Parmesan cheese. Continue to layer until baking dish is filled. End with shredded cheese. 5. Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cheese should be bubbly and eggplant tender when done. Makes 4 large servings or six smaller servings. |
