Cooking with Judy: Cooking with targeted substitutions can help with resolutions

It’s a tradition 4,000 years old. The ancient Babylonians were the first known people to set New Year’s resolutions, and the rest is history.

Setting them, that is.

Keeping them? That’s another story.

According to a 2024 Forbes Health survey, resolution setters last an average of only two to four months.

High on the list of perennial resolutions is losing weight. Diets abound, and how you lose weight, I’ve discovered, is not as important as how you keep it off. I’ve finally realized that for me, the difference between losing weight and maintaining weight may only be a few added calories, so I’m challenged daily to find recipes that are flavorful, healthy and satisfying.

I recently bumped into the “Bikini Chef” Susan Irby – Orange County resident, radio and television personality and chef to the stars – at the Global Produce and Floral Show at the Anaheim Convention Center.

We first met at Melissa’s Produce headquarters at the launch of her cookbook “Substitute Yourself Skinny” (Adams Media, $17.95), which has helped me keep my own resolutions. Her 175 recipes streamline some of our favorite dishes – French toast, Caesar salad, brownies, lasagna, burritos, New England clam chowder, cheesecake, pad Thai, mac ‘n cheese, fettuccini alfredo – by switching calorie- and fat-laden ingredients and offering “Skinny Secret” shortcuts to keep us on track.

“My whole life I have strived to find a balance between staying slim and trim and enjoying the fattening foods I love,” Irby said. “The only way to break the negative/unhealthy/overindulging/fattening food cycle is to replace overly fattening foods with less-fattening foods that taste as good or better than the overly fattening foods.”

Each recipe not only includes the nutritional breakdown of fat, carbs, protein and sodium, but also compares calories per serving of the original recipe against the SYS (Substitute Yourself Skinny) version. Take cheese blintzes. The traditional recipe packs a whopping 689 calories per serving. The SYS recipe brings that down to 151.

How does she do it? We all know the drill – oil, butter, sugar: These are the usual suspects that pack on the pounds. “But other ingredients can sneak up on you,” noted Irby, “turning an otherwise lean dish into an unwanted high-calorie one.”

She substitutes nonfat or low-fat versions for culprits such as whole milk, whipping cream, cream cheese, pesto, cream sauces and mayonnaise that sneak into our diet under the radar.

“A tablespoon here, a quarter-cup there … calories and fat can add up fast,” she said.

Most serious dieters swear off Italian food – all that carb-laden pasta and rich sauce! So I’m constantly searching for satisfying alternatives. The manicotti recipe given here calls for reduced-fat and nonfat cheeses as well as low-fat pasta sauce. How many calories do you save?

The original recipe weighs in at 942 calories compared to 250 for the SYS version. You do the math. No, wait! She does it for you. That’s a savings of 692 calories.

“If desired,” Irby suggested, “add two cups cooked lean ground turkey to the pasta sauce, which adds an additional 53 calories per serving.”

Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.

Hottie Tottie Manicotti

From “Substitute Yourself Skinny” by Susan Irby; the yield is 10 servings

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces dried manicotti shells

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

1 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese

1 cup nonfat cottage cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 (26-ounce) jar meatless low-fat pasta sauce

Nonstick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare manicotti as directed on the package. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray. When manicotti is ready, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Gently toss to coat.

2. Prepare filling by combining cheeses. Mix well and add basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix to blend. Stuff 2 tablespoons of mixture into each shell.

3. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Layer with filled shells. Top with any remaining cheese and the sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake additional 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot.