"SkinnyChef" news and stories

On Saturdays when I was growing up, my mother's first question of the day was "Waffles or pancakes?" While a weekday breakfast was a quick bowl of oatmeal or even a glass of instant-breakfast drink, for this kid who hated to eat first thing in the morning, weekends were for lazy, late breakfasts of fluffy waffles or pancakes with rich maple syrup. Still wearing my pj's, I'd stand on a chair next to my mom as she mixed the batter, and let a drop of water "dance" on the griddle, the sign it was hot enough to pour on the batter. Every time I "let the water dance," she's on my mind.

Waffle lover and photographer Dave Lifson adapted a Mark Bittman recipe for buttermilk waffles (from Bittman's How to Cook Everything), and used Greek yogurt in place of buttermilk, and added lemon juice and zest for a a nice citrusy undertone. And then he's crowned them with ripe blueberries. (See Dave's recipe here.) "Skinny Chef" Jennifer Iserloh mixes it up with her recipe for rice-flour waffles with strawberries and chocolate chips. Sounds like a perfect lazy Saturday in the making.

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Secrets of a Skinny Chef
By Jennifer Iserloh
Photographs by Mitch Mandel
Rodale -- 2010
Buy it on Amazon

My winter diet weighs heavy on me... in every respect. I've allowed myself to eat as I please knowing that my down winter coat hides a multitude of sins. With the first buds of spring come the guilt.

So I turn to Secrets of a Skinny Chef. Initially I'm skeptical. Who wouldn't be? The cover says the recipes are decadent and guilt free. I expect there to be a contract with the devil in the appendix. Instead, there is the most unassuming bible of healthy, good eating.

See what we tested and whether it's worth buying after the jump.

I was excited when my friend Dara, a private chef in Manhattan, offered to make this fast and flavorful dish she learned to prepare for the staff meal at Hearth Restaurant in the East Village. Of course I wanted to taste it, since it is now part of her cooking history and I had never even heard of it. The dish made regular appearances as the family meal for the staff, alongside some crusty garlic crostini and a green salad. Here's a lighter version that's perfect for gatherings and so simple to make that it will leave you plenty of time to chat and reminisce over brunch.

Find The Skinny Chef's recipe for Tomatoes and Eggs after the jump...

Ambrosia salad is one of those 1950s marshmallow concoctions that I ate at picnics and graduations when I was a kid. It's a fruit salad but there's nothing healthy about it -- candy-coated fluff traditionally made with Cool Whip, mayonnaise or sour cream and marshmallows.

The salad gets its name from the magical strength building food eaten by the Gods of Greek mythology, reputed to retain immortality. I'll admit that this marshmallow and mayo disaster does have a dreamy flavor, but it needs a serious shape up. I've added dried mango for sweetness in place of the high-fructose corn syrup-laden marshmallows. Instead of Cool Whip, mayo or sour cream, I've used high-protein, low-fat Greek yogurt and kept the coconut flakes. I've replaced all canned fruit with fresh, and if you want to serve this as a healthy breakfast, leave out the powdered sugar.

Find The Skinny Chef's Ambrosia recipe after the jump.

If you're not from the Iron City (a.k.a. Pittsburgh) you probably haven't heard of this kind of strawberry salad, also called strawberry pretzel salad. There are no greens or veggies -- just a very rich summery dessert!

As for the name, I think the use of the word "salad" probably comes from the dessert's origin. It may have started out as a fruit salad suspended in Jello and evolved. It's made with sinful layers of sugary Jello and strawberries, layered on top of thick cream cheese whipped with heavy cream, on top of buttered, crumbled pretzels. The combo might sound odd, but the mix of textures and sweet and savory tastes is divine. And like most recipes that I grew up eating in Pittsburgh -- ambrosia salad, potato chip cookies and chocolate chickpea cookies -- the original version of strawberry salad has all the things we shouldn't eat, yet crave.

My mission is to recreate this dish so it's a bit more fit, but still pretty enough for entertaining guests. I've turned the chilled dessert into a fluffy soufflé and in the process lowered the fat content considerably, added a tart raspberry-strawberry sauce in place of the Jello and used whole-grain pretzels for the base.

Find the recipe for the Skinny Chef's strawberry salad after the jump.