'Lite' specialties from great chefs - recipes - Date with a Dish

Ebony, May, 1991

When Date With A Dish decided to feature the best in light cuisine, it was only fitting that we would consult with a cadre of great Black chefs.

The chefs featured here are seasoned professionals whose reputations for perfection have garnered them devoted dines, memberships in elite culinary circles and fame. From such experts, we collected the finest in reduced-calorie, traditional style dishes.

When you sample the recipes, you may be surprised to discover that light cuisine does not have to compromise flavor and taste. Dishes with less fat and sodium can be savory and delectable. The secret is in combining just the right amount of seasonings.

Leah Chase's Low-Sodium Creole Oven-Fried Chicken cooks up just as golden and tender as deep-fried chicken. Chase, of New Orleans, is owner of the famed Dooky Chase Restaurant. Even recipes with cream sauces and rich toppings can have fewer calories. Johnny Rivers' Salmon With Asparagus is topped with a delicious cream sauce made mostly of plain low-fat yogurt. Rivers is executive chef, research and development, for Walt Disney World.

Other famous chefs whose popular "lite" dishes are featured here are John Harrison, executive chef at Bookbinder's Old Original Restaurant in Philadelphia; Vernette Walker, owner of Bonnie's Rabbit Place in Atlanta, and Clifton Williams, executive chef at the Executive Inn Rivermont in Owensboro, Ky.

We are honored to share the choice recipes of some of America's greatest chefs with you, and hope that you will add these dishes to your collection of fancy light cuisine.

JOHNNY RIVER'S TURKEY THIGHS

BOCA

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 boneless turkey thighs, skinned, cut

in strips

Vegetable cooking spray

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup peach wine cooler

1 14 1/2-ounce can whole tomatoes,

undrained and chopped (no salt

added)

Sprinkle salt and pepper over turkey strips. Coat a large skillet with vegetable cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add turkey, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove turkey from the skillet and set aside.

Wipe drippings from the skillet with a paper towel. Coat skillet with vegetable cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add chopped onion and minced garlic; saute 1 minute. Add wine coller, chopped tomatoes, and browned turkey. Bring to a boil.

Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer an additional 20 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

JOHNNY RIVERS' SOUR CREAM

SALMON WITH ASPARAGUS

8 ounces chopped asparagus

Vegetable cooking spray

1/4 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 (4-ounce) salmon fillets

1/4 cup white wine

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

4 drops Tabasco

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium heat until hot. Add chopped asparagus, onion and bell pepper; cook 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a bowl; set aside and keep warm.

Wipe skillet dry with a paper towel; recoat with cooking spray. Rub white pepper over both sides of salmon; add to skillet.

Add white wine, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when] tested with a fork. Place salmon on a serving platter, reserving cooking liquid. Spoon asparagus mixture around salmon; cover and keep warm.

Bring reserved cooking liquid to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1 tablespoon. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in low-fat yogurt, low-fat sour cream, salt and Tabasco. Spoon sauce over salmon-asparagus mixture.

Yield: 2 servings

LEAH CHASE'S LOW-SODIUM

CREOLE OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN

1/2 frying chicken

White pepper

1 cup flour

Vegetable cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon ground thyme

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic

Preheat oven to 375 [degrees]. Remove skin from chicken; cut chicken into pieces and season with white pepper. Place flour in a bag or bowl. Mix in last three ingredients. Shake chicken in bag in flour mixture. Remove chicken and shake off excess flour. Spray baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until done.

Yield: 2 servings

LEAH CHASE'S SHRIMP JAMBALAYA

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 cup uncooked rice

1/4 cup chopped green peppers

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped celery

2 cups water

1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon chopped parsley

1/2 teaspoon paprika

6 raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)

Spray saucepan with nonstick cooking oil. Place over medium heat. Saute onions until clear. Add all ingredients except shrimp. Stir well. Add shrimp.

Cover very tightly with foil to keep in all steam. Cook on very low heat for 35 minutes. Uncover and toss rice. Cover again and cook very slowly until rice is done.

NOTE: If you're a lover of jambalaya, you can use this recipe more often by substituting farm-grown catfish for shrimp. Just cut fish into cubes.