Meat loaf - and two other reader creations - includes recipes

Sunset, April, 1996 by Elaine Johnson

Thank you, sunset readers. More and more of the recipes you're sending us are low-fat as well as creative. I particularly like these three.

Pureed artichokes replace most of the oil in a delicious Green Goddess Dressing created by Susan Becker of Tucson. (Note that the number of grams of fat is very low, even though the percentage of calories from fat is high.) Becker likes the dressing with green salads and pasta salads. In a blender, whirl until very smooth (only a few artichoke fibers left) 1 small clove garlic, minced; 1/4 cup each packed fresh basil leaves and white wine vinegar; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 1 tablespoon olive oil; and 1 can (14 oz.) undrained water-packed artichoke hearts. Makes 2 1/8 cups.

Per tablespoon: 7.3 cal., 49% (3.6 cal.) from fat; 0.2 g protein; 0.4 g fat (0.1 g sat.); 0.8 g carbo.; 0.3 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Marilou Robinson of Portland whirls dry-pack dried tomatoes to a coarse powder in a blender (2 to 3 minutes). She adds a spoonful to soups, meat loaf, and sauces for rich flavor with no fat. For Robinson's Dried Tomato Dip, whirl 8 ounces nonfat cottage cheese in a blender until smooth. Scrape into a bowl, and stir in 1 tablespoon each dried tomato powder, chopped fresh basil, and chopped parsley. Makes 3/4 cup.

Per tablespoon: 17 cal., 0% (0 cal.) from fat; 2.5 g protein; 0 g fat; 1.6 g carbo.; 68 mg sodium; 1.7 mg chol.

Karlyn Hochner of Laguna Beach, California, has updated her grandmother's meat loaf by using ground turkey and a lot of fresh vegetables. Ground turkey contains about 7 percent fat, regular ground beef as much as 30 percent fat. Other lean choices include extra-lean ground beef (about 10 percent fat) and ground turkey breast (only 3 percent fat).

Updated Grandma's Meat Loaf

Cooking time: 55 minutes

Prep time: 20 minutes

Makes: 6 or 7 servings

2 cups chopped mushrooms 1 1/2 cups diced broccoli florets 1 cup diced green pepper 1 cup diced carrots 1/2 cup diced onion 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon salad oil 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1 pound ground turkey 1/3 cup catsup 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 large egg whites 1 cup dried bread crumbs

1. In a 12-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, frequently stir mushrooms, broccoli, green pepper, carrots, onion, garlic, oil, and celery seed until carrots are tender-crisp to bite, 8 to 10 minutes.

2. In a bowl, combine vegetable mixture, turkey, catsup, soy sauce, mustard, egg whites, and crumbs. Pat into a 4- by 8-inch loaf pan or 6- to 8-cup terrine, gently rounding top. Bake in a 375 [degrees] oven until firm to touch, 40 to 45 minutes. For a browner crust, broil 3 inches from heat for a few minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Per serving: 216 cal., 27% (59 cal.) from fat; 17 g protein; 6.6 g fat (1.6 g sat.); 21 g carbo.; 725 mg sodium; 47 mg chol.