Mardi Gras Made Healthy: "Not-So-Fat-Tuesday" Dinner And Dessert Recipes
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When most people think of Mardi Gras, they picture the streets of New Orleans filled with crowds of people drinking, dancing, and celebrating. While the traditional Mardi Gras beads, drinks, and parties are never in short supply, few people actually take into account the delicious gift of food that Mardi Gras gives us every year. Loaded with fiery flavors and zesty spices, traditional Mardi Gras food captures perfectly the tasty essence of its festivities.
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce. Photo by Cooking Light
Drawing inspiration mainly from French, Spanish, and Portuguese cuisines, Creole food reflects the flavors of the native countries of the explorers who first colonized Louisiana. Creole dishes are hearty and feature bold and spicy flavors. Seafood and spicy sausage appear frequently in Creole dishes, as well as rice and beans.
While the foods of Mardi Gras are vibrant and loaded with flavor, they definitely live up to the holiday’s name of “Fat Tuesday.” Rice, beans, and sausage all add great flavor and sustenance to Mardi Gras dishes, but they also add a significant amount of calories.
While some people may be opposed to breaking from traditional Mardi Gras recipes, I’m sure many people would be more inclined to give Creole a try if it wasn’t so high in calories. Thus, I present you with lighter recipes of two Mardi Gras favorites that are easy to make and full of flavor. No Mardi Gras would be complete without some spicy gumbo for dinner and sweet bourbon bread pudding, and with lighter versions of these classic dishes, you can experience the vibrant flavors of Mardi Gras without feeling fat on Fat Tuesday:
New Orleans Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
(Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine)
Ingredients:
For the Pudding:
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 Tablespoons bourbon
- 1 1/4 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash of salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 4.5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 oz)
- Cooking spray
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/4 cup light-colored corn syrup
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup bourbon
Preparation:
1. To prepare pudding, combine raisins and 2 tablespoons bourbon in a bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain mixture in a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid.
2. Combine reserved liquid, milk, and next 6 ingredients (milk through eggs) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add bread, tossing gently to coat. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with raisins, pressing gently into bread mixture. Cover with foil; chill 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350°.
4. Place dish in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake, covered, at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
5. To prepare sauce, combine ½ cup sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in 1/4 cup bourbon. Serve each bread pudding piece warm with about 1 tablespoon sauce.
Yield: 9 servings
Nutritional Information: Calories: 309 (24% from fat); Fat: 8.2g (sat 4.3g,mono 2.7g, poly 0.6g); Protein: 5.6g; Carbohydrate: 47.6g; Fiber: 1g; Cholesterol: 87mg; Iron: 1.1mg; Sodium: 272mg; Calcium: 74 mg.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. Photo from Cooking Light
Sausage and Chicken Gumbo
(Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine)
Ingredients:
- One 3.5 oz bag boil-in-bag rice
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup frozen chopped onion
- 1 cup frozen chopped green bell pepper
- 1 cup frozen cut okra
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
- 8 oz. turkey kielbasa sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
- One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with peppers and onion
- One 14.5 oz can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
Preparation:
1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
2. While rice cooks, combine flour and oil in a Dutch oven; sauté over medium-high heat 3 minutes. Add onion and next 6 ingredients (onion through red pepper); cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
3. Stir in chicken, kielbasa, tomatoes, and broth; cook 6 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve over rice.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups gumbo and 1/2 cup rice)
Nutritional Information: Calories: 369 (28% from fat); Fat: 11.3g (sat 2.7g,mono 4.8g,poly 3g); Protein: 29.4g; Carbohydrate: 37g; Fiber: 3g; Cholesterol: 77mg; Iron: 2.2mg; Sodium: 949mg; Calcium: 92 mg.
Send your food questions/suggestions (recipe ideas, restaurant recommendations, food questions, cooking tips, anything food related) to Veronica. Your questions and comments might be featured in next week’s column!
