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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, July 28, 2004

RECIPE DOCTOR
Grilled garlic bread doesn't have to drip with butter

By Elaine Magee

Q. I found this recipe in a grill book and would love to try it but I have a problem with the cubes of butter it calls for. Any help?

A. I love the idea of throwing the garlic bread on the grill! That ups the flavor, just like that, without adding any calories.

But the recipe calls for way more butter than is probably necessary.

But not only are we going to use less butter in the spread, we are going to switch to a fat that has a better fatty-acid profile and less fat per tablespoon to boot — Take Control margarine. Another preferable margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon can be substituted (Take Control is pretty pricey but one of the best-tasting margarines).

Instead of 1 cup of butter, I tried 1/2 cup of Take Control and kept the parsley and garlic pretty much the same.

We can improve on this recipe even more by using part-wheat or whole-wheat french bread to boost the fiber and nutrients. This bread was delicious.

GRILLED GARLIC PARSLEY CHEESE BREAD

  • 1/2 cup Take Control margarine or other "no trans" margarine with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons freshly shredded/grated parmesan cheese
  • 12 large slices (1 loaf) of french bread (whole-wheat or part-wheat if available), cut on the diagonal into 1-inch thick slices

Start barbecue or indoor grill.

Add all the margarine, garlic, parsley, black pepper, and parmesan to a small bowl and blend together well with a small spoon.

Spread both sides of the bread lightly with the margarine mixture.

Place bread slices on the grill (about 6 inches from the coals if using a barbecue).

When the bottoms of the bread slices are nicely grilled (about 2 minutes), flip the slices over with a spatula to grill other side (about 2 minutes more). Serve.

Makes 12 large slices (1 loaf of french bread).

• Per serving: 155 calories, 4 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 6.7 g fat (1.2 g saturated fat, 3.7 g monounsaturated fat, 1.6 g polyunsaturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g fiber, 269 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 40 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids, 0.5 g. Omega-6 fatty acids, 1.1 g. Weight Watchers points, 3.

(The original recipe contained 250 calories, 17 grams fat, 10 grams saturated fat, and 43 mg cholesterol per serving.)

Elaine Magee's new book, "The Change of Life Diet and Cookbook," is just out. Readers may reach her through www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by the Knight Ridder News Service.