Posted on: Wednesday, January 26, 2005

RECIPE DOCTOR
Keep cornbread fancy but lighten the load

By Elaine Magee

Q. I'm always looking to try a new cornbread recipe. This one was given to me by a friend, but it calls for 2/3 cup of melted butter and a cup of sour cream and cheddar cheese. Oh — and I almost forgot, it also calls for 1/2 cup of bacon pieces. Can you please make this a healthier bread to serve at dinner?

A. This is definitely a fancy cornbread, calling for all sorts of ingredients, from canned green chiles to bacon bits, cheddar cheese to corn kernels. It also doesn't call for flour and is relatively unsweetened, which definitely intrigued me. It is a savory bread, not the sweet, cakey kind.

To lighten it, we used egg substitute, canola oil and low-fat buttermilk in place of eggs and butter and chose fat-free sour cream and reduced-fat cheddar cheese. The bacon is optional, but you can use either 4 strips of Louis Rich turkey bacon or 6 slices of center-cut pork bacon — both will add about a gram of fat per serving. It's your call.

This cornbread goes great with soups, stews or chili. If you would rather stir the cheese and chiles into the batter, go right ahead.

Original recipe contains 270 calories, 20 grams fat, 12 grams saturated fat, and 100 milligrams cholesterol per serving.

FANCY SKILLET CORNBREAD

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 cup fat-free sour cream
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup reduced-fat, sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
• 6 slices center-cut pork bacon or 4 slices Louis Rich turkey bacon, cooked until crisp then broken into bits (optional)

Elaine Magee's book "Fry Light, Fry Right" is in bookstores. Readers may reach her through her Web site at www.recipedoctor.com. Personal responses can't be provided. This column is distributed by Knight Ridder News Service.