WHEN I LIVED IN NEW YORK, I enjoyed the finest bagels and bialys, yet I dreamed of biscuits. When I lived in France, I had my pick of perfect, flaky and buttery pastries, yet I craved biscuits. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing like lox and cream cheese on a warm and toasty bagel and heads have been lost over access to a good baguette, but biscuits are my touchstone. As an avid biscuit maker, I enjoy many forms of biscuits: flaky; cakelike; big, double-handed biscuits called catheads; and petite tea biscuits meant for showers and luncheons. There’s no doubt in my mind that nothing says Southern comfort like a biscuit. Well, other than corn bread. Corn bread is yet another glory of Southern cooking and far easier to master than the biscuit. As I began the transformation with my eating habits, and wanted to lighten up, y’all, I knew early on that biscuits and corn bread had to be part of the plan.
If you’re trying to lose
weight, you might think that biscuits, bread, and baked goods are forbidden (and that by giving them a whole chapter here, I’ve lost my mind). But the truth is, weight loss is first and foremost about calories. So, even grain-based foods like breads and biscuits can be part of a healthy lifestyle. Regardless of whether you are counting carbs or pumping up with Paleo, the bottom line is calories are what matter the most. Eat too many calories from
anything, and you’ll gain weight; eat less than you burn and you’ll lose weight.
Ultimately, it is pretty much all about calories. That having been said, some calories are packed with nutrients and contribute to your health and happiness, while others are nutritionally void and considered “empty calories.” As much as I love it in a tender, fluffy biscuit, white all-purpose
flour just doesn’t have the
fiber, vitamins, and good-for-you-ness of whole-grain flours. Why? A grain of wheat is made up of three distinct parts: the bran, endosperm, and germ. The outer covering of the kernel, the bran, is high in insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is good for you and, well, keeps you regular. Insoluble fibers speed up the passage
of food through your gut and are mainly found in whole grains and vegetables. (The other primary kind of fiber is soluble fiber. Soluble fiber attracts water and forms a gel, which slows down digestion. This also helps make you feel full.) The middle layer of the kernel, or endosperm, contains proteins and carbohydrates. The germ is the innermost portion of the kernel, and is a source of unsaturated fat, B vitamins, and antioxidants. To make white flour, wheat kernels are milled to remove the bran and germ, leaving only the endosperm. This means you lose a lot of fiber, healthy unsaturated fats, and antioxidants. The bottom line is, whole grains are better for us than refined grains.
On the baking aisle, you will often find all-purpose flour, self-rising flour, bread flour, pastry or cake flour, whole wheat flour, and whole wheat pastry flour. All of these wheat flours contain protein, and when you combine flour with water, the proteins create a strong and elastic sheet called gluten. Gluten gives structure to yeast breads, but is not as desirable for tender biscuits and quick breads like muffins. All-purpose flour contains an average amount of protein and can be used for many different recipes. (To complicate matters, Southern all-purpose flour like White Lily brand is milled from soft red winter wheat that has less gluten-forming protein than most national brands. It’s actually more like cake flour.) Self-rising flour is simply all-purpose flour that already contains baking powder and salt. Bread flour is high in protein, and pastry and cake flours are low in protein. In regard to whole wheat flour, some is high and some is low in gluten, which means that some whole wheat flour is good for all-purpose baking and is simply labeled “whole wheat flour.” Others, like whole wheat pastry flour, are low in gluten and more appropriate for baking.
Southern all-purpose flour is better for biscuit making, but not good for us because it is refined. Whole wheat flour is good for us, but makes a heavy biscuit or baked good. But whole wheat pastry flour is light, more like all-purpose. Both King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill are national brands that are widely available. So, what I have done to increase the nutrition and fiber is to replace some of refined unbleached all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour. It’s a low-protein flour made from whole grains. It is much softer and more finely textured than regular whole wheat flour, and baked goods made with it will have a similar consistency to those made with refined all-purpose white flour.
It’s not a magic wand and carbohydrate-rich foods are still high in calories, but you can say “yes” to Multigrain Pecan Waffles and Blueberry-Banana Muffins, Buttermilk Biscuits with Turkey Sausage Gravy, and Cheesy Jalapeño Beer Bread Muffins. You can enjoy whole-grain Vegetable Cornbread and light and crispy Cornmeal Griddle Cakes. You can say “yes” to biscuits, bread, and baked goods, keep your head, and lose in your waistline.
BUTTERMILK BISCUITS
WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE GRAVY
MAKES 20 BISCUITS
Biscuits are the ultimate representation of old-timey Southern cooking. Perhaps only fried chicken surpasses the biscuit as the culinary symbol of the South. Once upon a time in a land far away inhabited by grandmothers with berry-stained hands and flour-dusted checkered aprons, biscuits were considered a quick bread, something that could be on the table with few strokes in a bowl of leavened flour, fat, and milk. Then, modern conveniences brought along biscuit mix, canned biscuits, and frozen biscuits—all processed and manufactured in a lab, not a kitchen.
The best biscuits are made from flour, dairy, and fat. These are not fruit and fiber bars. There’s no way around the fact that biscuits are high in calories. However, I have swapped out some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat pastry flour to increase the nutritional value, used low-fat buttermilk, and best of all, backed off on some of the saturated fat by using a combination of butter and canola oil. Calorie-wise, butter and canola oil are about the same, but most of the fat in canola oil is unsaturated. I’ve created a better-for-you-biscuit. So, when you choose to enjoy a biscuit, I guarantee you’re going to love this one.
1¼ cups White Lily or other Southern all-purpose flour, or cake flour (not self-rising), plus more for rolling out
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits and chilled
¾ to 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon canola oil
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Combine the buttermilk and oil. Pour in the buttermilk mixture, and gently mix until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead lightly, using the heel of your hand to compress and push the dough away from you, and then fold it back over itself. Give the dough a small turn and repeat eight or so times. (It’s not yeast bread; you want to just barely activate the gluten, not overwork it.) Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out ½ inch thick. Cut out rounds of dough with a 2-inch round cutter dipped in flour; press the cutter straight down without twisting so the biscuits will rise evenly when baked. Press the dough together and reroll. (Your first pass should yield about 12 biscuits.)
Place the biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool just slightly.
Split and serve hot with
Turkey Sausage Gravy.
Buttermilk Biscuit
Calories 62
Fat 2 g
Carbs 9 g
Fiber .6 g
Protein 2 g
TURKEY SAUSAGE GRAVY
MAKES 3⅔ CUPS
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and season with salt and pepper. Using a wooden spoon, break up the meat into small pieces. Pour off any excess rendered fat. Add the onion and cook until clear and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine and coat. Add the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the sage, taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground turkey sausage
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet onion, finely chopped
¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups 2 percent milk, warmed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
Turkey Sausage Gravy per tablespoon
Calories 22
Fat 1 g
Carbs 1 g
Fiber .1 g
Protein 2 g
SERVES 8
The suggested vegetables here are just that, a gentle suggestion. Mix it up depending on what’s in season and fresh at the market. Make it taste good! This recipe will support about five cups of chopped vegetables. Any more and the batter doesn’t hold together very well, and any less, it’s not really vegetable corn bread. I like to use variety of chiles and leave the seeds in the rings to give the corn bread some kick, but you could remove them or try chopped zucchini, yellow squash, or eggplant. If you use these more watery vegetables, you should par cook them first to remove some of the moisture (this could be as simple as zapping in the microwave and draining off the excess water).
Make sure to seek out whole-grain, not self-rising cornmeal for the best corn flavor. It is also known as “nondegerminated.” How’s that for a word?
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups yellow whole-grain cornmeal
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
6 fresh okra pods, stem ends trimmed, very thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 red onion, chopped
Cut and scraped kernels from 2 ears of fresh corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 banana pepper, thinly sliced into rings
1 jalapeño chile, thinly sliced into rings
1 small red chile, such as bird’s eye or Thai, thinly sliced into rings
½ poblano chile, cored, seeded, and chopped
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Place the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or ovenproof baking dish and heat in the oven until the oil is piping hot, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Add the okra, onion, corn, banana pepper, and chiles and toss to coat. Set aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
Remove the heated skillet from the oven and pour the hot oil into the batter. Stir to combine, and then pour the batter back into the hot skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Using a serrated knife, slice into wedges and serve warm.
Calories 208
Fat 6 g
Carbs 33 g
Fiber 6 g
Protein 6 g
Buttermilk and baking soda involve a bit of food science. The baking soda reacts to the acidity in the buttermilk. If you run out of buttermilk, you can’t just swap in regular milk. However, you can transform milk into buttermilk! To make reduced-fat buttermilk, for each 1 cup of regular 2 percent milk add 1 teaspoon of distilled white or apple cider vinegar. Within just a few seconds, it turns into buttermilk and works perfectly.
CHEESY JALAPEÑO BEER BREAD MUFFINS
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
Cheesy beer bread would seem to be decidedly off the table for a slim-down Southern cookbook, but it’s not! First of all to consider, of course, is portion control. That’s why I’ve made these into muffins, not into loaf bread. Second, I’m increasing the nutritional value of the dry ingredients by using a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flours. Lastly, I’m dividing the cheese into a fifty-fifty split of reduced-fat and extra-sharp, which means less fat, but equal flavor. (I’ve tried it with all reduced-fat, and they are mighty good that way, too.)
If you want a bit more heat, you can add another jalapeño; it’s going to completely depend on the chile. These muffins are incredible with a piping hot bowl of my Damn Good Dawg Chili.
1 jalapeño chile, cored, seeded, and chopped
8 ounces (1¾ cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
4 ounces (½ cup plus ⅓ cup) whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup freshly grated 75 percent reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
½ cup freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
1 (12-ounce) bottle lager-style light beer (such as Sam Adams Light)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Place the jalapeño in a small microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave on high until softened, about 20 seconds, depending on the strength of your microwave. Set aside to cool.
Whisk together the unbleached all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cheeses and jalapeño. Slowly add the beer until just combined.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared muffin tin, filling the cups about half full. Brush the top of each one with the melted butter. (Don’t skip this step; this small amount of butter goes a long way!) Transfer to the oven and bake until deep golden brown and the temperature of the bread measures 210°F on an instant-read thermometer, 28 to 30 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool slightly before removing from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Calories 150
Fat 4 g
Carbs 22 g
Fiber 1 g
Protein 6 g
MAKES 1 LOAF TO SERVE 16
Many recipes for lemon poppy seed cake contain two sticks of butter and two cups of sugar! Yikes. In lightening this simple tea cake up, I’ve made it slightly less sweet, to be served at breakfast or brunch. It’s not overly rich, yet and packed with tart lemon flavor.
I’m also substituting chia seeds for poppy seeds. Chia is considered a super food because it delivers the maximum amount of nutrients with minimum calories. It has several of the same benefits as the other “super seed,” flax, but unlike flax seed, you don’t need to grind them to gain the health benefits. Chia seeds are high in protein and fiber and contain beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, and antioxidants. They also absorb up to twelve times their own weight! As they expand, it will make you feel fuller and curb your appetite. You can find chia seeds online, at Whole Foods Market, in health foods stores, and in the health food section of better grocery stores.
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup 2 percent plain Greek yogurt
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
Finely grated zest of 2 large lemons
⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure lemon extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup confectioners’ sugar
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. (If using a dark metal pan, preheat the oven to 325 °F.) Generously coat an 8½ by 4½ by 2½-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour; set aside.
Combine the flours, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk the yogurt, granulated sugar, eggs, lemon zest, ⅓ cup of the lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla, and oil in a large bowl until well blended. Add the flour mixture to the yogurt mixture, stirring until just combined. Transfer batter to the prepared pan.
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake, invert onto the rack, turn upright, and cool completely.
Combine the confectioners’ sugar and remaining tablespoon of lemon juice in a small bowl, stirring until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake into ½-inch pieces and serve immediately. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Calories 177
Fat 9 g
Carbs 21 g
Fiber .9 g
Protein 4 g
MAKES 12
That blueberry muffin you’re grabbing at the coffee shop in an attempt to be healthy very likely has around 450 calories, and 15 percent of your recommended daily allowance of saturated fat. That’s no good!
Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Skipping it to “save calories” is nothing but a bad idea—breakfast gets your metabolism going, and if you miss it, I promise you’ll just end up scarfing down too much food at lunchtime! But, I understand. I don’t like to eat first thing in the morning, either. I will often have a banana and a coffee to get going then, after I work out, I have some protein, maybe an egg or some yogurt. Good and good for you, if you’re looking for a great grab and go, this is it.
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
⅔ cup sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
2 ripe, medium bananas, mashed
½ cup plain 2 percent Greek yogurt
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 pint fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 325°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan generously with nonstick cooking spray, including the top surface.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, bananas, yogurt, oil, and buttermilk. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the berries.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cups (the batter will come to the top of the cups). Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Serve warm. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Calories 184
Fat 6 g
Carbs 31 g
Fiber 3 g
Protein 4 g
MAKES 10 CAKES TO SERVE 5
My grandmother loved cornmeal griddle cakes. She’d serve them with buttery cabbage and strips of fried fatback. It was her “pantry meal” because she always had the ingredients on hand.
I’ll leave the fatback out of the meal, but with a quick, easy recipe like this, you can have home-cooked bread with no additives or preservatives on the table in less than twenty minutes. I’ve intentionally made these corn cakes just a bit on the dry side and cooked them in the least amount oil possible so they are tailor-made to soak up the broth from soups and stews. This has two benefits: they are the perfect “dunker,” and since they are not deep fried, they can be made ahead and successfully reheated without tasting like reheated fried food. You could also top them with Lightened-Up Pimiento Cheese or even Smoky Eggplant Dip for an interesting nibble.
1 cup yellow whole-grain cornmeal (not cornmeal mix or self-rising cornmeal)
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more for the skillet
1 green onion, trimmed and very thinly sliced
In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, egg white, and the 1 tablespoon oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Stir in the green onion.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat the bottom with a thin layer of oil. Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, place up to 6 spoonfuls of batter in the pan. (Or, using a tablespoon measure, place 2 tablespoons batter, one on top of the other, in the pan to make six 1-ounce portions.) Using an offset spatula or battercake turner, pat the batter down slightly until it’s about ½ inch thick. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and cook until golden brown on both sides, 1½ to 2 minutes per side, regulating the heat so the cakes essentially bake in the pan instead of deep frying in the pan. Remove to a rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Per Cake
Calories 65
Fat 2 g
Carbs 10 g
Fiber 1 g
Protein 2 g
MAKES 4 CUPS OF BATTER TO MAKE SIX 8-INCH ROUND WAFFLES
Waffles for breakfast are a really special treat and are mostly reserved for lazy Saturday mornings. Mama loves hers loaded with Cool Whip, but she hasn’t met much that she doesn’t like topped with the famous nondairy topping. I don’t share the same appreciation and prefer my waffles topped with gently warmed maple syrup and maybe a small pat of butter. These waffles are packed with heart-healthy pecans, oats, and whole-grain cornmeal—a great way to start your weekend.
These freeze well, too. You can easily double the recipe and cook the rest after you’ve finished with breakfast. Once they’ve cooked, store the waffles, separated with waxed paper, in a sealable freezer container. If I need a healthy quick breakfast on the run, it’s just as simple as popping one in the toaster oven, then topping it with a bit of sunflower butter and a few slices of fruit.
2 cups low-fat buttermilk
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour
⅔ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
⅓ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup whole-grain cornmeal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Mix the buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; set aside for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, pecans, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Stir the eggs, oil, and vanilla into the reserved buttermilk-oat mixture. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
Coat a waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray and preheat. Spoon in enough batter to cover three-quarters of the surface (about ⅔ cup for an 8-inch round waffle iron). Cook until the waffles are crisp and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately.
Calories 285
Fat 11 g
Carbs 37 g
Fiber 4 g
Protein 11 g
