Cooking Light Recipes

Hi,

I got the current issue of Cooking Light a few days ago. This month they are publishing their "best of" recipes, and I am going to cook at least some of them in the upcoming months.

Yesterday I made their Fudgy Mocha-Toffee Brownies. I rarely bake, but those brownies just spoke to me and I had to make them The only substitution I made was using chocolate chips for sprinkling, instead of toffee ones.

Being impatient, I tried them about 15 minutes after they came out of the oven, and didn't like them. They weren't chocolaty enough and I could taste salt in one of my bites

However, the taste improved dramatically when they cooled off completely - they are nice, chewy, chocolaty and, well, tasty. I would make them again as-is, while mr. eggplant wants to add a bit more butter and chocolate in an effort to make the inside a bit softer and a bit more chewy.

Anyone else wants to use the recipes from this issue and share opinions? The next few things from their best recipes that I'd like to try are:

- Garlic Fries

- Herbed Basmati Rice

- Creamed Corn With Bacon And Leeks - there must be a few people on LTH who like bacon and want to make this

Hi eggplant!

I saw that baked garlicy potato fries recipe and remembered it from when it was originally published. I think I will try to make it this week. I'll check in with some thoughts about it.

That is an interesting issue of Cooking Light, isn't it? I remember how they were when they first started publishing. There were a lot of recipes that called for low fat cheese and other ooky ingredients.

Now they (and we all!) have come to recognize that no food is off-limits and everything can be enjoyed in moderation. It not only makes much more sense nutritionally but it is a lot easier to eat healthy when the food is fabulous.

I like their use of bright flavor notes in place of fat and other bad ingredients. I like the different flavor palettes and the use of Asian spices, citrus fruits, peppers of all ethnicities, garlic and all.

That being said, I think I will try that brownie recipe too. Why not!? A pan of gooey brownies? How can you go wrong?

--Joy

Joy,

I have only been a subscriber for a few years, so I haven't seen recipes with ooky ingredients. I do love the recipes and how they still use oil, butter, bacon and other good ingredients in small amounts, where they really make a difference

I completely agree on everything in moderation - that's how we try to structure our meals. For example, back in the day I wasn't not a huge fan of salads - I do like raw vegetables, but the same veggie salad every time just wasn't inspiring. But nowdays with more produce variety, more interesting vinegars and more salad recipes, I love salads.

Do let us know about the potato fries and brownies. My brownies are already gone, and I am contemplating making another batch over the weekend

eggplant wrote:- Herbed Basmati Rice

This was very good and easy to make. As a bonus, my version looked just like the picture of this dish in the magazine. I like when that happens

Different ingredients/textures really made this an interesting side dish.

Best of 2010

It's rare that a magazine website, even in a compilation, offers so many recipes I want to try. I'm trying to lose weight (although I am cognizant that many of these aren't the lightest of their recipes) and I appreciate it when the "light" recipes aren't entirely comprised of salads and gravel.

I think their approach makes a lot of sense. It isn't a method to lose lots of weight in a hurry, but if you eat the way they advocate you will end up with a healthy diet that actually tastes good.

Joy wrote:That is an interesting issue of Cooking Light, isn't it? I remember how they were when they first started publishing. There were a lot of recipes that called for low fat cheese and other ooky ingredients.

Now they (and we all!) have come to recognize that no food is off-limits and everything can be enjoyed in moderation. It not only makes much more sense nutritionally but it is a lot easier to eat healthy when the food is fabulous.

--Joy