Hungry Girl cookbook has tasty help for dieters

Detroit Free Press (MCT) - Key Lime Mousse Pie with just 88 calories and 6 grams of fiber. Chicken nuggets made with crushed barbecue chips. Faux-fried zucchini with 9 grams of fiber and only ˝ gram of fat.

These are just a sampling of the low-fat, low-calorie and high-fiber recipes found in Lisa Lillien's second cookbook, "Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).

In 2004, Lillien started Hungry Girl, a Web site dedicated to helping dieters by providing product news and reviews, recipes and inspiration and daily free e-mail to more than 650,000 subscribers. Lillien makes it clear she's not a doctor, chef or nutrition professional.

She's just a hungry girl obsessed with food, who, like many other yo-yo dieters, says she struggled to lose the same 15 pounds for much of her life. Once Lillien, 43, of Encino, Calif., lost 25 pounds by changing her lifestyle, she realized she had to stick with it.

Those changes morphed into www.hungrygirl.com, and "Hungry Girl: Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World" (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.95). It spent 6 months on the New York Times Best Sellers list.

Cutting the fat and calories, Lillien relies on the obvious, such as using egg whites instead of whole eggs, sugar substitutes and reduced-fat or fat-free products.

Fans of Hungry Girl will like the book's breezy style. If you try Lillien's recipes, be prepared to stock your pantry with her recommended fat-free, reduced-fat and high-fiber products.

KEY LIME MOUSSE PIE

Serves: 8 / Preparation time: 15 minutes

Total time: 1 hour (plus chilling time)

CRUST

Ľ cup light whipped butter or light butter spread

2 tablespoons water

1 ľ cups original Fiber One bran cereal

4 no-calorie sweetener packets

1 teaspoon cinnamon

FILLING

1 cup boiling water

1 small (4 serving size) package sugar-free lime gelatin

1 no-calorie sweetener packet

˝ cup cold water

1 ˝ tablespoons lemon juice

Ľ teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups fat-free whipped topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the butter with the water. Microwave until the butter is just melted.

In a blender or food processor, grind the cereal to a bread crumb-like consistency.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cereal crumbs with the butter mixture, sweetener and cinnamon. Stir well until mixed.

Spray a 9-inch pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the dish. Bake 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the boiling water with the gelatin and sweetener. Stir the mixture for 2 minutes or until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the cold water, lemon juice and vanilla extract; mix well.

Refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until slightly thickened, but not set.

Once the gelatin is thickened slightly, stir in the whipped topping. Whisk until thoroughly blended; pour the mixture into the pie crust.

Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cut into slices.

From "Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

85 calories (31 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (2 grams sat. fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 127 mg sodium, 8 mg cholesterol, 48 mg calcium, 6 grams fiber.

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H-O-T HOT BONELESS BUFFALO WINGS

Serves: 2 (5 wings each)

Preparation time: 10 minutes / Total time: 30 minutes

Ľ cup Fiber One Original bran cereal

1 ounce (about 14 crisps) Pringles Light Fat-Free Barbecue potato crisps or another brand of fat-free barbecue-flavored potato chips

Dash of onion powder

Dash of garlic powder

Dash of cayenne pepper

Dash of black pepper

Dash of salt

8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 10 nuggets

3 tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper sauce

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a bread crumb-like consistency. Crush the potato crisps in a bowl. In a small dish, mix crushed crisps with cereal crumbs. Add the onion powder and garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt and mix well.

Place the chicken pieces in a separate dish. Cover with the hot sauce and toss to coat.

Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray. Give each chicken piece a shake so it's not dripping with sauce, then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Place crumb-covered nuggets on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Flip nuggets over and bake for 10 more minutes, or until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked throughout.

From "Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

Analysis per 5 wings.

193 calories (14 percent from fat), 3 grams fat (1 gram sat. fat), 18 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein, 731 mg sodium, 63 mg cholesterol, 43 mg calcium, 5 grams fiber.

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FREAKISHLY FANTASTIC FAUX-FRIED ZUCCHINI

Serves: 3 / Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

These are a tasty snack and an excellent source of fiber.

ľ cup Fiber One Original bran cereal

1 tablespoon dry ranch dressing or dip mix

Ľ teaspoon plus 1 dash garlic powder, divided

Ľ teaspoon plus 1 dash onion powder, divided

Ľ teaspoon plus 1 dash oregano, divided

2 dashes black pepper, divided

2 dashes salt, divided

Ľ cup fat-free liquid egg substitute

2 large zucchini, ends removed

Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a food processor or blender, place the Fiber One cereal. Add the ranch dressing or dip mix and Ľ teaspoon each of the garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Add a dash each of salt and pepper. Grind to a bread crumb-like consistency. Transfer crumbs to a medium bowl.

In another medium bowl, combine the egg substitute with a dash each of garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly.

Cut the zucchini into ˝-wide circles. Blot away any excess moisture with a paper towel.

Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss zucchini circles in seasoned egg substitute until they are evenly covered. One by one, give zucchini slices a shake to remove excess egg substitute, coat them with the bread crumbs and lay them flat on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Carefully flip the zucchini slices over. Bake in the oven for 10 additional minutes or until the outsides are crispy and zucchini is cooked through.

From "Hungry Girl: 200 Under 200" by Lisa Lillien (St. Martin's Griffin, $19.95).

Tested by Susan M. Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

78 calories (9 percent from fat ), 1 gram fat (0 grams sat. fat ), 21 grams carbohydrates , 5 grams protein , 311 mg sodium , 0 mg cholesterol , 84 mg calcium , 9 grams fiber .

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THE HUNGRY GIRL'S MEAL-PLANNING STRATEGIES

For Lisa Lillien, the light bulb went off in her head when she was taking pastries to be analyzed at a food lab because she didn't believe the nutrition label. She thought she could help people by sharing what she'd learned.

Her Hungry Girl persona evolved from that desire.

Lillien's Web site, www.hungrygirl.com, offers advice and product news for dieters. I caught up with Lillien by phone to talk about the Hungry Girl approach.

QUESTION: How should people use this book?

ANSWER: Whatever they want to use it for. ... You can create meal plans or find recipes for your family or just snacks.

Q: What are you trying to accomplish?

A: I think people should understand that they shouldn't be afraid of food and that food should be loved and embraced. You can find ways to eat the foods you like, and love and maintain a healthy weight.

Q: How can one do that?

A: There is no magic bullet, but there are temporary fixes. But in order to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight you have to change your lifestyle.

Q: What one food have you found to be misleading?

A: Salad dressing. With just one little pour you take a 500-calorie meal and turn it into a 1,000-calorie meal.

Q: What's your meal plan for a typical day?

A: I tend to eat Egg Beaters with a low-fat cheese in the morning. ... And I am always eating fresh fruits and vegetables. I am a big protein eater. I am a meat eater, so I eat turkey, chicken, and I try to eat a lot of lean meat and fish.

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© 2009, Detroit Free Press.