by Cynthia Warso

Created on: May 04, 2009   Last Updated: May 11, 2009

Classic comfort foods like chicken-fried pork chops, mashed potatoes and gravy, Buffalo chicken wings, and macaroni and cheese make your mouth water and your tummy feel satisfied. While most of us can't eat a daily diet like that and expect to stay fit, you can indulge more often by tweaking recipes in a healthy direction. By simply swapping olive or canola oil for butter or animal fats, and adjusting your cooking methods, you can enjoy old favorites in a healthier new way. The following tips show you how.

While grilling is a great alternative to frying, sometimes you just crave that that crispy (and frequently forbidden) fried taste. Fried pork, chicken, or fish recipes can be made significantly healthier by switching from deep frying to oven frying, where you'll create a crunchy crust that is baked with a drizzle of oil instead. You'll need a variety of bread crumbs (seasoned, whole grain, and panko) on hand in your pantry. In addition, have corn meal, whole grain flour, besan (chickpea flour, found in Indian markets), and even ground seeds and nuts. The key is to mix and match for interesting flavor and texture combinations, and then amplify the spice factor with garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, and savory dried herbs.

Take lean pork cutlets moistened with water and toss in a coating you've assembled from your pantry bread crumbs, flours, and seasonings. Place the cutlets on a non-stick baking pan, drizzle with a little olive or canola oil and bake until a crunchy crust forms on the outside while the meat is tender and juicy on the inside. Pair the cutlets with baked or boiled potatoes (try mashing with low fat milk or soy milk and buttery spread or olive oil, a little onion and garlic, pepper, and a dash of salt). Finish off the meat and potatoes with a ladle full of delicious broth-based gravy that has the same smooth texture of traditional gravy without an excess of artery clogging animal fat. Broth-based gravies (even vegetarian versions) can be found in most supermarkets, specialty, or health food stores, and they taste terrific. This oven-fried pork and potatoes with gravy meal has slashed the fat and calories drastically while retaining the yummy tastes and textures of the original.

Try preparing slices of eggplant the oven-fried way, and top with a zesty marinara sauce and smooth melting reduced fat mozzarella. Served over one of the new, multigrain pastas now on the market, this low-fat Eggplant Parmesan will make repeat appearances at your dinner table.

You'll go wild for this zippy, low-fat version of Buffalo chicken "wings." Use boneless, skinless, chicken breast strips, and bake according to the above oven-fry method. Pour fiery Buffalo sauce over the chicken, and serve with low-fat or fat-free ranch or bleu cheese dressing for dipping, and crunchy celery sticks. This recipe has all the taste and much less fat and calories than the traditional skin-on, deep fried wings found in restaurants.

If you love macaroni and cheese, make your own creamy, low-fat sauce by combining one tablespoon each of flour and canola or olive oil, or equivalent of a melted buttery spread suitable for cooking. Whisk in one cup of low-fat milk. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer and cook until thickened. Stir in reduced fat grated cheddar or soy cheese until melted. Season generously with garlic, onion, white or cayenne pepper, and a dash of salt. Toss with cooked pasta for a delicious, heart-friendly mac-n-cheese that retains the flavor and smooth texture of the original butter-and-cream version.

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