Potluck Makeovers

If I had a dollar for every time someone said, "Just bring a side dish," I would be able to get that adorable pink iPod mini.

And for good reason: Whether it's a church social, a family cookout, or a neighborhood get-together, the menu always seems to work out well when guests are asked to contribute a side dish.

One thing I've learned is that if you ask people to sign up to bring either a side dish or a dessert, the dessert column always fills up first. I haven't quite figured out why that is.

At your typical potluck, you might see pasta salad, fruit salad, potato salad, green salad, coleslaw, some garlic bread, and the obligatory crock pot filled with baked beans. The dessert table might include cobbler, chocolate chip cookies, brownies, a couple of sheet cakes, and some Rice Krispies treats. Sound familiar?

Today, we're going to give a few of these favorite potluck dishes a Weight Loss Clinic Makeover. We'll start with some general tips for healthier potluck cooking, then move on to a few recipes.

Side dish/main dish makeover tips:

• Add light mayonnaise instead of regular.
• Dress your green salad or pasta salad with a reduced-fat dressing (with 6 grams of fat or less per 2-tablespoon serving).
• Use extra-lean meats, skinless poultry, less-fat bacon bits, etc., instead of higher-fat versions when possible.
• Use reduced-fat cheese and other dairy products (like fat-free sour cream).
• Choose whole-grain products when possible (multigrain pasta, brown rice, etc.).
• Go heavy on the vegetables in your dish (add extra broccoli, carrots, or tomato, for example).
• Use reduced-fat, condensed creamy soups for your recipes instead of the full-fat versions.
• In many side dish/main dish recipes, you can substitute a nonfat, lower-calorie ingredient (like chicken broth, white wine, fat-free half-and-half) for some or all of the fat.

Dessert makeover tips:

• Use light Cool Whip instead of regular.
• Use less-fat margarine or whipped butter (with 8 grams of fat per tablespoon) instead of the full-fat types.
• Add unsweetened fresh or frozen fruit every chance you get, to boost the fiber and nutrition.
• With bakery items, depending on the recipe, you may be able to substitute a lower-calorie ingredient (fat-free sour cream, orange juice, low-fat yogurt, etc.) for half the fat called for.
• You can usually get away with half the amount of frosting called for.
• You can make a great frosting using a less-fat or diet margarine (with 8 grams or less of fat per tablespoon) instead of regular margarine or butter.
• Use light ice cream or low-fat frozen yogurt when making ice-cream pies, sandwiches, or sundaes.
• Depending on the recipe, you can substitute Splenda for half the sugar called for. Or try cutting the sugar by 1/4 or 1/3 to bring down the calories per serving.

To get you started on the road to light potlucking, here are a handful of recipes (a bread, a couple of salads, and a dessert) just perfect for your next get-together!