Quick Comfort

Spring may be just around the corner, but with that cold March wind blowing, warm-you-up cozy foods are still mighty appealing. Mac and cheese, fluffy eggs, chocolate mousse and buttery grits dishes—all sound great, except for the excessive fat and calories that go along with them. That’s why we streamlined overly creamy, overly cheesy and overly caloric comfort foods into more wholesome, five-ingredient versions. And as for our gelatin-free chocolate mousse, there’s just one way to describe it: Aaaaahhhh….

GARLICKY GRITS CAKES WITH RED PEPPER TAPENADE
Serves 4 - Vegan

Two heads of roasted garlic give these crispy cakes amazing flavor. Feel free to slather them in other types of tapenade, or your favorite prepared pesto.

2 heads whole garlic
2 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for sautéing
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup corn grits
1/4 cup red pepper tapenade

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Peel off papery outer layers of garlic, and cut off top fifth. Lay garlic on piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap around heads. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap in foil, and roast 40 to 60 minutes, until garlic is tender and golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool 10 minutes, then squeeze out cloves. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chickpeas and roasted garlic. Mash chickpeas into oil, leaving some chunky. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add grits and 1 cup water. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, or until grits have thickened. Transfer to bowl and cool 10 minutes, or to room temperature. Shape into 8 1/4-cup cakes. Chill 10 minutes, or until firm.
4. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, and heat over mediumhigh heat. Add grits cakes and sauté 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden. Serve hot, drizzled with about 11/2 tsp. tapenade per cake.

PER SERVING: 264 CAL; 7G PROT; 13G TOTAL FAT (1.5G SAT. FAT); 32G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 686MG SOD; 5G FIBER; 5G SUGARS

ASPARAGUS-RICOTTA FRITTATA WITH PARMESAN
Serves 6

Ricotta cheese and double the egg whites make this frittata especially fluffy.

4 whole eggs plus 4 whites
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. asparagus, hard stems removed, cut into 3/4 -inch pieces
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Whisk together eggs, egg whites and ricotta in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and 2 Tbs. water, and season with salt. Cover, and cook 4 minutes, or until asparagus has softened. Uncover, raise heat to medium high and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, or until liquid has evaporated and asparagus is crispy, stirring constantly.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Pour egg mixture over asparagus. Cook 5 minutes, or until eggs begin to set around sides. Sprinkle Parmesan over top, and transfer to oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until frittata is set. Slide out of skillet, and slice into 6 wedges.

PER SERVING: 196 CAL; 15G PROT; 13G TOTAL FAT (5G SAT. FAT); 4G CARB; 160MG CHOL; 480MG SOD; 1G FIBER; 1G SUGARS

MACARONI AND CHEESE
Serves 8

The secret to slimming down this classic recipe? Finding just the right proportions for the cream sauce and cheese. For extra flavor and crunch, try folding in chopped green onion and sprinkling breadcrumbs on top.

10 oz. medium elbow macaroni (about 3 cups)
2 Tbs. unsalted butter plus more for brushing pan
2 Tbs. unbleached white flour
2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
2 1/4 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided (about 5 oz.)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions until al dente. Drain.
3. Melt 2 Tbs. butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook 1 minute. Add milk, and cook 6 minutes, or until thickened, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat; stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over noodles, and combine.
5. Transfer to 9x13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake 45 minutes, or until top is crisp and beginning to brown. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

PER SERVING: 269 CAL; 12G PROT; 11G TOTAL FAT (6G SAT. FAT); 31G CARB; 31MG CHOL; 447MG SOD; 1G FIBER; 5G SUGARS

DECADENT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Serves 8

The secret to this rich, creamy mousse is dark flavored chocolate, such as Green & Black’s Espresso.

2 3.5-oz. bittersweet flavored chocolate bars, chopped
1 cup whipping cream, divided
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
6 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar, divided

1. Place chocolate, 1/4 cup cream, 1/2 cup water and cocoa powder in small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, let stand 3 minutes, then whisk until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
2. Beat egg whites 2 minutes, or until peaks form. Add 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until stiff. Fold 1/4 of egg mixture into chocolate. Fold in remaining egg whites.
3. Beat remaining 3/4 cup of cream and 1/4 cup of sugar until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mousse, and ladle into 8 individual cups or a 1 1/2 qt. container. Chill 2 hours, or store in refrigerator up to 2 days.

PER SERVING: 277 CAL; 5G PROT; 21G TOTAL FAT (12G SAT. FAT); 22G CARB; 41MG CHOL; 54MG SOD; 2G FIBER; 17G SUGARS

Myra Kornfeld says there’s nothing like mac and cheese to make her and her husband feel nurtured when they have work deadlines to meet.