Lisa Lillien - Hungry Girl - Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Use a sharp knife to remove the ends of the squash. Cut squash in half widthwise (making it easier to manage) and then peel squash halves using a vegetable peeler or a knife. Cut squash in half lengthwise and then scoop out all seeds.

Next, cut squash into French fry shapes. Use a crinkle cutter to make authentic-looking crinkle-cut fries (they'll taste great any way you slice 'em, though). Using a paper towel, pat squash pieces firmly to absorb any excess moisture.

Place squash in a bowl, add a light mist of nonstick spray, and sprinkle with salt. Toss squash to evenly distribute salt and then transfer to a large baking pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Use 2 pans if needed. Squash pieces should lie flat in the pan.

Place pan(s) in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or so (longer for thick-cut fries, shorter for skinnier fries), flipping halfway through baking. Fries are done when they are starting to brown on the edges and get crispy.

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

HG Tip:
Serve with ketchup, mustard, sugar-free maple syrup, or however else you enjoy regular fries or sweet potato fries!
For b-nut squash cooking tips (and more squash-tastic recipes), visit the butternut squash section of the «Fun With. .» chapter on page 276!

HG SHOCKER!
An average 6-ounce serving of French fries contains about 500 calories and 25 grams of fat. But a 6-ounce potato only contains about 130 calories and virtually no fat. That means when you order up those fries, you're ingesting more than 350 calories and about 25 fat grams of pure oil! Eww. .

super-skinny skins
PER SERVING (4 pieces): 157 calories, 1g fat, 271mg sodium, 28g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 1g sugars, 10g protein

Ingredients
3 medium (8-ounce) baking potatoes
ВЅ cup shredded fat-free cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons imitation bacon bits
Optional toppings: chopped scallions, fat-free sour cream, salsa

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Pierce potatoes several times with a fork. Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 4 minutes.

Turn potatoes over and return them to microwave for 4 more minutes. Allow them to cool for a few minutes.

Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a fork, gently scrape out the bulk of the flesh. Place the empty potato shells on a baking dish spritzed with nonstick spray. Place dish in the oven and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, depending on how crispy you like your potato skins.

Evenly distribute cheese and bacon bits on top of potato skins. Return skins to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Cut each potato skin in half. If desired, top with scallions and serve with sour cream and/or salsa.

MAKES 3 SERVINGS

Junk Food Face Off!

In this corner. .
Onion Rings vs. French Fries
1 medium order of onion rings (about 4.5 ounces) = 450 calories and 25g fat
1 medium order of French fries (about 5 ounces) = 415 calories and 19g fat
Ounce for ounce, onion rings have about 20 percent more calories than French fries and nearly 35 percent more fat!!!!
Milkshake vs. Ice Cream Float
1 vanilla milkshake = 670 calories and 27g fat
1 ice cream float made with vanilla ice cream = 360 calories and 14g fat
An ice cream float clocks in with 310 fewer calories and saves you 13 grams of fat! Order it made with diet soda instead of regular and you'll save another 140 calories!
Hamburger vs. Fish Sandwich
1 fast-food regular hamburger = 280 calories and 10g fat
1 fast-food fried fish sandwich = 500 calories and 23g fat
Surprise. . That fishy fried sandwich contains more than twice the fat of the burger, and it's loaded with a lot more calories, too!
Pretzels vs. Potato Chips
1 ounce pretzels = 110 calories and 1g fat
1 ounce potato chips = 155 calories and 10g fat
Choosing chips over pretzels can be a fat-astrophe, as chips typically have ten times as much fat!
Nutritional information based on averages.

lord of the onion rings
PER SERVING (entire recipe): 153 calories, 1g fat, 379mg sodium, 41g carbs, 16g fiber, 7g sugars, 9g protein

Using Fiber One as a low-cal, high-fiber way to fake-fry is one of the greatest ideas I've ever had. I roll pretty much everything in F1 «breadcrumbs» and bake it. IT ROCKS!!!

Ingredients
1 large onion
ВЅ cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
Вј cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
Dash of salt
Optional: additional salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, etc.

For the 411 on faux-frying with Fiber One, see page 113!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut the ends off of the onion, and remove the outer layer. Cut onion into ВЅ-inch-wide slices, and separate into rings.

Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour Fiber One «breadcrumbs» into a small dish and mix in salt, and any optional spices you like.

Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with egg substitute. One by one, coat each ring first in egg and then in the «breadcrumbs» (give each ring a shake after the egg bath).