Blog Posts by CookingLight.com

Lighter Piña Coladas

You'll like our way of losing almost all the sat fat while keeping the delicious coconutty goodness. By Sidney Fry, MS, RD

Nothing says "escape" like a creamy, ice-cold piña colada: cocktail in hand, feet in the sand, music in the background (hopefully not that dreadful piña colada song, the last #1 hit of the 1970s, unless it's a guilty pleasure). Unfortunately, nothing says "better head to the gym" like a piña colada, too: 425 calories, 8 grams of saturated fat, most of which comes from the mysterious goo known as cream of coconut. We'll show you how we kept the vacation-worthy flavor while slashing fat and calories. At just 158 calories, it's all pleasure, no guilt.

Guacamole with Fish Sauce

Don't be daunted! This Southeast Asian staple adds depth to many dishes. By Naomi Duguid

A long time ago, when I was making food for my second child, who was about eight months old, I made a soft puree of ripe avocado with cooked potato and a little olive oil. He loved it. I did, too-after I'd seasoned it with a dash of fish sauce for my adult palate. That led me to add fish sauce to guacamole the next time I made it. It turned out to be a great addition: Fish sauce enhances the avocado's richness and gives it extra depth without overpowering. Ever since, I've always added a dash to my guacamole-about a teaspoon. The effect is subtle (there's no taste of fish), but it's not a "hidden" ingredient: Taste the fish sauce version next to an unsauced one; the former is notably deeper, richer, and somehow smokier.

See More: Superfast Asian Recipes

In many parts of mainland Southeast Asia, fish sauce (made from the liquid of, yes, salted fermented fish) is a staple, used for

Your lettuce is lifeless

Is your lettuce withered and shriveled? We'll show you how to perk things up. By Tim Cebula

Nice lettuce is a mighty pretty thing, until it shrivels and withers 'twixt store and salad bowl-or, worse, rots and blackens around the edges. Once opened, even relatively shelf-stable bagged lettuces suffer this fate. And lettuce leaves are prone to nasty bruising when roughly handled. This is among the most delicate of foods.

The main storage problem is usually too much moisture. Wet lettuce spoils faster as water condenses on the leaves and suffocates them. More moisture also means more gases, like ethylene, which speed up ripening and spoilage in fruits and vegetables. But here's the rub: Lettuce needs some water to stay crisp-otherwise leaves dry out and droop.

See More of the Most Common Cooking Mistakes

The solution: Keep lettuce moist, but just barely. Loosely wrap a head (or the contents of bagged lettuce) in slightly damp paper towels, and seal in a zip-top bag.

We took classic restaurant dishes, kept the meal appeal, and cut the calories by a huge amount. Here are the ingredients and techniques that make that possible.

Reuben Sandwiches

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
1 tablespoon chili sauce
2 teaspoons finely minced dill pickle
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon grated onion

Sandwiches:
8 (3/4-ounce) slices rye bread
3 ounces Swiss cheese, shaved (about 3/4 cup)
4 ounces lower-sodium corned beef, thinly sliced (such as Boar's Head corned beef, top round, cap-off)
1 cup organic sauerkraut, drained well

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. To prepare dressing, combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.
3. To prepare sandwiches, place bread slices in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet. Broil bread 1 1/2 minutes or until toasted. Turn bread over; broil for 1

Be brilliant in much less time: delicious dishes that have at their heart a work-done-for-you supermarket ingredient.

Speed up the cooking with versatile, healthy supermarket convenience foods that help you turn out vibrant, healthy main dishes. The prep time for each of our featured shortcut recipes is slashed to about 20 minutes. We guarantee that these helpful tips and products will help you turn out a delicious, made-with-care meal in no time. Here's one of our shortcut recipes to start you off, but click through to see the rest.

Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing

Ingredients
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup sliced celery
2/3 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground red

Seared Scallops with Wilted Watercress and Bacon

Watercress offers a refreshing change from spinach and other greens in this light and satisfying meal. Looking for a sustainable buy? Scallops are safe, but for the best choice, pick diver-caught scallops from Mexico.

See More Superfast Seafood Recipes

Seared Scallops with Wilted Watercress and Bacon

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds large sea scallops (about 16)
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon
1/2 cup sliced shallots
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 (4-ounce) packages trimmed watercress

See More Superfast Salad Recipes

Preparation

1. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Sprinkle both sides of scallops evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt, sugar, and pepper. Add scallops to pan; cook 3 minutes or until done, turning after 2 minutes. Remove

Avoiding overcooked poached eggs

Are your poached eggs tentacled, scary, and tough? Learn how to avoid overcooked eggs. By: Tim Cebula

The Solution: First, fill a wide saucepan or sauté pan with water to about two inches. Bring it to a gentle simmer-not a rolling boil, which toughens and twists the whites. Add a few teaspoons of vinegar, which does help eggs keep their shape. Crack eggs (fresher ones won't spread as much) into small ramekins or custard cups. The cups let you gently pour the eggs into the pan so the whites stay in a tight circle, and ensure you won't crack a broken-yolk dud into the water. Cook three minutes (the whites should be set and the yolks still creamy), then remove carefully with a slotted spoon. Drain them for a few seconds, or blot with a paper towel. Voilà: no more poor poaching. You can now perch your perfectly poached gems atop a dish like Poached Eggs with Spinach and Walnuts.

See More of the Most Common Cooking Mistakes

Poached Eggs with Spinach and Walnuts
Serve protein-packed

Radically Simple Cooking: Vinaigrettes Get Saucy

Our new columnist, Rozanne Gold, plays with the classic high-flavor dressing formula and takes it to salads and beyond.

Clever chefs are shaking up the salad-topping idea by using vinaigrettes as quick sauces that lend vibrancy to items other than greens. Tom Colicchio of Craft restaurant and Top Chef fame started braising fish in vinaigrette; chef and restaurateur David Burke began reducing vinaigrettes to glaze chicken and lobster; and Dan Barber at Blue Hill Farm created a warm orange vinaigrette to drizzle over fresh figs. One of the most alluring ideas comes from Chef Michel Nischan of Connecticut's Dressing Room-a three-ingredient elixir of apple cider, cider vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. It is lovely spooned over roast pork loin, drizzled atop turkey paillards-and not at all bad on a salad.

See More: Superfast Salads

Inspired by these ideas, I began creating vinaigrettes to spoon atop my main courses. Carrot-ginger vinaigrette, made zippy with orange juice and