Blog Posts by CookingLight.com

Healthy Airport Eats

With airlines skimping on in-flight food, airport terminals are ramping up offerings, ditching mundane choices in favor of high-end gourmet, fresh, and even organic selections. We perused the menu at 20 of the nation's busiest airports to zero in on the ones making the biggest strides when it comes to delivering healthy options. Our top five picks aren't necessarily the most trafficked airports. Instead, they're the ones that make it easy to find deliciously lighter meals. If travel plans allow, it might be worth routing through these five hubs. By Maureen Callahan, MS, RD

1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

The world's busiest airport is currently updating concession contracts. Speculation is there could be a push toward even more fresh, healthier options.

Quick & Healthy: Longtime Atlanta caterer Proof of the Pudding trims the fat and sodium while incorporating the "Super Foods" concept at its three "gourmet fresh" kiosks. Our Pick: Turkey

Read More »from Healthy Holiday Airport Eats

Your Cookies Gain Unwanted Holiday WidthLumpy gravy, pasty potatoes, shredded turkey-what's a holiday cook to do? Find out how to avoid these and other holiday kitchen calamities with Cooking Light magazine's Most Common Cooking Mistakes.

Mistake #1: Your cookies gain unwanted holiday width.

Result: Sad gingerbread men.

Baking holiday cookies can go from a labor of love to an exercise in frustration when your gingerbread men come out more bloated than a Macy's parade float. The problem is too much heat-but not at the baking stage, at the mixing stage: Your butter is too warm.

The solution: Keep your butter cool, right until baking. Butter starts to melt at 68°, and once that happens, its water-fat emulsion breaks and there's no getting it back. Cold, emulsified butter helps give baked goods structure by taking in air when mixed with sugar. For cookies, you want butter well below room temperature; between 50° and 65° is optimal. Cut the butter into chunks, and let it stand at room temperature to soften (nix

Read More »from The Most Common Holiday Cooking Mistakes

Currant-Glazed Lamb Chops with Pistachio Couscous

Slow-cooked flavor without the time, these lamb chops pack the flavor. Pistachio Couscous is the ideal accompaniment.

Currant-Glazed Lamb Chops with Pistachio Couscous

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth, divided
4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup uncooked couscous
2 teaspoons minced rosemary
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 (3-ounce) lamb rib chops, trimmed
Cooking spray
1/3 cup red currant jelly
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup unsalted shelled dry-roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Rosemary leaves (optional)

See More: Superfast Holiday Recipes

Preparation

1. Bring 1 1/4 cups broth, 2 teaspoons oil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous; cover. Remove pan from heat.

2. Combine remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt,

Read More »from 20-Minute Recipe: Currant-Glazed Lamb Chops with Pistachio Couscous

Whipped cream adds an extra 2 grams of sat fat per dollop. Whipped topping adds zero.

Just as fun and festive, but with 90% less sat fat. You'll never guess how we did it! By Sidney Fry, MS, RD

One day, trying to figure out how to lighten eggnog yet again (it's a complicated annual ritual around here), it occurred to me: Eggnog is virtually indistinguishable in makeup and flavor from melted vanilla ice cream. Why not just make it out of melted ice cream? More than a third of the calories in eggnog come from saturated fat-about the amount in 2 heaping tablespoons of butter. Add rum, bourbon, or brandy ('tis the season!), and you're into 400-plus-calorie range. Starting with full-fat ice cream wouldn't be much better. But I found I could shave 250 calories and 14 grams of sat fat by simply using light vanilla ice cream (we like Edy's Slow Churned Vanilla).

See More: Christmas Cocktails

The Formula: Let 1/2 cup of light ice cream melt. Stir in 1 tablespoon bourbon and 1/2 tablespoon brandy, sprinkle with nutmeg, and garnish with cinnamon. Voila, a 150-calorie

Read More »from Our Ultimate Eggnog Trick

Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

Need an idea for a quick meal to serve your hungry family? Look no further than the staple of all comfort food: Fettuccine Alfredo topped with a sprinkling of Applewood bacon.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
2 slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
2/3 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

See More: Superfast Holiday Recipes

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.

2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings. Add garlic to drippings in pan; sauté 1

Read More »from 20-Minute Recipe: Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon

How to Eat Mindfully This Holiday Season

Pause for a moment amid crazy schedules to appreciate the joy surrounding you this holiday.

The true testament to the power of food goes beyond any sensory gratification to the feelings of love and togetherness it evokes. Yet, it seems so easy to overlook the deeper pleasures of the table amid the hectic holiday swirl.

"The body's logic is to respond to any stressor by focusing on taking as much food as possible and storing it," says Martha Beck, life coach and author of The Four Day Win: End Your Diet War and Achieve Thinner Peace. "But you're not enjoying it. So if you're stressed-and most people are during the holidays-you will overeat and won't enjoy the time."

By encouraging you to let go of stressors and enjoy the food you're eating, mindfulness can help you make the most of your food choices, paving the way for truly appreciating and savoring them.

1. Inhale and exhale.
"I used to get so sick of people telling me to breathe in and out, but now I realize there

Read More »from How to Eat Mindfully This Holiday Season

Taste Test | Pure Vanilla Extract

A drop will do ya, which is why it's so important to use a good one. By Kimberly Holland

Vanilla is a team player, boosting other flavors and adding depth, character, and roundness. If you forget to add it, you'll know the moment you take a bite.

But for all its behind-the-scenes work, vanilla is also a strong flavor unto itself-sweet, caramel-y, floral, unique. That's why most recipes call for only a small amount-a teaspoon or less of extract to flavor an entire cake or batch of cookies. Too much, and vanilla's perfumy presence overwhelms.

See More: Holiday Baking Fundamentals

That's what happened in our first tasting; we mixed 1 tablespoon of each of 18 pure vanilla extract contenders into 8 ounces of milk, and the flavor blew testers' tasting circuits. Starting over, we used 1/2 teaspoon whipped with (and mellowed by) sweetened heavy cream, then tested the top four in a stovetop pudding, stirring in at the end to preserve the flavor.

Because so little delivers

Read More »from Taste Test: Pure Vanilla Extracts

Ten superior side dishes earned our readers' highest rating.

1. Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Slicing the Brussels sprouts horizontally makes for quick cooking, and the addition of toasted pecans add an unexpected crunch and buttery richness to this stunning side.

View Recipe: Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

2. Lemon-Scented Broccoli Soufflé

Serve this fluffy side as a perfect foil for the traditionally heavy holiday fare. The soufflé will fall when it's taken out of the oven, but its airy texture and fresh citrus aroma will remain long after it has been served.

View Recipe: Lemon-Scented Broccoli Soufflé

3. Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

Steaming vegetables helps to retain all of the healthful water-soluble vitamins, and these carrots are no exception. The addition of the garlic-ginger butter gives an exotic flair to an otherwise classic dish.

View Recipe: Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

Read More »from 10 top-rated holiday sides