George Bernhard Shaw said it best when he uttered the words “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” With the festive season just around the corner, thoughts drift not only to gifts, colored lights and family gatherings, but also to what food to serve at the upcoming celebrations. Over this time of year, not only are fall colors reflected in nature, but also in the foods we eat: The burnt orange of a velvety pumpkin pie, the cinnamon-brown of juicy apples baked in a flaky golden crust and the jeweled crimson-red of cranberry sauce. Be still my beating heart! It’s no wonder we pile on those extra pounds every year, despite good intentions not to do so. But all is not lost. By applying just a few easy tips, you can—and will—control the calories that seem to add up over the holidays and still succeed in creating flavourful meals for your family and friends. Here are a few creative ideas to get you started in the right direction.

• Use vegetables and beans in the form of purees when making sauces and soups or in the form of salsas, chutneys or relishes when serving as accompaniments. Not only does this approach cut the fat but it also adds an additional element of flavor.

• Fruits and vegetable juices are delicious in dressings, hot sauces and soups. Reducing them intensifies their taste.

• Moderate the use of salt by incorporating herbs, spices, chiles, mustard, horseradish, capers, olives, citrus fruits, vinegar and aromatics such as wine, garlic, celery, onions, shallots and scallions into your meal preparations.

• Thicken gravies with arrowroot or cornstarch instead of using a roux of flour and fat.

• Replace heavy cream with evaporated skim milk if making a cream soup, which allows you to still retain the creaminess without the fat calories. A trick that professional chefs use is to swirl just a kiss of heavy cream into the center of the soup for presentation.

• Fruits are simply sublime in salads, stuffings, desserts, and as toppings for hot and cold breakfast cereals. Mix things up by combining cooked, fresh and dried fruit in a single dish. The natural sugars in dried fruit are sweeter and more concentrated than their cooked and fresh counterparts and since dried fruits are chewier, when mixed with other fruits, they also add texture.

• Consider using liquid sugars such as pure maple syrup or honey as a sweetener instead of granulated sugar when baking sweet treats. Liquid sugars also have an anti-staling effect and make for moister and chewier baked goods. When replacing granulated sugar with maple syrup or honey, a good rule of thumb is to use a three-quarter cup for every 1 cup of granulated sugar. You may also want to cut back on the liquids in the recipe to offset the extra moisture in the syrup; reduce the liquids by 2-3 tablespoons. Unless your recipe calls for buttermilk or sour cream, add a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acidity when using honey.

• Another trick when baking is to replace one-third of the shortening with apple butter, if appropriate. For a different taste, try nut butters.

The list goes on, but by adopting some or all of the above tips into your holiday cooking, you can still enjoy tantalizing treats and fabulous fare without feeling deprived or increasing calories. Bon Appetit!

Recipe for low-fat Cranberry-Pecan Spread

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