By Chuck Martin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig celebrate a decade of rehabs. (Stephen M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

It was their idea, but they never thought they'd still be cutting fat from recipes after all these years.

In late 1992, dietitians Karen Weber, Pat Streicher and Ellen Illig - who worked at Jewish Hospital's Cholesterol Center - called then-Enquirer food editor Toni Cashnelli with a proposal: Readers would send in their favorite recipes, and the dietitians would use their expertise to reduce fat in the dishes.

Ms. Cashnelli loved the "Recipe Rehab" idea so much she wanted to run the column every week in the food section. But the dietitians knew how much testing and tasting time it would require. They suggested the column run every other week.

FAT-CUTTING TIPS

Recipe Rehab Dietitians' Top 10 Fat-Reduction Tips for Cooking 1. When making cakes, whip egg whites and fold into batter at the end. 2. When making casseroles containing ground beef, use 93 percent lean or leaner ground meat and reduce the amount by one-fourth. 3. When baking, keep whole eggs in the recipe. The yolk doesn't increase the fat content significantly, but does improve texture. 4. Applesauce and strained baby foods work well in replacing some of the oil or butter in cakes and breads. 5. Don't replace all of the fat in a baked item with baby food, and always use a little less than the fat you are replacing. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup oil, substitute 1/4 cup oil and 2/3 cup strained baby food. (1 cup oil - 1/4 cup = 3/4 cup oil. Therefore, use 2/3 cup baby food, which is less than 3/4 cup oil.) 6. When replacing full-fat mayonnaise, use 1/4 "real'' mayonnaise and 3/4 low-fat (2 grams per tablespoon) mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's ''Just 2 Good.'' 7. To saute chopped vegetables, omit fat or oil called for in recipe and lightly spray pan with vegetable oil spray or use a small amount of water. 8. A wire whisk is an invaluable tool for making low-fat cream sauces. 9. To replace sour cream in cooked dishes, drained, plain non-fat yogurt often works better than light or fat-free sour cream. (In cold dips and sauces, the low-fat and fat-free sour cream work well.) 10. Don't use fat-free cream cheese to make cake frosting. Light cream cheese works much better.

And so for the last 10 years, "Recipe Rehab" has appeared regularly in the Enquirer. The three women, who all still work at the Cholesterol Center, have trimmed and tweaked nearly 300 recipes over the years. They've even compiled a Recipe Rehab cookbook, sold at area hospital gift shops and book stores.

Their weapons in this fat fight: reduced-fat cheese, no-fat half-and-half, applesauce (used to replace oil in baking), extra-lean meat and turkey - and their invaluable recipe-testing experience. (On average, they test every recipe three times.) For example, you don't need that much oil in the pan for sauteing vegetables, the dietitians have learned. And usually, rich desserts taste just as good with fewer nuts.

Like any venture, the low-fat vigilantes have experienced disappointments. There was that decadent Snickers Pie recipe someone sent in years ago. Containing a whopping 65 fat grams per serving, the pie was crammed with four chopped giant candy bars and lots of whipping cream and butter. With those kinds of ingredients, the women couldn't substantially reduce the fat without drastically affecting the flavor and texture of the pie. So they recommended people eat small portions and enjoy the pie only occasionally.

From the beginning, the trio's goal has been to reduce the fat in a way that the dish still tastes good. If they can't, they don't publish the recipe.

But the dietitians have seen more than their share of fat-saving victories, transforming Chocolate-Carrot Cake, Pumpkin-Apple Streusel , wild rice soup and other recipes into reasonably healthy dishes. In 1999, they zapped the fat in a fluffy dessert called Lemon Daffodil Delight from 20 grams to 0. And their rehabbed Orange Creamsicle Cake (reduced from 24 to 7 fat grams per serving) was so popular in 2000, many grocery stores sold out of the orange cake mix called for in the recipe.

Thanks to the Recipe Rehab dietitians over the last decade, many in the Tristate have been able to enjoy their favorite foods with less fat and guilt. Fans just hope the women keep trimming and slimming their favorite recipes for another 10 years.

E-mail cmartin@enquirer.com

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