Diner de-lites: one order no-guilt comfort food, comin' up!

Think those New Year's diet resolutions mean you can't indulge in your favorite comfort foods--you know, diner-style specials like mac-cheese or frosted layer cake? Think again. The lightened-up versions on these pages have all the lusciousness of the originals, but won't wreck your waistline-watching plans. So on those cold days in January when you find yourself craving cozy comfort foods the most, have them!

We totally transformed these yummy standards--even blue cheese dressing and eggplant Parmesan--in the calorie and fat departments, yet we promise you can't tell the flavor difference. We even came up with a creative, nutritious twist on creamy scalloped potatoes by substituting sweet potatoes, for their vitamin-filled goodness. Finally, the icing on the cake is ... our iced chocolate cake--a gooey, dense delight that's surprisingly light. Now that's comforting!

SCALLOPED POTATOES

Serves 8

There are lots of reasons to scallop
sweet potatoes instead of
spuds. Vitamins A and E--both
good for the immune system--are
two. And since this recipe has only
3 grams of fat (versus the 9
more in many homemade versions),
you won't have to turn down seconds!

1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 cups roasted or low-sodium
  vegetable broth
1 cup low-fat milk
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 bay leaf
3 medium sweet potatoes (about
2 1/2 lb.), peeled and thinly
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Coat 8 8-oz.
ramekins or 9x13-inch baking dish
with cooking spray.

2. Melt butter in large saucepan
over medium heat. Add onion slices,
and saute until soft, about 7 to
10 minutes. Add broth, mill garlic,
thyme, nutmeg and bay leaf; bring
to a simmer. Cook until liquid is
reduced to just under 3 cups, about
7 minutes. Remove bay leaf, and
season to taste with salt and

3. Add sweet potatoes to liquid.
Return to a simmer, and cook,
stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

4. Pour mixture into ramekins
or baking dish; bake 30 minutes
baking dish, basting potatoes
occasionally with liquid in dish.
Sprinkle cheese over potatoes,
and bake ramekins 10 minutes;
large dish 20 minutes. Let both
rest 5 minutes before serving.

PER SERVING: 161 CAL; 4G PROT; 3G TOTAL FAT (1.5G SAT. FAT); 30G CARB; 7MG CHOL; 194MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 2G SUGARS

MAC AND CHEESE

Serves 8

This enlightened recipe has 200 fewer
calories than the standard homemade
mac and cheese--yet it's still creamy-cheesy.
It's great with a spinach and
mushroom salad.

8 oz. medium-sized macaroni
4 slices whale wheat bread
2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 tsp. olive oil
1 cup reduced-fat cottage cheese
3 cups reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. dry mustard
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat 9x13-inch
baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Bring large pot of salted water to
boil. Cook pasta according to package
directions, until al dente. Drain,
rinse under cold water; drain again.

3. Process bread slices in food
processor to fine crumbs. Add butter
and 2 tsp. oil, and pulse to moisten.
Transfer to small bowl.

4. Puree cottage cheese in processor.

5. Whisk 1/2 cup milk, flour and
mustard in small bowl until smooth.

6. In large, heavy-bottomed pan, heat
remaining 1 tsp. oil over medium
heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring
often, 6 to 8 minutes, or until
softened. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups
milk, and bring to a bare simmer.
Whisk in flour mixture, and cook,
stirring constantly, 5 to 7 minutes, or
until thickened. Remove from heat.

7. Whisk in pureed cottage cheese,
Cheddar, and salt and black pepper
to taste. Stir in macaroni, and
transfer to baking dish. Sprinkle
top with breadcrumb mixture.

8. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35
minutes, or until bubbly and lightly
browned. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes
before serving.

PER SERVING: 389 CAL; 20G PROT; 15G TOTAL FAT (8G SAT. FAT); 43G CARB; 37MG CHOL; 709MG SOD; 3G FIBER; 8G SUGARS

EGGPLANT PARM
Serves 6

Oven-frying the eggplant slices makes
a succulent dish that has only 9 grams
of fat--instead of 20 or more.

3 large egg whites
I cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 medium eggplants, sliced
  into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella
  cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat
2 baking sheets and 8x11 1/2-inch
baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Whisk egg whites with 3 Tbs. water
in bowl until frothy. Combine breadcrumbs,
1/4 cup Parmesan, and salt and
pepper to taste in shallow dish.
Dip eggplant slices into egg whites,
then coat with breadcrumb mixture
and arrange on baking sheets.

3. Bake until golden; turn; bake until
golden again, about 30 minutes total.

4. Stir basil into marinara sauce.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce in baking dish.
Top with half of eggplant, slightly
overlapping slices. Cover with 1 cup
of sauce; sprinkle with half of
mozzarella. Cover with remaining
eggplant, and top with remaining
sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan.

5. Bake, uncovered, 20 to 25 minutes,
or until bubbly and golden. Let stand
10 minutes; serve.