Low Fat Cooking

Slash fat and calories by using low-fat yogurt in place of sour cream, cream, and mayonnaise in savory dishes. You can use low-fat yogurt in and on desserts, and in all kinds of other recipes, too. Fat-free yogurt, especially nonfat Greek yogurt, which is naturally thick and creamy, can also be used in many recipes, even cooked dishes.

More About Low-Fat Yogurt

• Yogurt for Dessert
• Review: Oikos 0% Fat Greek Yogurt
• Make Yogurt Cheese

_{Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Warm banana bread out of the oven is hard to beat. Warm blueberry banana bread is even more so. This sweet treat is made healthier by using low fat buttermilk and heart-healthy canola oil instead of butter, and replacing a little more than half of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour. Why whole wheat pastry flour? It has less gluten, which makes for more tender quick breads, cakes and muffins, yet it still provides a nice boost of fiber.

_{Blueberry Banana Bread Photo © 2012 Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

If you love cheesecake but hate the fat and calories, then these perfectly portion-controlled lower-fat raspberry cheesecakes are for you. They're also quick and easy to make. I use tub cream cheese rather than blocks because the cream cheese is nice and soft, but also because the tub of light cream cheese is slightly lower in fat than the brick version.

_{Mini Raspberry Cheesecake © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

In my world, there are two Mother's Days: the U.K. one, known as Mothering Sunday, which falls in March, where I remember my mom (actually, "mum"), and the U.S. one, which is on May 13th this year, when my two girls will scurry about semi-furtively, planning some culinary masterpiece. It's been a few years since they proudly served brightly colored cereal drowned in chocolate milk, and burned toast. These days, they've become quite accomplished at making eggs and pancakes from scratch.

If it's your turn to treat mom this year, I have 10 low-fat Mother's Day recipes that should fit the bill, ranging from delicious breakfast or brunch options to dinner and dessert.

_{Crepes Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}

People choose to eat low fat for various reasons. Some want to lose weight, others need to lower their cholesterol, and some need to eat low fat for other medical reasons, such as gallbladder disease. Sometimes things get in our way and undermine our best intentions. Whatever your excuses, here are 10 things to stop doing if you want to eat low fat.

_{Photo © 2012 Ariel Haynes, licensed to About.com}

Cinco de Mayo gives us a great excuse to indulge in some Mexican-inspired recipes, some of which may already be a weeknight staple. After all, many of us already have taco night, or something similar. But in honor of this triumphant day in Mexico's history, when the Mexicans defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla, here are some Low Fat Cinco de Mayo recipes, including some delicious fish tacos (pictured).

_{Low Fat Fish Tacos © Fiona Haynes licensed to About.com}

Spring may have sprung, but it can still feel cold enough on occasion for soup. So here's a nice and light spring vegetable soup that's low fat and low calorie. For a satisfying lunch, enjoy this healthy spring vegetable soup with an equally healthy thin-sliced turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread.

More Spring Soups

• Watercress Soup
• Carrot, Zucchini & Tomato Soup
• Pea and Mint Soup
• Asparagus Soup

_{Spring Vegetable Soup © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com, Inc.}

It rains a lot in the Pacific Northwest, so some of us don't get outside to use our grills as often as we'd like. Those who have grown up here will grill no matter what the weather, but the rest of us are fair weather grillers. So instead I rely on my handy indoor compact contact grill, which cooks succulent chicken, fish, lean pork, and vegetables in no time at all, with minimal clean up. Get the lowdown on one such grill and see how it helps with low fat cooking.

_{Cuisinart Compact Griddler Photo © 2012 licensed to About.com}

Soup is not just for fall and winter. There are some delicious soups that are perfect for spring and summer, too. This low-fat, high-fiber pea and mint soup makes a fragrant and flavorful spring lunch or appetizer. Serve hot or cold, depending on the weather, and top with a dollop of low fat or fat free sour cream or Greek yogurt, and some sprigs of fresh mint.

More Low Fat Spring Soups:

• Asparagus Soup
• Leek and Potato Soup
• Watercress Soup
• Chilled Cucumber Soup

_{Photo © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About, Inc.}

One good way to eat less fat during the course of a week is to switch out one or two meat-based dishes for vegetable-based ones. One such dish could be risotto, so long as you're not too heavy handed with cheese or you dispense with cheese altogether. Contrary to popular belief, risotto is straightforward enough to make, it just needs a little time and attention, something that we're short of in the course of a busy week. Even so, risotto can be on the table in about 30 minutes or so. One of my family's favorite risotto meals is a simple mushroom risotto. Although I specify cremini and shiitake mushrooms in the recipe, feel free to use button mushrooms if that's what you happen to have on hand.

_{Mushroom Risotto © Fiona Haynes, licensed to About.com}