Cutting out the fats

Ingredients: I am sure that you are all well aware that certain ingredients that are fat themselves in various forms, such as oil, butter and margarine, should be used sparingly where possible.

But you might be unaware of how much fat is in certain raw foods before we start cooking with them.

Nuts and seeds: I don't know about you, but I love them and could nibble till the cows come home. Unfortunately, those “healthy” looking nuts and seeds are sky high in fats, albeit useful ones. Just 50 grams of walnuts, one of the fattier nuts, has a whopping 340 calories and an enormous 35 grams of fat. If your diet is very low in fats for some reason -- mine was because I was dieting for a contest -- then walnuts fit the bill, but if you are on a slimming diet, then best to give them a miss. The least fatty and calorific nuts are hazelnuts, the favorite nut here in Turkey where they are grown. All nuts contain protein, and that's why vegetarians and vegans include them in their daily diets. Vegans do not eat animal products at all and therefore miss the fat from dairy products, which they can substitute with nut products such as almond milk.

The seeds that Turks love to crack -- pumpkin and sunflower -- are also high in fats, but are more fun to nibble because of the shelling process. Twenty grams of these scattered on your salad will give you useful fats and some protein as well as adding texture to your food.

Cooking fats: On a diet, I would cut out margarine and butter completely. If you need oil for cooking, olive oil is better for you, but as I said last week, use a small amount and brush it over the pan with a pastry brush to spread it further.

Cooking fat should only be used if absolutely necessary. What I do is use it to “start” the frying process, for example, to sauté the onions. When they are starting to change color, I add the rest of the vegetables and enough water to stop the food from sticking to the pan. So the vegetables are basically cooked in water but given flavor and “sealed” by the oil used at the beginning.

 De-fatting your meat: First brown your meat slightly in a large pan. Then run boiling water over it to eliminate the fat. Do this for about 15 seconds, stirring lightly. Drain the congealed fat away into a bowl.

Tuna in oil: You can buy tuna in water or brine from the bigger supermarkets, but if you can't, put your tuna in a sieve and run boiling water over it also for 15 seconds or more. This should get rid of the oil you weren't able to get rid of just by draining it away.

Baking without fat: Surprisingly, this can be done, and it doesn't make the baked goods as dry and tasteless as you might think. Simply substitute the fat you were going to use with apple puree or even prune puree. This can be made by boiling apples or prunes beforehand and reducing them down. The other thing you can substitute for butter or margarine is yogurt. This is not fat free, but you can buy low-fat varieties that are a lot lower in fat than traditional baking fats.

Almost fat-free omelets: I use spray-on oil I brought with me from home, but my spies tell me this has been spotted in Turkey. If not, put the minimum amount of oil in the pan and spread it around.

Egg yolks: Each egg yolk has 4.5 grams of fat and 53 calories, so what I do when making an omelet is to use only one yolk and as many egg whites as I feel like, depending on how big I want the omelet to be and how much protein I want. Some people hate wasting food and save the yolks, but I confess to throwing them away, and unless you can think of a really good reason to use them later, such as brushing them on homemade bread to brown and glaze it, I would advise you to do the same.

Here's a couple recipes of my own I find delicious and hope you do, too.

Stephanie’s Spanish omelet: Take a good-sized summer squash and cut it into thick slices. Spread your olive oil ration over a largish pan and heat. Lay the squash slices over the surface and as soon as they even think of sizzling, turn them over to brown on the other side. Now take them out of the plan and put them aside.

Whisk four egg whites and a fifth egg until frothy. To that egg mixture, add a handful of canned peas and a small amount of sweet corn. Add pepper to taste and salt if you must. Heat the pan again and chuck in the egg and veggie mixture until the omelet is golden but not brown. It'll be a little soft inside but that's how you want it. Before it is cooked, add the squash slices to give texture and body to your Spanish omelet. Serve with a green salad or a ripe tomato and some cucumber slices.

Spicy baked beans with pepper: Cut a squash into slices and a large pimento pepper into strips. Take a large onion and fry it in a minimum of oil. Now add the pepper strips and squash slices and a can of beans. I managed to find British baked beans here, but they sell a variety of beans in cans. Try to get the most oil-free ones you can, or if you can't, put them in a sieve and rinse out the oil.

Add the beans to your veggies, then add a healthy dose of that Turkish red pepper paste that makes your eyes water and a tablespoon of soy sauce. I also throw in a sprinkling of raisins for texture and interest.

The effect is a little sweet-and-sour because of the sweet sauce with the baked beans. If your beans have no sweet sauce, add a teaspoon of sugar to achieve the same result.

Bon appétit!