Creamy - Without the Calories

When it comes to soul-satisfying food, people just can't get enough of the creamy textures of comfort food dishes. Mac and cheese, fettuccini, chowders and cream soups top many people's list of favorite indulgences, along with ice cream and milkshakes. But do things have to be loaded with fat to be creamy and taste good?

My short answer is an emphatic "No!" I've developed a few easy ways to keep the creaminess in and the fat out, starting with my method for making savory, velvety corn chowder. This is the perfect soup for this time of year, when you're yearning for something that reminds you of warm weather, like chowder at the beach side -- but which will still warm you up on chilly March evenings.

Here are three skinny secrets that you can use in any of your favorite recipes or even add to store-bought items to ramp up the creaminess and lower the fat.

My No. 1 Tip: Killer Creamy
My top pick for making things creamy -- from smoothies, to soups, to pasta and potato salads -- is non-fat Greek yogurt. It's full of calcium and protein and tastes so thick and rich because it's strained of excess moisture. It also makes gorgeous frozen yogurt that can be flavored any way you like.

Tip 2: Slim Down Your Dairy
Replace full fat dairy in recipes with fortified thick skim milk, low-fat sour cream, part-skim ricotta, low-fat cream cheese, non-fat or low-fat yogurt, reduced-fat mayo or 2 percent cheeses like cheddar and part-skim mozzarella.

Tip 3: Bank on Beans
Canned beans are a must for any healthy cook's cabinet ­ and they happen to be super cheap. Simply drain them, rinse well in a colander under cold running water and mash for a creamy boost that also adds fiber with hardly any fat. You can even add them to store-bought dips like sour cream and onion or cheese, or even peanut satay dipping sauce. It's a cheap way to feed more people while scaling back on the fat content. White navy beans, kidney beans, and black beans work best in dips and sauces.


Get the Skinny Chef's Corn Chowder recipe.